Warner Bros. press releases stated director William A. Wellman used real hobos for the fight scene and real laundry workers for the laundry scenes.
The aerial shot of the prison Tom is depicted as being sent to is the Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois. Opened in 1925 it incorporated the then-modern design theory of the "panopticon" roundhouse cell blocks. The last of these were closed in 2016 and all but one were demolished - that one being kept for a historical landmark. The prison itself is still in use as of 2023.
The war scenes were shot on the Warner Bros. Ranch in CA.
The $53,000 bank balance dated 4 January 1932 Tom is handed when he gets out of prison equates to over $1,115,000 in 2023.
Menu in the café reads: "Rolls & coffee 3 cents, bread & coffee 2 cents, kidney stew 5 cents, beef stew 6 cents, brain & egg 5 cents, ham an' 10 cents, all pie 3 cents."