At the film's world premiere, the first reel of the 1926 silent version of "Beau Geste" was shown just before the entire 1939 sound version, in an effort to demonstrate how far films had advanced in thirteen years. This almost backfired because the film apparently, followed the 1926 one extremely closely, and some of the first-night critics were annoyed, rather than pleased at this, feeling that this remake should have been more imaginative. However, this did not keep it from becoming a smash hit and a film classic.
Ronald Colman was initially slated to reprise his role of Beau Geste, but he was tied up in making two other films for Paramount (on loan from Sam Goldwyn).
This remake of Beau Geste (1926) was shot on the same sets at the same locations in Yuma, AZ, as the original.