The 4 Mar 1925 Var announced that D. W. Griffith would direct the forthcoming film, then referred to as Poppy, based on the 1923 theatrical musical of the same name, written by Dorothy Donnelly, with music by Stephen Jones and Arthur Samuels. The picture would be produced independently by Griffith, and released by United Artists (UA), marking his last production with UA distribution. An anticipated budget of under $400,000 was listed.
       On 18 Mar 1925, Var reported that Griffith had begun production on the film two-weeks before, at Paramount Studios in Long Island, New York. Following completion of the picture, expected to be around 1 Jun 1925, Griffith would begin work immediately on his first production under his new contract with Famous Players-Lasky Corp., The Sorrows of Satan (1927, see entry).
       The 25 Mar 1925 FD noted that actor Edmund Burns would not be portraying the male lead in the picture, despite previous reports otherwise. After three weeks of searching, Griffith selected actor Alfred Lunt as Carol Dempster’s co-star, thus completing casting for the picture, according to the 1 Apr 1925 Var. W. C. Fields reprised his stage performance as “Prof. Eustace McGargle,” and Glenn Anders, Dorothy Bicknell, and Allan Simpson were also listed in the cast.
       Noting the title change to Sally of the Sawdust, the 8 Apr 1925 Var announced that Griffith was ahead of production schedule, and had nearly finished the picture in weeks, as opposed to his standard six to eight months. The director praised the cooperation of Famous Players-Lasky Corp. for helping him complete production in record time.
       According to the 9 May 1925 Exhibitors Trade Review, the title change was required due to contract stipulations, which prevented the mentioning of the musical title Poppy in regard to the film adaptation. Reportedly, “a half-dozen” well-known film stars appeared as uncredited background actors in the picture.
       The 9 May 1925 Moving Picture World announced that interior filming had completed. Exterior footage was delayed until foliage began to appear on trees and shrubs, following winter, according to the 30 May 1925 Moving Picture World. The news item reported that Griffith had resumed production, and was currently filming in “wide open spaces” in Syosset, NY, and Greenwich, CT, with his reassembled cast and crew.
       The 13 Jun 1925 Moving Picture World announced that principal photography was completed on Sally of the Sawdust, and listed additional locations “along the [Long Island] Motor Parkway,” and in several “towns and villages on Long Island.”
       The 15 Jul 1925 Var indicated that the picture would make its world premiere at the Roosevelt Theater in Chicago, IL, on 20 Jul 1925.
       In a Jul 1925 Motion Picture Magazine article, Carol Dempster credited D. W. Griffith for starting her acting career, after he saw her dancing as part of the Ruth St. Denis dance troupe in CA. As of Jul 1925, she had appeared in at least fifteen Griffith productions, beginning in 1916 with an uncredited role in Intolerance (see entry).
       The picture’s New York City debut was held at the Strand Theatre on 2 Aug 1925, as noted in the 5 Aug 1925 Var review, which praised the performances of W. C. Fields and Carol Dempster, but criticized Sally of the Sawdust’s excessive length and deemed the comedy “fine,” but not “great.”
       The stage musical, Poppy, was also the basis for the 1936 Paramount film of the same name, directed by Edward Sutherland. W. C. Fields recreated the role of "Prof. Eustace McGargle" for that film, which co-starred Rochelle Hudson (see entry).