Harvey Middleman, Fireman marked the feature film debut of Ernest Pintoff, who wrote, produced, directed, and composed the score. Pintoff had recently won an Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoon) for his 1963 animated short film, The Critic. The 2 Feb 1964 NYT announced that Pintoff planned to co-produce Harvey Middleman, Fireman with Robert L. Lawrence, and production was scheduled to begin on 1 Apr 1964. Pintoff claimed that financing for the $260,000 film was in place, and that a five-week shoot in New York City was planned. Columbia Pictures came on board as distributor by mid-Apr 1964, according to an advertisement in the 15 Apr 1964 DV. Columbia had previously handled the release of The Critic, according to the 3 May 1964 NYT. The studio reportedly agreed to a small budget increase on Harvey Middleman, Fireman to allow for filming in color instead of black-and-white.
       The script was developed from a fifteen-minute improvisation Pintoff had created for a directing class at the Actors Studio, the 3 May 1964 NYT noted. Eugene Troobnick originally performed the sketch, but Jerry Stiller was cast in the film role; however, Stiller did not remain with the project, as announced in the 6 May 1964 Var, which named Troobnick as his replacement.
       A production chart in the 24 Apr 1964 DV reported that principal photography had begun four days earlier. New York City locations included an empty brownstone on West 93rd Street, and the Elliott, Unger and Elliott studio. Since the New York Fire Department (NYFD) refused to allow filming at any of its firehouses, an abandoned firehouse in New Jersey was fitted with fire engines and used for the production. The New York Public Library also rejected filmmakers’ requests to shoot at “one of their outlets,” the 24 Jun 1964 Var stated.
       On 17 Jun 1964, Var announced that principal photography was completed. One second-unit fire sequence, which remained to be shot, was delayed for at least three-and-a-half weeks by humid, overcast weather, according to the 5 Aug 1964 Var.
       The film was released on 12 Jul 1965 at the Fine Arts Theatre in New York City. A review in the 13 Jul 1965 DV described it as “more like a laboratory exercise than a theatrical offering.” Nearly three years later, the 6 Mar 1968 Var referred to Harvey Middleman, Fireman as Pintoff’s “ill-fated” first-picture, suggesting it was neither a commercial nor critical success.
       A festival screening was slated to take place at the Montreal International Film Festival in Aug 1965, where the film may have been the only U.S. entry that year, the 28 Jul 1965 Var indicated.
       George Ross served as publicist, as noted in the 29 Apr 1964 Var.