Wissenswertes

Director F.W. Murnau wanted the title of the film to be "Our Daily Bread", but the studio refused. Murnau's working title was the title used in several European countries' distribution.

The movie's working title was Our Daily Bread. It was shot on location in Athena and Pendleton, Oregon. According to research by film historians, a farm was constructed for the making of the film. The wheat harvest scenes took place near Pendleton, Oregon, and the entire cast had to learn how to operate the wheat combine. The combines were pulled by a team of 32 mules, a 16-mule hitch. Upon her arrival to shoot the film in August 1928, Mary Duncan was granted the Round-Up Queen of the 1928 Pendleton Round-Up rodeo.

This film is based on the play "The Mud Turtle" by Elliott Lester that opened on Broadway in New York City at the Bijou Theatre, 209 W. 45th St. on August 20, 1925, and ran for 52 performances. Though shot as a silent feature, the film was refitted with some sound elements and released in 1930. The film is credited as being the primary inspiration for Terrence Malick's film In der Glut des Südens (1978).

The Fox Film studios for whom Director F.W. Murnau was working were subject to a takeover during filming. The new owners requested a number of changes to the film, including the addition of sound sequences which Murnau resisted, and eventually he walked away to begin filming Tabu (1931). The sound version of City Girl was released but flopped at the box office and has since been lost. The silent version film was among those rescued from the Fox vaults in 1970 by Eileen Bowser of Museum of Modern Art and screened at the museum.

Charles Lane's film debut as uncredited "Man at Train Station".