 MacAdams writes, "It is impossible to determine exactly how much Hecht scripted ...In the official credits filed with the Screen Writers Guild, Sidney Howard was of course awarded the sole screen credit, but four other writers were appended ... Jo Swerling for contributing to the treatment, Oliver H. P. Garrett and Barbara Keon to screenplay construction, and Hecht, to dialogue ..."

Principal photography began January 26, 1939, and ended on July 1, with post-production work continuing until November 11, 1939.Director George Cukor, with whom Selznick had a long working relationship and who had spent almost two years in pre-production on "Gone with the Wind", was replaced after less than three weeks of shooting.