Ilf and Petrov
The film was based on a comedy written by Ilf and Petrov and Valentin Kataev and performed by Moscow music hall, "Under the Circus Dome" ("Под куполом цирка"), which was seen and liked by Aleksandrov. They made the play into the plot, but during the initial film shooting they went to America. Upon return, they disliked the director's interpretation, and after a conflict they abandoned the work, forbade the mention of their names in the credits, and further work on the plot was continued by Isaac Babel.