The 30 Jul 1969 Var announced that filmmaker Robert Downey’s next production would be based on his “off-off-Broadway” play, The Comeuppance, written in the early 1960s. Preproduction was scheduled for Sep 1969. Principal photography began in mid Dec 1969, as noted in the 17 Dec 1969 Var. Locations in and around New York City included a garbage dump on Staten Island, Beekman Place, a potato farm on Long Island, and a “Ukranian union hall.”
       The 2 Jan 1970 LAT stated that filming continued into the following month, with actress Corinne Calvet joining the cast as a “French Poodle.” She told the 22 Mar 1970 LAT that she had left Los Angeles, CA, for New York City a year earlier, and met producer Floyd Peterson while staying at a friend’s apartment. Peterson introduced the actress to Downey, who offered her the role during a discussion of “people with only a few hours to live.” Her participation in the film cannot be determined from available information.
       According to LAT, the primary set was a converted warehouse in New York City’s West (Greenwich) Village, where scenery had once been built for the Schubert theaters. Downey occasionally ignored his screenplay in favor of improvisation, instructing an actor to “jump unexpectedly into a scene and do something strange” to elicit reactions from the other cast members. Although the production was sanctioned by entertainment trade unions, United Scenic Artists Local 829 was conducting an “informational picket” outside the warehouse.
       Months later, Downey told the 15 Nov 1970 LAT that it was the first of his films with which he was satisfied following its completion. Distributor United Artists Corporation (UA) supplied the $600,000 budget, which enabled him to conduct rehearsals prior to shooting. Despite their investment, studio executives made no effort to influence the production. However, the director was also concerned that UA might reject the picture if it received an “X” rating, requiring him to reimburse the studio and find another distributor. Downey added that he was no longer making topical films, preferring stories with “timeless themes.”
       Pound opened 17 Aug 1970 in New York City and 14 Oct 1970 in Los Angeles to generally negative reviews. One NYT reader, Dan Isaac of Manhattanville College, disagreed, declaring the film to be the first “to accurately record the depressive influence of the Nixon administration.”