 The film is (loosely) based on a real incident. In the late 1910s  and early 1920s, Dolly Oesterreich kept her lover, Otto Sanhuber in  the attic where he lived for many years. Her husband Fred ran a  company that made aprons. Otto even moved with the couple from  Milwaukee to Los Angeles to stay above his lover. Unfortunately, the  real story doesnt have the happy ending of the movie.