According to contemporary newspaper articles, Wallace Beery accidentally shot himself in the leg with a blank cartridge on 13 September 1937. He was taken to the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital and was unable to work for two weeks.
This was the first major role of Dennis O'Keefe and the first time he used that name. In bit parts earlier, he was on the books as "James Edward Flanagan" or "Bud Flanagan".
A contemporary review mentioned that the character, "Trigger Bill', was a composite of outlaws "James H. 'Dog' Kelley", "Blinky Jones" and "Dr. John W. 'Doc' Holliday".