In this film, Harriet recounts to several people her negative experiences having to work in a laundry in her youth. In her own life, Joan Crawford also had to work in a laundry in her youth because of her family's poverty, and hated it. Crawford's adopted daughter Christina theorized that this hatred led to the famous "wire hangers" incident described by her in 'Mommie Dearest.'
The original Broadway play "Craig's Wife' by George Kelly opened on October 12, 1925 at the Morosco Theater, ran for 360 performances and won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1926 and is the screenplay source for this film.