[La Cava""s previous film was the classic screwball comedyMy Man Godfrey (1936).]The backstage comedy features snappy dialogue and acting from some of RKO""s greatest female stars - Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers (in her first serious actress rolewithoutAstaire), and other up-and-coming actresses such as Lucille Ball, Eve Arden, Gail Patrick and Ann Miller (a 17 year old, underage actress who secured the part with a fake birth certificate).And the story of death and resurrection displayed parallels with he Biblical story.One of the film""s earliest working titles wasA Boy""s Life.Much of the film was deliberately shot from a lower camera angle - from a child""s point-of-view to manipulatively encourage younger viewers to identify with the characters, to simulate how overwhelming and threatening adults look to children (from the waist or knees down), and to force adult viewers to relive their own childhood.Duke yelled for Rocky to "Throw the damn towel!", but Rocky honored Apollo""s stubborn wish when he shouted out: "No!" And then with one final devastating left hook, Drago connected and Apollo collapsed face-first to the canvas.The 190 foot tall replica of Notre Dame Cathedral itself (supplemented with matte paintings), was constructed at the RKO Ranch in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California, at a cost of $250,000.