The first in Warner Bros.'s three low-budget Penrod films in the span of a year, the subsequent two being Penrod and His Twin Brother (1938) and Penrod's Double Trouble (1938). As they were not terribly successful, the series was quickly abandoned.
In On Moonlight Bay (1951) and By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953), the character of Wesley Winfield, portrayed by Billy Gray, is inspired by the character of Penrod, the two 1950s movies and the 1930s Penrod movie series all stemming from the Penrod stories written by Booth Tarkington.
The story takes place in a fictional town in Ohio.
This film's earliest documented telecast took place in Tucson Tuesday 27 November 1956 on KDWI (Channel 9); it first aired in Portland OR Saturday 12 January 1957 on KLOR (Channel 12), in Honolulu Monday 17 June 1957 on KHVH (Channel 13), in Salt Lake City Sunday 14 July 1957 on KUTV (Channel 2), and in Columbus Friday 27 September 1957 on WTVN (Channel 6).