Referring to the film by its working title, The Prison Story, a 13 Nov 1968 Var brief announced that Joseph L. Manckiewicz planned to direct Kirk Douglas in the starring role. Screenwriters David Newman and Robert Benton finished the first draft of the script in early 1968, according to a 25 Dec 1968 Var article, and the project was set up at Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, Inc. as the first of a three-picture deal with the writing team, whose Bonnie and Clyde (1967, see entry) had been a major success for the company. The 20 Nov 1968 Var reported that location scouting was underway in New Mexico, and listed Hell as an alternate title that had recently been used by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts. The film was re-titled again to Hang Up, before the final change to There Was a Crooked Man… in Jan 1969, according to a 22 Jan 1969 DV brief.
       A production chart in the 14 Mar 1969DV stated that principal photography began on 5 Mar 1969. Location shooting took place in the Joshua Tree National Monument in Joshua Tree, CA, where an 1880s territorial prison set was built at a cost of $300,000, and “two thousand desert shrubs and cacti” (including sage, ocotillos, creosote bush plants, and Joshua trees) were planted to “cover all evidence of roads,” the 27 Mar 1969 DV noted. An article in the 5 May 1969LAT described the prison structure as “spanning 4 acres and surrounded by walls 20 feet high and 4 feet thick.” It contained fourteen roofed buildings, and took seven weeks to erect. While in Joshua Tree, the production was burdened by hail and a windstorm that demolished the prison’s dining hall set, according to the 10 Apr 1969 DV. Some filming also took place at the Old Tucson Studios outside Tucson, AZ, as stated in the 14 Apr 1970 DV, before moving to the Warner Bros.-Seven Arts studio lot in Burbank, CA, in early May 1969, the 7 May 1969 Var stated. Filming was again briefly delayed by a brush fire near the studio, according to a 26 May 1969 DV item. Around the same time, Manckiewicz had an accident at his home that resulted in a slipped disc in his spine and two days of missed work. On 28 May 1969, Var reported that Manckiewicz had returned to the set and was directing from a motorized wheelchair, with four weeks of production remaining. Principal photography was completed in early Jul 1969, as confirmed in a 9 Jul 1969 Var brief.
       The 11 Feb 1970 Var stated that Trini Lopez was hired to sing the title song.
       The world premiere occurred in Paris, France, in mid-Sep 1970. An item in the 23 Sep 1970 DV listed a three-day gross of $40,161 at five Parisian theaters. In the U.S., the picture opened to mixed reviews on 25 Dec 1970 in Los Angeles, CA, and New York City.
       There Was a Crooked Man… marked the first credited film role for C. K. Yang, identified in the 30 Jan 1969 DV as a Taiwanese track star at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). The following actors were named as cast members in DV, Var, and LAT notices published between Feb 1969 and Jul 1969: Rick Traeger; Kelly Thordsen; Clyde Howdy; Larry D. Mann; Harry Holcombe; John Lawrence; Paul Prokop; Art Passarella; Duke Fishman; Jack Perkins; Gino De Agustino; Craig Peterson; Sammy Shack; Rush Adams; Dennis Alpert; Chuck Hicks; Jesse Wayne; Gene Le Bell; Bart Burns; James Seay; Harry Caesar; Jimmy Casino; Johnny Sistrunk; Pam Tucker; William Peterson; Renee “Leta” Paul; Marlene Tracy; Bobby Bennett; Napoleon Whiting; Virginia Capers; Mia (a South American macaw); Roberta Randall; and E. J. Pandre.