The 3 Feb 1964 LAT reported stage and screen producer Fred Coe’s recent meeting with actor Steve McQueen, regarding the lead role in a film based on Herb Gardner’s hit Broadway play, A Thousand Clowns. An column in the 5 Apr 1964 NYT stated that Coe, through his production company, Harrell, Inc., planned to begin the eleven-week shoot on 11 May 1964, at Michael Myerberg Studios on Long Island, NY. New York City locations would include the West Side and Battery districts of Manhattan Island, Coney Island, and the Statue of Liberty. Broadway cast members Barry Gordon, Gene Saks, and William Daniels would reprise their roles for the screen, with Michael Gordon directing Herb Gardner’s screenplay. On 14 Apr 1964, DV announced that Steve McQueen withdrew from the project, prompting Michael Gordon’s resignation. Coe took over as director and replaced McQueen with Jason Robards, Jr., who originated the role on Broadway. A news item in the 20 May 1964 Var noted that location filming began two days earlier. Four weeks into production, the 10 Jun 1964 Var reported that Paul Richards had replaced Gene Saks, who had contracted hepatitis.
       An article in the 14 Jun 1964 NYT revealed that Robards had agreed to star in the film, even though he was currently appearing at the Washington Square Theatre in the Arthur Miller play, After the Fall, making it necessary for him to nap between scenes. The picture marked the screen debut of actress Barbara Harris, who was in the habit of trying different approaches to her dialogue during retakes. Coe reportedly kept an open mind. The budget was estimated at below $1 million.
       The 28 Nov 1965 LAT noted that the primary set featured sixteen clocks, all set to different times. After an unidentified crewmember synchronized the clocks, Robards declared that having them all set to the same time “would be against the character’s whole personality pattern.” An article in the 12 Aug 1964 Var mentioned the recent completion of principal photography. Robards later told the 21 Feb 1965 LAT that making the film and doing eight stage performance per week left him exhausted.
       According to the 9 Jun 1965 Var and 19 Dec 1965 LAT, Herb Gardner became dissatisfied with Paul Richards’s performance while editing the picture and asked that the scenes be re-shot with Gene Saks as “Leo.” Fred Coe devoted three days to the assignment during Apr 1965, and later explained that the decision was not a personal affront to Richards, but simply about having the right actor for the part. Distributor United Artists Corp. (UA) was sufficiently pleased with the picture to approve the modest additional expense, even though company executives had not viewed any scenes featuring Richards.
       The 17 Nov 1965 Var reported that UA was delaying distribution until Dec 1965, hoping a holiday release would improve the film’s prospects for Academy Award nominations. A Thousand Clowns opened 13 Dec 1965 at the Trans-Lux East Theatre in New York City, and on 23 Dec 1965 at the Village Westwood Theater in Los Angeles, CA. Reviews were generally positive. Herb Gardner admitted in the 21 Jan 1966 LAT that he still had reservations about the finished product, but believed he could not have found a better cast. The picture garnered Academy Award nominations for Best Picture; Writing-Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium; and Music-Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment (Don Walker). Martin Balsam won the award for Actor in a Supporting Role. Robards and Harris, as well as the picture itself, were nominated for Golden Globe awards. Herb Garner received an award from the Writers Guild of America (WGA), and the film was ranked among the top ten releases of 1965 by the National Board of Review. The 4 Jan 1967 Var reported rental earnings of $2.15 million, with an expected total of $2.4 million.
       The 4 Feb 1966 DV and 16 Feb 1966 Var announced that the soundtrack album, released on United Artists Records, would feature music by Gerry Mulligan and dialogue from the screenplay.