The film was based on the 1969 book by James Simon Kunen, comprised of his diaries chronicling the 1968 Columbia University student strike, originally published anonymously as a series in New York magazine. As explained in the 8 May 1969 NYT, the title was inspired by a Columbia dean who stated, “Whether students vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on an issue is like telling me they like strawberries.” The strike occurred after the university attempted to squelch student dissent over its involvement in weapons development for the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), and its plans to demolish nearby Morningside Park, in the predominantly African American Harlem neighborhood, to build a segregated gymnasium.
       The 3 Sep 1969 DV noted that playwright Israel Horovitz recently completed the script. A news item in the 9 Oct 1969 edition stated that unit production manager John W. Rogers returned to Los Angeles, CA, after scouting locations in and around San Francisco, CA. An article in the 16 Nov 1969 LAT revealed that actress Kim Darby and her agent, Bill Robinson, declined a $275,000 salary from an unidentified production in favor of The Strawberry Statement, which offered half that amount plus a percentage of profits. Darby reportedly wanted the role, and both she and Robinson believed it would advance her career.
       Principal photography began 13 Oct 1969 in San Francisco, according to 17 Oct 1969 DV production charts. On 16 Oct 1969, DV reported a five-minute break in shooting on the previous day to honor the nationwide “Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam.” Although some local activists believed a larger gesture was in order, producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff insisted that the film was a “peace statement and more beneficial to the cause than a work stoppage.” The entire cast and crew participated, with the exception of fourteen technicians. A news item in the 22 Oct 1969 DV noted that the production moved to Stockton, CA, after San Francisco officials denied permission to film a demonstration scene, and the use of eight schools as locations. The next day, the 23 Oct 1969 DV announced that twenty members of the University of California rowing crew joined the cast. The 6 Nov 1969 DV and LAT both reported that Irwin Winkler and director Stuart Hagmann attended a performance of the nude stage revue, Oh! Calcutta! with the intent of casting actress Rhonda Copland as a nun. She was arrested during the show for indecent exposure. According to the 20 Nov 1969 DV, Stockton officials ordered the producers to complete their business in town by the following day. The city was responding to conservative residents who objected to their county courthouse being surrounded by “barbed-wire barricades (props) for the student riot scene.” Officials also denied the use of Stockton City Hall as a location. On 12 Dec 1969, DV stated that Israel Horovitz had left for New York City, following completion of principal photography. Four days later, the 16 Dec 1969 issue reported that post-production was underway. The 31 Mar 1970 DV estimated the budget at $1.75 million. As stated in the 9 Feb 1970 LAT, author James Simon Kunen refused to appear in advertising for the picture, as “it might hurt his reputation.”
       The 24 Apr 1970 DV reported that The Strawberry Statement would be entered in competition at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival. Two other Winkler-Chartoff productions, Leo the Last (1970) and They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969, see entries), were also entered, with the latter in a non-competitive screening. An article in the 17 May 1969 NYT noted that the picture, which climaxes with police violently arresting unarmed demonstrators, was shown the day after four students were killed by National Guardsmen at Kent State University in OH. A full-page advertisement in the 22 Mar 1970 DV announced that the film was awarded the Jury Prize, and received enthusiastic notices from European critics.
       On 19 May 1970, DV reported that distributor MGM cancelled a series of New York City press screenings, revealing that the print shown at Cannes was in need of minor edits, color correction, and additional sound dubbing. It was also rumored that studio executives were considering “more extensive” edits, including the picture’s unflattering portrayal of police. Ten days before the 15 Jun 1970 New York City opening, the 5 Jun 1970 DV reported that MGM was suing theater owner Don Rugoff for refusing to show the film at his Cinema II. The company accused Rugoff of breaching a 30 Apr 1970 agreement to schedule the film for mid-Jun 1970 run at Cinema II, or at Rugoff’s Plaza theater if the former was unavailable. Rugoff instead scheduled the British production Performance (1970), released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Although MGM planned to prevent Rugoff from scheduling any other pictures, sales executive Doug Netter described the incident as a “misunderstanding” and expected a settlement to be reached quickly. On 8 Jun 1970, DV announced that the release of Performance was being postponed, reportedly to re-record some dialogue sequences. Meanwhile, a New York City court made a default judgment in favor of MGM after Rugoff failed to offer a defense.
       The Strawberry Statement opened to mixed reviews. While the 12 May 1970 DV considered it the first major Hollywood release to seriously examine student unrest, the 16 Jul 1970 LAT was highly critical of first-time director Stuart Hagmann, claiming the picture was littered with the sort of gimmickry he learned in television advertising. In his article for the 19 Jul 1970 NYT, writer Dotson Rader, also a veteran of the Columbia strike, expressed contempt for Kunen and accused Hagmann of commercializing the anti-war movement. Israel Horovitz responded in the 5 Aug 1970 LAT and 16 Aug 1970 NYT, explaining that the screenplay was not written for “radicals,” but rather for “15-year-olds and their parents,” with the hope of inspiring the children while bridging the generational divide with adults.
       According to an article by film writer Stephen Farber in the Winter 1970/1971 Film Quarterly, pictures such as The Strawberry Statement were condemned by critics who perceived their release as a cynical attempt by Hollywood to profit from recent campus shootings. Farber explained that the picture was not intended as “a serious, realistic movie about the issues that pertain to campus rebellion,” but rather a subjective interpretation from the perspective of protagonist “Simon James,” who is “enchanted by movie and TV memories.” As an example, Farber cited a comical scene in which Simon is reminded of The Graduate (1967, see entry) while being seduced by a young woman. However, that scene was removed from later prints, along with a flashback sequence in the picture’s final moments. Regardless, Farber declared The Strawberry Statement to be “one of the finest movies about young people ever made in America.”
       Although the 23 Jun 1970 DV reported encouraging receipts of $21,943 from the opening week in New York City, an MGM executive later told the 3 Sep 1970 DV that he hoped the film would earn back the company’s investment. On 6 Jan 1971, a DV news item stated that the picture was re-released in Los Angeles on a double bill with M*A*S*H (1970, see entry), with expected earnings of only $2,700.
       Late the following year, the 29 Dec 1971 DV noted that MGM recently licensed several of its titles to the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) at a cost of approximately $30,000 each. Among them was The Strawberry Statement, described as a critical and financial failure.
       The 27 Nov 1970 LAT reported that the film was banned in Greece by the “army-backed regime,” which disapproved of the anti-government and anti-American sentiment it inspired during its one-week run in Athens.
       The 15 Oct 1969 DV identified Stan Brossette as the film’s unit publicist.