The play opened in New York City, New York, USA, on 11 November 1929 at the Morosco Theatre, 217 W. 45th St., and had 28 performances. In the cast were Sylvia Sidney, Franchot Tone, and Dennie Moore.
The mention of the Jericho Turnpike places the setting as being on Long Island, New York. State Route 25 is known at the Jericho Turnpike for most of its length across Long Island.
In a letter to David O. Selznick, Jason S. Joy, Director of Public and Studio Relations of the AMPP, recommended a number of changes and deletions in order to assure the film's censorship approval. One strongly-advised alteration was the deletion of the word "damn" in the dialogue. While Joy's more emphatic suggestions apparently were taken, several questionable lines and sexual moments were left in the film. Although it can be inferred from watching the film that Dora and Mike actually have sex, it is also possible that Dora's father pressures them to marry because he mistakenly believes that they had a sexual encounter. Although, the woman's comment to the boy, "Are you sorry?", implies something happened.
In several scenes there is a large stone bench inscribed "IN LOCO PARENTIS", which in Latin means "in the place of a parent". This refers to the legal doctrine of a person or organization that assumes the responsibility of a parent - in this case meaning the college and its teachers and professors. This is based on hundreds of years of English common law.