The first starring vehicle for actor Lew Cody was announced in the 14 Jun 1919 Motion Picture News by its working title, The Pleasant Devil. It was also the first release from the newly formed Lew Cody Films Corp., also known as Lew Cody Productions.
       On 9 Jul 1919, Wid’s Daily reported Cody’s arrival in Los Angeles, CA, accompanied by supervisor-scenarist Louis J. Gasnier. Principal photography was to begin immediately. The original story was written by Stephen Fox, a pseudonym for Jules Furthman. The close of production was noted in the 16 Aug 1919 Camera. Titling and editing were completed the following week, according to the 23 Aug 1919 issue, which announced the picture’s official title as The Beloved Cheater. An advertisement in the 13 Sep 1919 Wid’s Daily identified the filming location as Gasnier’s studio in Glendale, CA. The 20 Sep 1919 Motion Picture News credited art director Frank Ormston as title writer, and included Walter Morosco and Mary Busch among the cast. The latter may possibly have been a misprint of “Mae Busch.” Some sources have also mentioned Ulrich Busch as a cast member.
       Articles in the 29 Nov 1919 and 13 Dec 1919 issues of Motion Picture News stated that releasing company Robertson-Cole Distributing Corp. placed an advertisement in Photoplay magazine offering $500 in prizes for “the best love letters from a girl to her sweetheart.” Entries were to be addressed to Lew Cody, care of Robertson-Cole’s New York City offices. The $500 would be shared by nine contestants, with $150 for the first prize, and $25 for the four lowest prizes.
       Items in the 6 Dec 1919 Motion Picture News and the 10 Dec 1919 New York Clipper noted that a song by Wolfe Gilbert and Edna Williams, “That Beloved Cheater Of Mine,” was scheduled for release in conjunction with the film. One month later, the 10 Jan 1920 Motion Picture News reported that the F. W. Woolworth Co. chain of stores had acquired exclusive rights to market the song. The stores were supplied with window displays by Robertson-Cole, and male vocalists were hired to perform the song for customers.
       The Beloved Cheater was released on 6 Dec 1919 to generally favorable reviews. A Los Angeles debut at the Symphony Theatre followed on 4 Jan 1920. According to the 31 Jan 1920 Motion Picture News, Robertson-Cole distributed a promotional book, “Lew Cody’s Lexicon of Love,” to retail stores in the Los Angeles area, each containing two tickets to be awarded to the most attractive female employees, resulting in approximately 1,000 young women attending the event. The 20 Jan 1920 Wid’s Daily noted that the Symphony Theatre conducted its own letter-writing contest. The first-place winner was given an audition for Cody’s next picture, and the second-place winner received $25.
       The Aug 1920 Photoplay announced the winners, in descending order, as Maude H. Bell of Greeley, CO; Anne Rankin Murray of Nashville, TN; Bernice C. Bowne of San Francisco, CA; Jean Stannton of Northampton, MA; C. N. Norworth of Hardeville, SC; Elsie Gibson of Lexington, KY; Joan Johnson of Danvers, MA; Hazel Shannon of Chicago, IL; and Edith Lucille Huff of Atlanta, GA.