The 9 Feb 1968 DV announced the upcoming production, provisionally titled Night Hunt. Filmmaker Charles Martin was considering singer Dionne Warwick for a major role. Weeks later, the 14 Mar 1968 Los Angeles Sentinel reported that Martin chose actress-singer Barbara McNair for the part, marking her screen debut. Night Hunt was the first project by the newly-formed Forward Films, Inc. The 14 Feb 1968 DV noted that Martin was establishing his base of operations at Samuel Goldwyn Studios in West Hollywood, CA.
       The 26 Feb 1968 DV stated that songwriter Sammy Fain was contracted to provide four new songs for the film, in addition to the musical score. Although Fain collaborated on two songs with Martin, the score was completed by Harry Sukman.
       Principal photography began 22 Mar 1968, according to that day’s DV. Charles Martin celebrated the event by throwing a cocktail party for the cast, crew, and press, as noted in the 28 Mar 1968 Los Angeles Sentinel.
       Cast members included Marvin Paige (18 Mar 1968 DV), Philip Marshak (1 Apr 1968 DV), George Sawaya (3 Apr 1968 DV), and Patrick Hawley (23 Apr 1968 DV).
       The 1 Apr 1968 DV reported that Barbara McNair performed a nude scene during the first week of filming. Co-star Raymond St. Jacques claimed that the sequence was completed in one take. As stated in the 10 May 1968 issue, lead actress Dana Wynter and co-star Mimi Gibson were required to appear in “semi-nudes” with actors Kevin McCarthy and Royal Dano, respectively. The 9 Apr 1968 DV noted that McNair postponed a photographic session for Playboy magazine to attend the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was assassinated five days earlier. According to the 27 Jan 1969 LAT, the magazine ultimately published still photographs of McNair’s nude sequence. A news item in the 19 Apr 1968 DV reported that production was completed within twenty-five days.
       The 17 Sep 1968 DV announced the film’s world premiere under its official title, If He Hollers, Let Him Go! The event was scheduled for 3 Oct 1968 at the Boyd Theatre in Philadelphia, PA. Openings in Los Angeles and New York City followed on 9 Oct 1968. Initial reviews were generally scathing, exemplified by the 10 Oct 1968 LAT, which described the film as an unintended “hilarious comedy about race relations.” The National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures (NCOMP) gave the picture a “C” (condemned) rating, dismissing it as “a cheap exploitation of explicit sex and brutality under the guise of a story about racism and justice.”
       Charles Martin countered with a full-page advertisement in the 17 Oct 1968 DV, quoting a positive review from the Boston Herald Traveler. Another such advertisement followed in the next day’s issue, featuring critical acclaim for Raymond St. Jacques and Barbara McNair.
       St. Jacques defended the picture in the 8 Dec 1968 NYT, saying it was “extremely relevant to black people.” McNair told the 22 Sep 1968 LAT that changes were made to the screenplay during production to create a more realistic portrayal of African Americans and contemporary race relations. As noted in the 16 Nov 1970 DV, McNair’s performance earned her an Image Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
       Public response to the film was enthusiastic, evidenced by the 23 Oct 1968 DV, which estimated opening-week receipts at $1 million. The 2 Oct 1968 Var anticipated that the production would recover its negative costs by the end of the third week. That same issue also reported Raymond St. Jacques’s confrontation with a hotel doorman during a recent promotional visit to Boston, MA. St. Jacques had to be physically restrained after the doorman directed a racial slur at him. The actor later demanded an apology from the hotel manager and from the city during an interview on WMEX Radio. The doorman was subsequently fired.
       The 22 Jul 1970 Var revealed that Charles Martin had filed a lawsuit against distributor Cinerama Releasing Corp., company president William R. Forman, sales executive Joseph M. Sugar, and three unidentified parties, demanding $2 million for “under-reporting of rentals” and “overcharging for direct costs,” $4 million for “deliberate fraud and conspiracy,” and $2 million for “failure to report accurately.” The filmmaker also claimed that Cinerama had agreed to pay him seventy-five percent of gross receipts following deductions for advertising, film developing and prints, shipping charges, travel costs, and post-production. The picture was still in circulation at the time, as indicated by a box-office report in the 19 Aug 1970 Var.
       According to the 29 Feb 1968 DV, Motown Records planned to release the soundtrack album. Various sources have since confirmed that it was released on Tower Records.
       The film bore no resemblance to the 1945 novel, If He Hollers Let Him Go, by Chester B. Himes.