The fire boat seen in the film is Los Angeles City No. 2, later named the "Ralph J. Scott". It was built in San Pedro in 1925 and served until 2003.
Robert Armstrong and Ann Sheridan play brother and sister even though he was 24 years her senior in reality.
The review from the New York Times included the comment, "Our advice would be to look around for the nearest exit".
The $20 that Skillet borrows from Red to get his mother false teeth would be equivalent to about $425 in 2023 dollars.
Interestingly, the two male leads are best remembered today for their roles in classic horror movies: Armstrong for King Kong (1933) and Foran for The Mummy's Hand (1940).