Director Mitchell Leisen shortened Sturges' script considerably, both before and during shooting. This annoyed Sturges, and was one of the main reasons fueling his determination to direct his own scripts thereafter, which he did beginning with his next project, "The Great McGinty". However, of all the films that Sturges wrote before he began directing, Leisen directed the only two films ("Remember the Night" and "Easy Living") that Sturges bought for his personal film library. This film also contains a number of references to "Easy Living"; for instance, in the supper club where MacMurray takes Stanwyck for dinner, the song "Easy Living" plays, and when Stanwyck gives a false name to a justice of the peace, she uses "Mary Smith", Jean Arthur's character in "Easy Living".