When
Jerry Lewis and
Dean Martin signed with Paramount Pictures, it was with the proviso that they could make one film outside the studio every year for their own company, York Productions. This film was the first fruit of that negotiation, with the stars exchanging their usual salary for a 90% cut of the profits. However, on the film's release, the two found themselves in the midst of a protracted legal battle over their contract and the profits. After several years they relinquished all financial interest in the film in exchange for dropping their stipulation that they make films outside of Paramount. All the legal battles over the film are probably one of the main reasons why its copyright was not renewed in 1977, with the film ending up in the public domain.