Samuel Goldwyn used this film to bring attention to a battle he had been fighting, with the Society of Motion Picture Producers (SIMPP), against theater chain monopolies. The pinnacle of this battle came in Reno, NV, where the reigning theater chain owner refused to pay Goldwyn anything but a flat film rental fee. Goldwyn then converted the El Patio ballroom on the outskirts of Reno into a makeshift theater at his own expense and offered to donate the opening-night box-office receipts to the Reno chapter of the Red Cross. Mary Pickford, a great supporter of the Red Cross and a founding member of SIMPP, attended the opening night to deliver a speech that included the reading of a letter written by Walt Disney, all in a show of support for their joint fight against the practice of denying independent producers a share of the profits from their movies. This publicity stunt made national news and became part of Hollywood legend.

Film

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