The opening credits contained the following written statement: "Metro-Goldyn-Mayer gratefully acknowledges the splendid assistance of THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORP."
       The 5 June 1926 Exhibitors Herald stated that director George Hill was in regular communication with a cameraman in China, who was photographing that country’s insurrection with the cooperation of the Chinese army. Hill intended to use the footage as “research” for staging battle sequences. The 2 June 1926 Variety credited Fred Leahy as production supervisor. Hill also arranged with the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet to film its “annual battle practice,” as noted in the 12 June 1926 Motion Picture News. That same day, Exhibitors Herald reported that Hill was filming on a battleship and in U.S. Marine Corps barracks. The 23 June 1926 Film Daily added that location shooting was underway at a naval base in San Diego, CA, while the 26 June 1926 Motion Picture News confirmed that interior scenes were made at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (M-G-M) Studios in Culver City, CA.
       Also joining the production were actor Daniel G. Tomlinson (23 June 1926 Variety), actress and former M-G-M secretary Patricia Avery (15 January 1927 Hollywood Topics), assistant director M. K. Wilson (19 November 1926 Film Mercury), and Marine General Smedley D. Butler (18 December 1926 Exhibitors Herald). According to the 10 July 1926 Motion Picture News, M-G-M considered filming some sequences in color. The impending close of production was reported in the 25 August 1926 Variety, which also mentioned that an average of 400 men per day were used in the film. An item in the August 1926 Motion Picture mistakenly identified Claire Windsor as its lead actress.
       Tell It to the Marines premiered on 23 December 1926 at the Embassy Theatre in New York City. The 24 December 1926 Film Daily stated that the event was attended by “the commandant of the Marine Corps” along with officers from other military branches. Also featured were “Naval bands, marine buglers and a flag raising ceremony,” twenty sergeants guarding the entrance, a marquee lighted to produce a seascape effect, and the unveiling of the Marines emblem. The 7 January 1927 Motion Picture News reported that tickets for the engagement sold for a maximum price of two dollars. A 28 January 1927 general release was scheduled. The 21 January 1927 issue noted that the film was screened for President Calvin Coolidge at the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, DC. Among the approximately 300 attendees were Marine Corps Major-General John A. Lejeune, six members of the president’s cabinet, and numerous senators. The Marine Band performed the film’s musical score.
       An unrelated feature of the same name was released in 1918 by Fox Film Corp.
       According to the Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database, this film is extant. It was screened at the Kansas Silent Film Festival in Topeka, KS, on 25 February, 2022.