Warner Brothers (which absorbed First National in November 1929) attempted to reissue Lilly Turner (1933), a pre-Code film, in 1936, but Joseph Breen denied them a Code certificate.
Ruth Chatterton plays the 22-year-old Lilly Turner. In actuality, she was 40 when the film was released.
At the time this was made Ruth Chatterton and George Brent were husband and wife. They divorced in 1934.
Lilly Turner (1933) was the second film together for Ruth Chatterton and director William A. Wellman. A "man's man" with a preference for action films and a contempt for divas, Wellman was not happy when he was assigned to direct Sagrado Dilema (1932) with Chatterton. The dislike was mutual, but after three days of icy silence between them, director and star called a truce, recognizing each other's talents, and becoming great fans of each other. Frisco Jenny would be Chatterton's favorite film. While she and Wellman were happy to work together again, Lilly Turner was not as good as Frisco Jenny. For Wellman, Lilly Turner was just another programmer, one of six that he cranked out in 1933 under contract at Warner Bros. In spite of the grim story, Wellman gives the carnival scenes a certain seedy vitality.
According to studio records, Lyle Talbot was originally cast as "Rex Durkee"---the role that went to Gordon Westcott.