This film closely resembles the life of entertainer Fanny Brice, and Alice Faye even sings Brice's signature song, "My Man" in the film. According to Alice Faye: The Star Next Door (1996), Brice and her second husband, Nicky Arnstein, sued 20th Century Fox for $750,000. The studio benefited from the publicity generated by the lawsuit - the film became the highest grossing musical of 1939 - and eventually settled out of court with both: Arnstein accepted $25,000, while Brice demanded considerably more and agreed to an undisclosed amount.
Three songs were cut from the film. "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", written by Joseph McCarthy and Harry Carroll, and performed by Alice Faye, was deleted, though the melody is played in the background in one scene. "I'll See You in My Dreams", written by Isham Jones and Gus Kahn and performed by Alice Faye, was also cut, as was "Avalon", written by Al Jolson and Vincent Rose, and performed by Al Jolson. The filmed footage of all three numbers still exists.
The pairing of Louis Prima and Alice Faye in this film has a unique connection to Walt Disney's The Jungle Book (1967). Prima voiced King Louie, while Faye was married to Phil Harris, who voiced Baloo the bear. Together, Prima and Harris sing "I Wanna Be Like You" in the film.