Production took place at Universal Pictures Corp.’s studio in Universal City, CA, sometime in 1925. An article in the 21 Feb 1926 NYT noted that actress Vera Gordon had convinced director Harry Pollard to add the role of “Mrs. Cohen,” which had not been in the initial script. Following a successful preview screening, Universal chief Carl Laemmle published an open letter to exhibitors in the 25 Nov 1925 Film Daily, asking if the film, currently at nine reels in length, should be pared down for theatrical release. Laemmle claimed, “Harry Pollard the director, George Sidney, Charles Murray and Vera Gordon the featured players and the entire staff, all agree and argue that to cut it would be nothing short of criminal…But I want to please and satisfy you.” The theatrically released version was 7,774 feet, or eight reels, long.
       The Cohens and Kellys was scheduled to open 19 Feb 1926 at San Francisco, CA’s Imperial Theatre, and at Hanover, PA’s Strand Theatre. While the picture enjoyed critical and commercial success, it came under scrutiny for bearing less resemblance to the underlying material, Aaron Hoffman’s 1921 play Two Blocks Away, than to Anne Nichols’s 1922 play, Abie’s Irish Rose. Nichols filed a lawsuit against Universal, Carl Laemmle, and Harry Pollard (Nichols v. Universal Pictures Corp.), which sought an injunction against the film and $3 million in damages. Judge Learned Hand ruled in favor of Universal, after finding the similarities between the two properties too vague, as they were based on stock characters and situations.
       Universal released six sequels: The Cohens and Kellys in Paris (1928); The Cohens and Kellys in Atlantic City (1929); The Cohens and Kellys in Scotland (1930); The Cohens and Kellys in Africa (1931); The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood (1932); and 1933’s The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble (see entries).