Writer Lewis E. Lawes was still warden of Sing Sing prison during filming and allowed the crew to film inside and outside the prison, including mob scenes.
James Cagney was originally set for the male lead but was engaged in a contract dispute with Warner Brothers at the time.
Michael Curtiz's decision to edit in documentary footage with staged shots in this film proved so effective that other producers soon began to emulate the technique.
The cell block scenes were shot at MGM on sets constructed for The Big House (1930).
Studio production chief Hal B. Wallis felt strongly about the issue of prison reform and returned to champion it again and again in such movies as Front Page Woman (1935), The Walking Dead (1936) and Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)--often assigning Michael Curtiz to direct--as well as this film's remake, Castle on the Hudson (1940).