The 22 Mar 1929 Film Mercury announced the acquisition by First National Pictures, Inc., of motion picture rights for Katherine Brush’s short story, “Footlights and Fools,” published in College Humor magazine. The 29 May 1929 and 5 Jun 1929 issues of Var noted that the all-talking picture was the studio’s first to feature color sequences, which restricted shooting to occur between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. No further explanation was given. Principal photography began Sunday, 2 Jun 1929--another first for the studio, which normally operated only on weekdays and Saturdays. Filming took place at First National Studios in Burbank, CA, as stated in the 15 Jun 1929 Motion Picture News. According to the Oct 1929 Screenland, the color sequences required fifty electricians to operate more than 1,000 lights. The Mar 1930 edition claimed that the Technicolor process added “roundness and more than a hint of voluptuousness” to slender lead actress Colleen Moore. Also joining the cast were the star’s brother, Cleve Moore, in a minor role (8 Jun 1929 Hollywood Filmograph); Jack Stone (12 Jun 1929 Var); character actor Jack Richardson (28 Jun 1929 Film Mercury); and Brunswick Records recording artists Earl Burtnett’s Trio (3 Jul 1929 Var). The 2 Nov 1929 Exhibitors Herald-World credited the Vitaphone Symphony Orchestra with supplying the picture’s synchronized musical score. An advertisement in the 10 Aug 1929 Motion Picture News attributed the staging of “dances and ensembles” for the film to Max Scheck. The 13 Jul 1929 issue reported the close of production. Editing began the following month, as stated in the 25 Aug 1929 Film Daily. Multiple sources noted that the picture marked the fulfillment of Colleen Moore’s six-year contract with First National.
       In an interview for the 9 Oct 1929 Exhibitors Herald-World, Moore asserted that the film’s ambiguous closing scene would not have been possible without sound, as it required the nuance only possible through audible dialogue. Her character, “Fifi D’Auray,” was supposedly modeled on Broadway stars Anna Held and Irene Bordoni.
       According to the 17 Nov 1929 Film Daily and 7 Dec 1929 Exhibitors Herald-World, Footlights and Fools was the subject of First National’s inaugural “cooperative” promotional campaign, featuring print advertisements “five columns wide by 208 lines deep.” The studio currently had commitments from 225 newspapers, located in such cities as Albany, NY; Wheeling, WV; Pittsburgh, PA; Washington, DC; St. Louis, MO., New York City; Los Angeles, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; and Atlanta, GA.
       The picture opened 8 Nov 1929 at the Strand Theatre in New York City. Critics generally focused their acclaim on Moore’s performance. According to the 7 Apr 1930 Exhibitors Daily Review and Motion Pictures Today, the film was endorsed by the Federation of Women’s clubs, the Indiana Indorsers of Photoplays, the International Federation of Catholic Alumnae, the Los Angeles 10th District California Congress of Parents and Teachers, The Parents’ Association Bulletin—Horace Mann Schools, The Parents’ Magazine, and Wilmington, DE, critic Mrs. E. M. Barsham.
       The 10 Jul 1929 Var noted that Colleen Moore had signed with Victor Records to record two songs from the picture, “Naughty Eyes” and “If I Had You.” As neither title was listed on screen, the songs would likely have been “You Can't Believe My Eyes” and “If I Can't Have You (If You Can't Have Me).” Those songs, along with “Pilly Pom Pom Plee,” were published by Remick Music Corp.
       The screenplay was adapted as a short story by Margaret Dale for the Jan 1930 Talking Screen.