The picture was based on 1905 operetta Die lustige witwe, music by Franz Lehar, book and lyrics by Victor Leon and Leo Stein. Additional film adaptations were released in 1907, 1934, and 1952, all under the title The Merry Widow (see entries).
       The 24 Apr 1924 FD announced the forthcoming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (M-G-M) release, The Merry Widow, set to star Mae Murray. Two months later, the 26 Jun 1924 FD reported that Erich von Stroheim would direct the picture.
       According to the 13 Sep 1924 Exhibitors Trade Review, von Stroheim was also writing the adaptation, and principal photography was scheduled to begin in one month. The 20 Sep 1924 Moving Picture World stated that filmmakers were still searching for an actor to portray “Prince Danilo,” and indicated that the casting, along with the completion of von Stroheim’s script, were causing delays in the start of production.
       On 18 Oct 1924, Erich von Stroheim announced in Moving Picture World that the screenplay, written with the collaboration of Benjamin Glazer, was at last completed. The 9 Nov 1925 FD reported that John Gilbert had been cast as Prince Danilo.
       Despite several reports from various sources throughout Nov 1924 that production was about to begin, the 10 Dec 1924 Var stated that principal photography was finally underway at the M-G-M Studios in Culver City, CA.
       Five hundred background actors were used for the Ambassador Ball scenes in The Merry Widow, according to the 7 Mar 1925 Exhibitors Trade Review. An item in the 8 Mar 1925 FD indicated that the coronation sequences would be filmed in “natural colors.” The 23 May 1925 Moving Picture World confirmed that several scenes were filmed in Technicolor, and deemed them “remarkable” enough to “make an audience gasp.”
       Principal photography was completed on 15 Mar 1925, according to that day’s FD.
       The 28 Mar 1925 Moving Picture World listed Beatrice Prior as the actress who portrayed “Queen Milena” of Romania’s double in the “Monteblancan court scenes.”
       The 14 Jun 1925 FD announced that The Merry Widow would premiere in New York City as the debut film of Broadway’s new 600-seat Embassy Theatre, but a release date was not stated. On 27 Aug 1925, FD reported that the picture opened the previous evening at the Embassy, managed by the first woman “directess of a picture theater,” Gloria Gould. The film’s run would continue “indefinitely,” with tickets ranging from $1.10 to $2.20.
       The 30 Aug 1925 FD review praised von Stroheim’s “superb direction,” and deemed the picture a “magnificent piece of entertainment,” despite a minor criticism about the length of the film. The Merry Widow was voted one of the “Top Best Features” of 1925 by the 1929 Film Daily Year Book, as reported in the 7 Feb 1930 FD.