Fox outbid Mary Pickford for the movie rights

She badly wanted to play the role of Diane and star her husband, Douglas Fairbanks, as Chico. Other actresses who clamored for the part included Joan Crawford, Blanche Sweet, Madge Bellamy and Dolores Costello.

But Frank Borzage, god bless'm, knew how to cast this beautiful film, opting for Janet Gaynor instead. After seeing her in The Return of Peter Grimm, his mind was made up.