Claude Rains at first turned down the part, feeling he would be miscast and look ridiculous as a tough New York City cop. Only after being threatened by the studio with suspension did he reluctantly accept it, but he always considered this one of his least favorite pictures.
Desert location shooting was so hot at times that the film melted in the camera.
The fourth of seven movies featuring The Dead End Kids. In the original film, The Life of Jimmy Dolan, the kids are played by Mickey Rooney and several cast members of the our "Our Gang" comedy shorts - a much younger crowd.
The John Garfield character (Johnny Bradfield/Jack Dorney) is obsessed with not being made a sucker. The word "sucker" is used 19 times in the film.
The play opened off-broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 4 April 1933.
This was a remake of The Life of Jimmy Dolan. To conform with the "Hayes" Production Code, first imposed in 1934, the reporter in this film is killed by the fighter's manager. In 1933, the prizefighter, Jimmy Dolan, the central character and hero, was the killer.