Fredi Washington (Peola at 19) was a light-skinned African-American. After playing this role, she was criticized by some in the Black community who labored under the misconception that the actress herself practiced self-hatred and would rather 'pass' herself off as white. In fact, Ms. Washington was an avid civil-rights activist.
Although cast as the 19 year-old daughter of Louise Beavers (Delilah), the 31-year old Fredi Washington (who played Peola) was less than a year younger than her onscreen mother. She was, however, considerably slimmer than the matronly Beavers, which enabled the pair to "pass" as mother and daughter.
Hattie McDaniel appears as a funeral guest. She was five years away from her breakout role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939).
1934 was a banner year for Claudette Colbert, with her acclaimed performance in this film, the Cecil B. DeMille blockbuster Cleopatra (1934), and the runaway Oscar-winning hit It Happened One Night (1934).
Louise Beavers would again provide the face and the inspiration for a food product in the film Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948). Beavers plays Gussie, the maid who provides a hugely successful advertising tagline to her employer, an ad exec with a creative block. The product is Wham!, a canned ham product lampooning Spam.
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