According Dietrich biographer Steven Bach, Paramount had "thousands" of duplicate statues made for display in theater lobbies to promote the film. This move caused a sensation and aroused the scorn of religious and woman's groups across the country.
Miriam Hopkins was originally cast in the lead role but pulled out due to her husband Anatole Litvak's dislike of Josef von Sternberg.
The statue of Marlene Dietrich was made by sculptor S. Cartaino Scarpitta aka Salvatore Scarpitta. His work 'Transition' is also seen in the film. Other artworks seen in Waldow's studio in the film include 'Kneeling Aphrodite' by Vuk Vuchinich; 'Captive,' 'Innocence' and 'Peasant Dancer' by Atanas Katchamakoff; 'Head of a Young Girl' and 'Rhumba' by David Williams, Myrna Loy's brother; 'Torso' by Harold Swartz; 'The Bather' by George Stanley, he also designed the Oscar statuette based on a sketch by Cedric Gibbons, and 'Standing Nude' by Ella Buchanan.