When the film was originally released, the names of Leslie Howard and Joan Blondell were above the title, and the name of Humphrey Bogart, who played a supporting role, was below. When it was re-released in 1948, Howard had been dead for 5 years, and Bogart was riding the crest of the wave, so the billing was re-arranged and Bogart was now top billed.
The former silent film star in the boarding house, desperate for a small role in a film, is played by Mary MacLaren, a former leading lady of the silent film era who, by the time this film was made, was working as a (sporadically successful) extra. Coincidentally, MacLaren's character is named Naomi; in the 1930's, one of MacLaren's silent era contemporaries, Naomi Childers, was also frequently employed as a background actress in Hollywood at MGM.
The character of Lester Plum bears some resemblance to Marie Osborne, a child actress in the silent era who returned to the film industry in the 1930's as an extra and stand-in. It's unclear if Osborne's life story was directly influential on this film or the role played by Joan Blondell.
Clarence Budington Kelland's story "Stand-In" was a 6-part serial in "The Saturday Evening Post" during February 13 - March 20, 1937.
Actor J.C. Nugent was just four years younger than the man playing his grandfather, actor Tully Marshall.
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