[4] Joe Jenkins was a rare black actor who played lead roles in Australia at the time; he had also appeared in The Square Ring, Cafe Continental, The BP Super Show, The Two Headed Eagle and The End Begins on Australian TV.

[5] The Emperor Jones has been called the first Australian TV drama to have a black actor in the lead.

The production was filmed in Sydney at the ABC's studios at Gore Hill.

It was directed by Alan Burke, who also adapted Eugene O'Neil's play.

[7] The TV critic for the Sydney Morning Herald thought "loyalty to stage play conventions, in a medium where they do not belong, restrained the director from seeking the filmic fluency asked for in the quick succession of sketched scenes" in which Jenkins gave a "fine performance.