The play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 20 November 1916 and had 328 performances. Margaret Wycherly played the role of Rosalie La Grange, as she also did in the 1929 film version.
This was the first film to be given a H certificate by the British Board of Film Censors. The certificate was introduced in 1937 to denote "horrific" content and children under sixteen would not be admitted. Not all films passed H were horror films, but the certificate was replaced in 1951 with the X, as a general rating for adults-only films.
Holmes Herbert had previously played the role of Sir Roscoe Crosby in the 1929 version of the play, The Thirteenth Chair (1937).