The film was originally presented as a radio serial on the NBC Radio Network's "Hollywood on the Air" program from August 26 to September 30, 1932 with the final episode left out. If the listener wanted to know the ending, they had to watch the film. A contest accompanied the broadcast, and listeners were encouraged to submit their ending to NBC and RKO. The best endings were chosen to win one of 100 prizes totaling $6,000 and were announced on November 24, 1932. The ending of the film was not based on any of the contest entries.
This film was modestly successful at the box office, earning RKO a profit of $100,000 ($2.31M in 2023) according to studio records.