The scenario was based on the 1925 play, The River by Patrick Hastings. A planned screen adaptation by L. B. Fowler for First National Pictures, Inc., was announced in the 24 February 1926 Film Daily. The 1 May 1926 Motion Picture News identified the film by its provisional title, My Wife’s Friend.
       News items in the 15 October 1926, 12 November 1926, and 29 November 1926 editions of Film Daily stated that the project had been taken over by producer Sam E. Rork, starring Doris Kenyon and Lewis Stone under the direction of King Baggot, who was on loan from Universal Pictures Corp. Principal photography was scheduled to begin on 5 December 1926 at First National Studios in Burbank, CA. When that day arrived, however, Film Daily reported that Doris Kenyon had fallen ill and needed considerable time to recover. Three weeks later, the 26 December 1926 issue noted that Barbara Bedford had replaced Kenyon, with the addition of cast member E. H. Calvert. The title had since been officially changed to The Notorious Lady.
       Location filming took place dat the Balboa district of Newport Beach, CA, as stated in the 1 January 1927 Moving Picture World. The company then moved to a site in the Mohave Desert, twenty-eight miles from “Needles, Arizona,” a rock formation near the California state line. A tent city was constructed on the Colorado River, along with a large boat, which would have been too difficult to transport across the desert. The company included “several hundred” African American background actors. Additional scenes were filmed on a portion of the Los Angeles River running along the southern edge of the studio lot. Production was scheduled to end within the next two weeks; this was confirmed by a chart in the 29 January 1927 Exhibitors Herald. The 11 February 1927 Motion Picture News noted that final scene depicted actors Lewis Stone and Earl Metcalfe swimming down a “turbulent river.”
       An article in the 22 January 1927 Sacramento Bee, datelined Hollywood, explained that "Bobby," a chimpanzee in the film, and a young Black actress, Hannah Washington, both three years old, wee not getting along, even though the chimp, who played with other actors between scenes, tried to charm her. "Hannah will have nothing to do with him," said the article, adding that the little girl's parents were working as extras on the picture.
       The Notorious Lady was released on 27 March 1927, followed by a 9 April 1927 opening at the Mark Strand Theatre in New York City. The 16 April 1927 Moving Picture World noted that Sam E. Rork attended the event. Months later, the title was listed in the 23 July 1927 Film Spectator as one of the “Ten Worst of the Year to Date.”
       According to the Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database, this film is extant.