Music producer Lou Adler made his entrée into feature filmmaking with Brewster McCloud, announced as an upcoming collaboration between Adler, producer Phil Feldman, and musician John Phillips in the 28 Feb 1969 DV. The working title, Brewster McCloud’s Sexy Flying Machine, was later shortened to Brewster McCloud’s Flying Machine, and finally to Brewster McCloud, as noted in the 22 May 1970 DV. In an interview published in the 13 Dec 1970 LAT, Adler stated that Phil Feldman had owned the property when he first became interested in it, but that he had later convinced Feldman to become a silent partner. In the meantime, a 4 Apr 1969 DV brief reported that Adler, Feldman, and attorney-agent Art Linson had formed a partnership, and that Linson would also be involved with Brewster McCloud.
       In the LAT article, Adler claimed to have “paid a lot more than was really necessary for the script.” The first-time producer also recalled that actor Michael J. Pollard, who was initially set to play the titular role, had dropped out soon after he had joined the project. In the wake of Pollard’s departure, Adler sent the script to Robert Altman, who was editing M*A*S*H (1970, see entry) at that time. When Altman signed on to direct, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. (MGM) agreed to back the picture. Although the budget was cited in LAT as $1.8 million, the 28 Aug 1970 DV listed a vastly different final cost of $5.6 million.
       The 15 Apr 1970 Var stated that Altman and screenwriter Brian McKay had nearly completed the latest draft of the screenplay. Revisions continued throughout production, which began the following month. The 31 Jan 1971 LAT review noted rumors that Doran William Cannon, the only writer to receive onscreen credit, was displeased with the final film.
       Bud Cort’s casting was announced in a 7 May 1970 DV brief. Cort had appeared in M*A*S*H, as had the following six actors also cast in Brewster McCloud: Sally Kellerman, Rene Auberjonois, Michael Murphy, John Schuck, G. Wood, and Corey Fisher.
       Principal photography began in Houston, TX, on 22 May 1970, as reported in that day’s DV. Filmmakers were permitted by Judge Roy Hofheinz to shoot inside the Houston Astrodome, marking the first time a feature film had ever been shot inside the structure. The location agreement stipulated that the world premiere be held at the Astrodome. Shooting dates of 10-20 Jun 1970 were arranged so that filming would only take place while the Houston Astros baseball team were playing away games, the 30 Apr 1970 DV reported. On 10 Jul 1970, DV noted that Altman and several cast members had been felled by the flu, and that the second unit had taken over. Principal photography was completed by the end of Jul or early Aug 1970, as indicated in the 28 Jul 1970 DV and 5 Aug 1970 Var.
       Since Lou Adler was accustomed to the faster pace of the music industry, he encouraged a quick turnaround between the filming and release, according to the 13 Dec 1970 LAT. He worked closely with John Phillips, who wrote four songs for the picture without visiting set or viewing any footage. The two had nearly daily telephone conversations throughout production, in which Adler gave an account of the production and his “impressions of Houston,” to be used by Phillips as inspiration for his songs. The 30 Dec 1970 Los Angeles Sentinel described as unprecedented the film’s inclusion of the song “Lift Every Voice And Sing,” known as the “Black National Anthem.” Adler claimed that the tune, which had reportedly never been heard in a film up to that point, was chosen because the general population needed to hear it, and its uplifting message matched that of the film.
       Editing took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, where Altman had recently moved, according to an article in the 29 Oct 1970 DV. A sneak preview was scheduled to occur on 31 Oct 1970 in Denver, CO, the 29 Oct 1970 DV stated. Following the screening, a 3 Nov 1970 DV item stated that seventy-five percent of audience response cards had been positive, and Adler asserted that no further changes would be made. The 17 Nov 1970 DV reviewed a preview version of the film with a 101-minute running time. The picture was eventually released with a 104-minute running time, as stated in reviews in the 9 Dec 1970 Var and 24 Dec 1970 NYT.
       The 5 Dec 1970 world premiere at the Astrodome was touted in various contemporary sources, including the 28 Nov 1970 LAT, as the largest-ever film premiere after the 1956 debut of Around the World in 80 Days (see entry) at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, attended by roughly 15,000 people. The 7 Dec 1970 DV claimed that an estimated 23,900 patrons went to the Brewster McCloud premiere, for which a special 70mm print, costing $9,000, had been ordered. The screen set up on the field was seventy feet high and 150 feet wide, and never-before-used projection equipment that had been installed in the Astrodome six years prior was utilized for the first time. Unfortunately, sound and technical problems ensued, and DV noted that only people in the “very front rows and the sixth balcony” could hear the dialogue clearly. A 20 Dec 1970 LAT article lamented the “faulty technical conditions” and claimed that MGM had predicted trouble with showing the film, better suited to intimate art houses, in such a large space. Yet when the studio tried to switch the location, it “was prevented by the danger of a law suit.” The event raised money for Houston’s Tent 34 of Variety Clubs International. On display was the flying machine seen in the film, built by MGM’s prop department, which was to be placed on permanent exhibition at the Astrodome.
       Brewster McCloud opened to mixed reviews on 23 Dec 1970 at New York City’s Coronet Theatre. In just over a year of release, it grossed $1.3 million in film rentals, according to a box-office chart in the 5 Jan 1972 Var.
       The picture marked the first release under Altman’s producing banner, Lion’s Gate Films, which had been formed in the wake of M*A*S*H’s success. Altman later sold the company to producer Jonathan Taplin, as reported in an 11 Jul 1981 NYT article.
       Houston Oilers wide receiver Mac Haik was named as a cast member in the 24 Jun 1970 Var. The 5 Aug 1970 Var noted that Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus appeared in the climactic ending sequence.