British theatrical star Gertrude Lawrence signed a one-picture contract with Paramount Famous Lasky Corp. for her feature film debut, according to the 1 May 1929 Film Daily. The production was known at the time by its working title, The Gay Lady, and was to be filmed at Paramount’s Astoria, Queens, NY, studio under the direction of Monta Bell. The 24 May 1929 Film Daily credited dialogue director John Meehan as a contributor to the screenplay.
       On 19 Jun 1929, Var reported that principal photography had begun two days earlier, but was now postponed for several months due to a series of strikes organized by the Actors Equity Association. The majority of the film’s cast were Equity members, with the exception of Esta Rollo and J. H. McKinley. Items in the 29 Jun 1929 Motion Picture News and Hollywood Filmograph listed additional cast members Blythe Daly, Herbert Miller, Warren Ashe, Luis Alberni, Louise MacIntosh, Charles Esdale, Charles LaTorre , Jules Epailly, Jack Cronin, the Apache dance team of Curran and TaTenza, and two vocal groups, the New Yorkers and the Singing Marines. Robert Florey had since replaced Monta Bell. The 28 Jun 1929 Film Daily stated that a large group of World War I veterans, including several who had sustained injuries in battle, appeared as background actors in a hospital scene.
       The 1 Jul 1929 Film Daily reported that the company had been working nights for the past week, shooting on an outdoor Parisian street set behind the studio. According to the 13 Jul 1929 Hollywood Filmograph, the set became the target of a staged air raid on 3 Jul 1929, attracting a crowd of more than 1,000 local residents who gathered outside the studio to witness the simulated bombing of Paris, accompanied by searchlights and bombs exploding overhead. The 27 Jul 1929 issue noted that the studio employed more than 1,000 background actors, many of whom portrayed American, French, British, and Italian soldiers. The appearance of the latter group was required to guarantee the film’s distribution in Italy, where Premier Benito Mussolini had banned virtually all screen depictions of the war that failed to include his nation’s military. The picture’s official title, The Battle of Paris, was announced in the 1 Sep 1929 issue of Paramount Around the World.
       News items in the Oct 1929 and Nov 1929 issues of Screenland revealed that Gertrude Lawrence had endeared herself to studio employees by entertaining the background actors between shots, teaching one of her musical numbers to the chorus, and throwing a party for the cast and crew.
       The Battle of Paris was released on 30 Nov 1929, followed by a New York City opening on 5 Feb 1930 at Loew’s New York Theatre. Lawrence garnered favorable reviews, although the film itself did not fare as well.