The working title of the film was A Tough Gig. Shooting took place in New York City, Philadelphia, PA, and Miami, FL, in late 1969 and early 1970. The conclusion of filming was announced in the 8 Apr 1970 Var. As indicated in the 9 Jun 1971 Var, production cost around $200,000.
       Under the new title, Dirtymouth, the picture was screened for the press on 11 Jun 1970 in New York City, as noted in the 17 Jun 1970 DV review. Shortly after, Marvin Worth Productions, Douglas International Corp., and Sally Marr (mother of the film’s late subject, comedian Lenny Bruce) sued Superior Films for copyright infringement. The plaintiffs claimed to have sole rights to two of Bruce’s books, The Essential Lenny Bruce (New York, 1967) and How to Talk Dirty and Influence People (Chicago, 1965), which they planned to use as source material for The Lenny Bruce Story, Marvin Worth’s upcoming production for Columbia Pictures. Filmmaker Herbert S. Altman was accused of stealing material from those books for two one-minute monologues and “29 other lines and routines” in the Dirtymouth screenplay, as stated in a 23 Jun 1971 Var article. On 7 Oct 1970, LAT announced that Federal Judge Morris S. Lasker had issued a preliminary injunction against exhibition of Dirtymouth “so long as it contain[ed] any material infringing on the writings of Lenny Bruce.” Lasker reversed the ruling the following month, after Altman removed contested scenes, as noted in the 25 Nov 1970 and 9 Jun 1971 issues of Var. However, Altman claimed that Marvin Worth continued to impede the release of his film by sending threatening letters to exhibitors “implying that the film could still get into trouble.” Worth’s deal with Columbia Pictures was soon cancelled, and his project was restructured into the Broadway production, Lenny, that opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on 26 May 1971.
       Altman personally arranged the 19 May 1971 openings of Dirtymouth at the Penthouse and R.K.O. 59th Street Twin Cinemas in New York City. Reviews in DV and the 20 May 1971 NYT were negative. A planned title change to The Story of Lenny Bruce—Dirtymouth was announced in the 9 Jun 1971 Var, which indicated that a national release, to be handled by Chevron Pictures’ Marty Grassgreen, was scheduled for later that summer.
       Lead actor Bernie Travis also appeared as Lenny Bruce in two off-Broadway plays, the 2 Jun 1971 Var noted.