The 20 Mar 1968 Var announced French filmmaker Jacques Demy’s first U.S. production as an indirect sequel to his 1960 release, Lola, which also starred actress Anouk Aimee. Filming would take place in Los Angeles, CA, as noted in the 14 May 1968 LAT. The 27 May 1968 start of principal photography was reported in a DV production chart on 31 May 1968. The title came from the slang term for a studio that provided female models for erotic photography.
       A news item in the 22 May 1968 DV revealed that Demy’s screenplay included a scene in which a character is watching his 1964 film, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Sources also claim that another of Demy’s works, Bay of the Angels (1963), was also referenced in the picture. The 31 May 1968 LAT noted that actress Susan Michaels and her infant daughter, Rina Suzanne, had joined the cast. The child’s character was named “Benjamin.” Various sources state that the band, Spirit, appeared on screen as well as in the soundtrack. The members included Jay Ferguson, along with Ed Cassidy, Randy California, John Locke, and Mark Andes.
       According to the 11 Jun 1968 LAT, Anouk Aimee was ten days late reporting to the set. It was rumored that the married actress was suffering from “melancholia” following a brief affair with actor Omar Sharif. Demy and available cast members continued filming in her absence. The 24 Jun 1968 DV noted that after Aimee failed to appear for a West Hollywood, CA, location shoot three days earlier, Columbia Pictures president Robert M. Weitman threatened to fire the actress. Aimee arrived at Columbia Studios on 22 Jun 1968 for costume fittings and was expected on set two days later. Only eleven days remained in the production schedule. On 26 Jun 1968, LAT reported that the location shoot was cancelled a second time due to an overcast sky, so Demy moved the company back to the studio for interior scenes. The 14 Jun 1968 DV revealed that filming at a Santa Monica, CA, “model shop” was cancelled after police padlocked the building. The 27 Jun 1968 issue noted that Aimee requested all unnecessary personnel to leave the set prior to her erotic photography sequence.
       A news items in the 15 Jul 1968 DV reported that a heated argument ensued between Aimee and lead actor Gary Lockwood while performing one of the picture’s final scenes. Weitman emphatically denied the story in the 17 Jul 1968 LAT. Principal photography ended the previous week. The 21 Jul 1968 edition estimated the production budget at $1 million.
       An article in the 5 Feb 1969 Var reported that screenings had begun within the previous month. Demy described his picture as “a European view of American youth and the feelings of alienation” experienced by young people around the world. Its fate in the U.S. would likely determine the director’s future in the American film industry, reported the article.
       The Model Shop opened 11 Feb 1969 in New York City, followed by openings in Los Angeles on 19 Mar 1969. Although reviews were relatively good, journalist Charles Champlin lamented in his 25 Mar 1969 LAT column that the picture was being overlooked. He later described it as “ill-fated” in the 31 Jul 1969 LAT. Theatrical screenings continued into the next year, according to a 30 Sep 1970 Var box-office report. The picture was also an entry at Cinemanifestatie 70, a 1970 film festival held in Utrecht, Netherlands.