The film was almost lost forever. The only known copy at the time was destroyed in a fire at Storage Vault No. 7 at MGM on 10 August 1965. The existing master copy of it was made using a print that was found in Paris in 1968, and a master positive copy of nearly the entire film, found in 1991. In modern copies of the film, the quality of the image varies dramatically; the scenes with best quality were obtained from the material found in 1991.
This film was used for many years by MGM as an example of a perfect comedy. The studio would get all its directors and producers to watch it and learn. Only two scenes were improvised on the spot by Buster Keaton: one was the baseball scene, and the other is the piggybank scene.
According to Rudi Blesh's biography of Buster Keaton, he came on the set the first day of shooting and, unaware of his reduced status as actor-only, began to "feel" for comedy bits and request props and characters, as he had with his own company. Director Edward Sedgwick took him aside and told Buster that he was undermining his directorial authority. Buster genuinely apologized and faded into the background. Sedgwick couldn't get the set-ups he wanted, couldn't get the actors to understand his direction, and eventually gave up and asked Buster to take over. As quietly as he had left, Buster regained control of the scene. Buster began to call Sedgwick "Junior" and they became fast friends.
The scene in which Buster Keaton runs up and down the stairs of his rooming house when he's expecting Marceline Day's phone call was shot with an elevator crane. Though the German film Der letzte Mann (1924) had used an elevator crane, this film was the first comedy to use it. In 1960, Jerry Lewis used an elevator crane in Der Bürotrottel (1961), and some writers have erroneously credited him with being the first comedian to use one.
The baseball stadium scene was more than just inspired comedy. Buster Keaton loved baseball and organized several charity teams in Hollywood. According to legend, the work application to Keaton's company asked two questions: 1. Are you a good actor? 2. Are you a good baseball player? The applicant who answered "yes" to either one had a job with Keaton.