[3] In 1927, screenwriter Frances Marion wanted to create a vehicle for a comeback for her friend Marie Dressler, a vaudevillian who had not made a film since 1918.

Mrs. Callahan (Dressler) decides to adopt the baby to save her daughters reputation, but finally finds out that Dan and Ellen were secretly married all along.

[1] Initial reviews in The New York Times[7] and Variety[2] regarded the film as a well-made if uninventive example of stage Irish slapstick and sentimentality.

Screenings in cities with large Irish-American communities were soon disrupted by protests against perceived anti-Irish sentiment, especially scenes of women drinking and fighting.

A second round of protests alleged anti-Catholic sentiment, including mocking depictions of Saint Patrick's Day, the sign of the cross, and the crucifix.

Intertitles were changed, the opener from "Goat Alley is a section where a courteous gentleman always takes off his hat before striking a lady" to "This is the story of the Callahans and the Murphys … both of that fast-fading old school families to whom the world is indebted for the richest and rarest of wholesome fun and humor".