The film marked the motion picture debut of The Monkees, a rock ‘n’ roll band created for The Monkees television program (NBC, 12 Sep 1966--19 Aug 1968), which was cancelled after its second season. In the wake of the cancellation, The Monkees’ executive producer Bob Rafelson went on to make Head as his feature film directorial debut. The project was originally named Untitled, which Rafelson intended to keep for the official release, as noted in the 14 Apr 1968 NYT. However, a 9 Oct 1968 DV brief announced the title change to Head. The film was said to be “loosely budgeted” between $1 and $2 million, according to the 26 Feb 1968 DV.
       A 19 Feb 1968 DV article stated that principal photography began that day at Columbia Pictures studios. Locations filmed outside the studio included a Los Angeles sewage plant, as noted in the 26 Feb 1968 DV.
       According to a 19 Mar 1968 DV brief, a “championship drill team” from Jordan High School was set to be featured in the picture. Also scheduled to appear was a “dune-buggy-type” automobile designed by Mike Nesmith of the Monkees and engineer Dean Jeffries, who had designed the “Monkeemobile” featured on the television program.
       The world premiere was scheduled to take place on 6 Nov 1968 in New York City, the 18 Oct 1968 DV reported. A West Coast premiere was scheduled for 19 Nov 1968 at the Vogue Theatre in Los Angeles, according to an LAT item published that day, with regular screenings at the Vogue beginning on 20 Nov 1968.
       Reviews were mixed. The 7 Nov 1968 NYT described Bob Rafelson and Jack Nicholson’s script as “dreadfully written” and the Monkees as talentless, while a 20 Nov 1968 LAT review deemed the picture “one of the year’s most imaginative movies.” A month into the release, the 18 Dec 1968 Var noted that Columbia Pictures had “drastically restyled” its promotional campaign to appeal to the teenage crowd. Previously, advertisements had focused on “psychedelic appeal” for more sophisticated viewers, presenting Head as “a slick underground-style film.”
       The 27 Nov 1968 Var noted that a soundtrack was released on Colgems Records.
       Head contains clips from the following films: Gilda (1946, see entry), Golden Boy (1937, see entry), City of Conquest (1940, see entry); and footage of Vietnam War atrocities.