The 12 Sep 1928 Exhibitors Daily Review reported that Buster Keaton was expected to make his talking debut in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.’s (M-G-M) Spite Marriage, which marked his second picture for M-G-M. However, the completed film contained sound, but no dialogue.
       The 26 Nov 1928 Exhibitors Daily Review, which incorrectly referred to the picture as The Spite Marriage, announced that principal photography had recently begun at M-G-M Studios in Culver City, CA. On 1 Dec 1928, Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World added Sydney Jarvis to the cast list, and the 8 Dec 1928 edition confirmed a production start date on 14 Nov 1928.
       The Mar 1929 Screenland published an article written by a journalist who visited the set in Long Beach, CA, where sequences were filmed aboard a yacht. To capture the action, a tug boat holding four cameras trailed behind the yacht, attached by a rope. Buster Keaton performed several stunts in the ocean and revealed that his secret to staying warm in the cold water was to cover himself in goose grease before filming. Art Marion was listed as the still photographer; Dave Howard was named as director Edward Sedgwick’s chief assistant; and professional baseball player Ernie Orsatti was added to the cast, presumably as a stunt player, which he performed as in previous Keaton films.
       Spite Marriage opened at the Capitol Theatre in New York City on 25 Mar 1929, according to the 27 Mar 1929 Var review, which praised the “corking original” story by Lew Lipton, Sedgwick’s direction, and the “highly intelligent synchronizer” whose score and sound effects were spot-on and “lent an arresting realism” to the picture.
The 31 Mar 1929 FD review deemed Spite Marriage a “sure-fire” hit, and declared it the “funniest film released in months.”