George Cukor, who directed this film, was offered the chance to direct its "partial remake," A Star Is Born (1937), but turned it down, claiming the two films were too similar. Interestingly, Cukor would later direct the 1954 Judy Garland/James Mason musical remake of that film, often cited as the best version of this material.
This film bears such a striking resemblance to A Star Is Born (1937) that it is often considered "the original version" of that often remade classic. In fact, David O. Selznick, who produced both this film and Star is Born, was threatened with a lawsuit by this film's writers, claiming plagiarism.
The mob scene outside Mary's wedding, in which a crowd of fans surround her and try to grab pieces of her outfit as souvenirs, was later re-enacted in real life when Elizabeth Taylor was similarly mobbed at the funeral of Mike Todd. A police escort was required to transport Taylor safely from the cemetery, and Taylor was said to suffer nightmares about the experience for years afterward.
Neil Hamilton, who plays Mary's persistent suitor Lonny here, had been a leading man in the silent movie era, and continued working until the end of his life. More than 30 years after this film, Hamilton was cast in the role for which he is best remembered: Police Commissioner Gordon in the Adam West TV version of Batman.
The sequence in which Mary Evans' home is besieged by the press and her fans when Mary is caught up in a scandal is curiously similar to a real-life situation that occurred the same year this film was made: When sex symbol Jean Harlow's husband, M-G-M producer Paul Bern, committed suicide in their home during the summer of 1932, Harlow also found herself mercilessly hounded by fans and reporters. In fact, the Harlow/Bern scandal was such big news that only the November 1932 election of Franklin D. Roosevelt as America's 33rd President finally chased it off front pages nationwide.