A news item in the 28 Feb 1964 DV announced that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. (MGM) had optioned screen rights to E. L. Doctorow’s 1960 novel, Welcome to Hard Times. Richard E. Lyons was assigned to produce, and the 4 Mar 1964 Var noted that Burt Kennedy was set to write and direct.
       According to a 3 Feb 1965 DV brief, Lyons was in talks with actress Rita Hayworth, whose own production company had previously been interested in making a film adaptation of the Doctorow book. Other actors under consideration at that time included Gregory Peck and Angie Dickinson. Hayworth was officially cast, as reported in the 7 Jun 1966 DV; however, she suffered a broken rib from a swimming pool accident at her home in Jul 1966 and had to be replaced by Janice Rule.
       Dimitri Tiomkin was initially hired to compose the score, according to items in the 23 Aug 1966 LAT and 24 Aug 1966 Var. Tiomkin did not remain with the project, and a 2 Nov 1966 DV brief announced that composer Harry Sukman had joined.
       A production chart in the 25 Oct 1966 DV stated that principal photography began on 26 Jul 1966. An article in the 30 Aug 1966 LAT indicated that location shooting took place on the Janss Conejo Ranch in the Conejo Valley near Thousand Oaks, CA. At least four weeks of the shooting schedule were to be completed there. Filming ended on 2 Sep 1966, the 6 Sep 1966 DV reported.
       The film opened on 1 May 1967 at the Festival Theatre in New York City. A 19 Apr 1967 Var item guessed that MGM had changed release plans from a wider “saturation exposure” to the single arthouse booking based on early praise “from the Cahiers du Cinema crowd,” including Village Voice critic Andrew Sarris. Reviews in the 24 Mar 1967 DV and 2 May 1967 NYT were negative, however, and only seven months later, the picture was aired on ABC-TV, prompting ire from the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), who called the move an “unshowmanly gesture,” the 27 Dec 1967 DV noted. The quick turnaround from theatrical release to television premiere was “believed a record for a major studio,” according to DV.