The storyline had to be changed in this version in order to placate the Hays Commission code; both the silent (Chicago (1927)) and the later musical (Chicago (2002)) versions are more faithful to the original 1926 play.
The characters of Roxie and Velma were based on real people whose murder trials took place in 1924. Beulah Annan was the basis for Roxie and Belva Gaertner was the basis for Velma. Billy Flynn's real-life counterpart was famed Chicago shyster W.W. O'Brien.
The original Broadway musical version of this story first ran in 1975 and broke the then record of most Tony award nominations of any Broadway play. It also set a record for being the first Broadway show to be nominated for that many awards without winning one single award, as it was overshadowed by the then Broadway smash "A Chorus Line." Chicago, the musical, was then revived in 1996, and not only won a Tony for best Broadway revival, but went on to set a record for the most Tony awards of any revival. Both Broadway versions cast the role of Mary Sunshine as a man in drag. The 2002 movie version was produced during the run of this revival, but returned to the casting of Mary Sunshine as a woman's role.