The scenario was based on the 1927 novel The Far Call by Edison Marshall, which first appeared as a series in the August 1927 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. Articles in the 21 January 1929 San Francisco Examiner and the 26 January 1929 Exhibitors Herald-World noted that the picture marked director Allan Dwan’s return to Fox Film Corp. following an eighteen-month hiatus, during which he freelanced at other studios. Winfield Sheehan and Sol M. Wurtzel were identified as Fox executives. Production was expected to begin within the next thirty days.
       George O’Brien was announced as film’s lead actor in the 4 February 1929 Los Angeles Evening Express. Days later, the 13 February 1929 Variety reported that George Morton had replaced O’Brien, who was reassigned to Masked Emotions (1929, see entry), known at the time by its working title, Son of Anak. Jeanette Loff was considered for the female lead (7 February 1929 Los Angeles Evening Express) before the role was given to Leila Hyams, who was loaned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. Also joining the cast was character actor Joe Brown, known primarily for his work in “underworld stories” (24 February 1929 Film Daily).
       Principal photography began on 16 February 1929, according to a studio chart in the 9 March 1929 Exhibitors Herald-World. On 22 February 1929, however, the Los Angeles Evening Post-Record reported that filming was to begin that night “at Fox Hills,” which may have been a reference to the company’s Hollywood, CA, studio, or possibly a back lot elsewhere in Los Angeles. As of 2021, “Fox Hills” is known as a neighborhood in southwestern Culver City, CA. The 16 March 1929 Los Angeles Evening Post-Record later claimed that production was scheduled to begin sometime that month. Although the 9 March 1929 Motion Picture News listed the title among Fox’s silent productions, it was later announced in the 23 March 1929 issue that the studio planned to add dialogue sequences.
       The 15 March 1929 New York Daily News reported that Charles Morton sustained “a terrific nosebleed, abrasions, contusions,” and a sprained ankle, among other injuries, during a sequence in which he was required to battle twelve background actors, all weighing in excess of 200 pounds. Co-star Stanley J. “Tiny” Sandford was originally supposed to lead the group of assailants, until Allan Dwan decided that Morton would be overwhelmed by the 275-pound actor. Items in the 22 March 1929 [Pasadena, CA] Pasadena Post and the 19 June 1929 Var noted that Leila Hyams was the sole woman in the cast and received only two close-ups, as opposed to numerous shots of the seals living on St. Paul Island, AK, where some location scenes may have been filmed.
       The 4 May 1929 Harrison’s Reports revealed that Fox substituted The Far Call on their schedule for another picture, to be titled Row, Row, Row, about rival women’s college rowing teams, with Marta Alba, Nancy Drexel, and Barry Norton in featured roles. Exhibitors were therefore advised that they were not obligated to accept the film as part of the studio’s seasonal program.
       The 1 June 1929 Harrison’s Reports noted that Fox often made its releases available to small towns before opening them in major cities. Such was the case with The Far Call, which was released on 28 April 1929, followed by openings in New York City on 19 May 1929 at the Roxy Theatre, and Los Angeles on 9 July 1929 at the Vista Theatre.
       According to the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) Treasures from the Film Archives database, there is no known extant print of this film, as of January 2021.