A number of beggars in downtown Los Angeles were cast in small roles, including the legless man, nicknamed William F. Sauls, whom
Frank Capra had remembered as selling pencils when the director was a paperboy.
When Frank Capra was nominated for his first Best Director Oscar in 1934 for his work on this movie, presenter Will Rogers merely opened the envelope and said, "Come and get it, Frank!". Already halfway to the stage, Capra realized that Rogers wasn't referring to him, but to Frank Lloyd, who was getting the award for Cavalcade (1933).
Radio City Music Hall booked the film's premiere without seeing it, because Frank Capra's La grande muraille (1932) had been the theater's first film; and they considered the director to be good luck.
At this point Columbia Pictures was still a "Poverty Row" operation with studio chief Harry Cohn adamant against hiring actors under long-term contracts. The cast of this film was largely obtained on loan from Warner Brothers' pool of talented character actors. Warren William was at the peak of his career and being loaned out to lowly Columbia was meant to humble any thoughts of greater salary demands. Although his career would wane in the mid-'30s, this film was a big hit.