Lux Radio Theatre presented a version of the play and movie, starring Jeanette MacDonald and Regis Toomey, which aired in June of 1936.
The film was based on the Broadway musical of the same name that originally opened at the Vanderbilt Theater on Nov. 18, 1919 and ran for 675 performances. Irene Dunne and Jeanette MacDonald were replacement cast members during its long run. The musical was later revived with Debbie Reynolds in the lead. This version opened at the Minskoff Theater in New York on March 13, 1973 and ran for 594 performances.
The production of Irene ran eight days over-schedule due to weather delays and technical problems with the 2-strip Technicolor film used for the fashion show scene in the picture.
According to author Jeff Colori, Colleen Moore kept most of the fur-trimmed gowns she wore in the film, detached the fur pieces, and made them into a coat for herself.
The fashion show scene in Irene was the highlight of the film. The entire Technicolor scene is 972 feet in length.