 Producer Arthur Freed (qv)s interest in the story developed in  1953 after Anita Loos (qv) expressed interest in adapting her play  as a musical, and after he was able to convince the film industrys  Code Office to view the story as condemning rather than glorifying a  system of mistresses. Arthur Freed paid Colette (I) (qv)s widower  $125,000 for the musical rights, and bought out Loos play version  for $87,000.