Jay Presson Allen’s play, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, based on Muriel Spark’s 1961 novel of the same name, debuted on 5 Apr 1966 in Torquay, England. Vanessa Redgrave won rave reviews in the leading role, and the play became a hit. Within weeks of the British opening plans for a Broadway production, to be produced by Robert Whitehead, were already underway, according to the 27 Apr 1966 Var. Later that year, the 13 Dec 1966 NYT announced producer Robert Fryer’s plans to make a screen adaptation for Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. Fryer, who had just signed a multiple-picture deal with the studio, was formerly a Broadway producer for over fifteen years.
       Vanessa Redgrave was sought to reprise her role in the picture, but the 18 Dec 1966 NYT stated that the idea bored her. Redgrave was quoted in the 26 Dec 1966 LAT, commenting about the character, “I shudder at the thought of being trapped inside her again. She was an absolute fabrication for me, quite unlike the other parts I’ve done.” The following year, an item in the 19 Jul 1967 DV announced the casting of Maggie Smith, and stated that filming would begin on 5 Apr 1968 in Great Britain. Ronald Neame was brought on to direct, as reported in a 5 Feb 1968 LAT item, and Smith’s husband, Robert Stephens, was cast in the co-starring role of “Teddy Lloyd.” Filming was slightly delayed until 29 Apr 1968, according to a 26 Apr 1968 DV brief. Ten days of rehearsal preceded the start of production, as noted in the 21 Jul 1968 NYT.
       Principal photography began at Pinewood Studios in London, England.
The 22 May 1968 Var reported that, after ten weeks of filming at Pinewood, production would move to Edinburgh, Scotland, for one week of exteriors. Filming sites in Edinburgh included the historic Grassmarket and Greyfriars Kirkyard.
       The 10 Jun 1968 LAT listed Margaret Gordon as a cast member, and the 27 Jun 1968 DV noted that Maggy Maxwell would choreograph dancing sequences.
       The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was scheduled to premiere on 24 Feb 1969 as the “1969 Royal Command Film Performance,” to be attended by Queen Elizabeth, at Odeon Leicester Square in London. An item in the 24 Dec 1968 LAT stated that the charitable event was set to raise money for the Cinema and Television Benefit Fund. A New York City opening followed on 2 Mar 1969 at the Baronet Theater. The picture was met with largely positive reviews, and Maggie Smith received consistently high praise for her turn as “Jean Brodie.” One month after the U.S. release, the picture was invited to play as a British entry at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1969, the 10 Apr 1969 DV noted.
       Maggie Smith won an Academy Award for Best Actress, and the song “Jean” by Rod McKuen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Music (Song—Original for the Picture). “Jean” won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song – Motion Picture, and became a popular tune: by early 1970, it had been recorded a total of eighty-nine times, according to a 30 Jan 1970 DV brief. As noted in the 2 Jan 1970 NYT, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was named one of the top ten movies of 1969 by the National Board of Review, which also honored Pamela Franklin with a Best Supporting Actress accolade.
       On 22 Jul 1970, a Var news item credited Maggie Smith’s Academy Award win with boosting the domestic box-office gross to over $2.5 million. Internationally, the film was said to be doing twenty-five percent better than expected, and additional bookings had been added. After “the initial wave of single dates” following its spring 1969 release, the picture had been shown in the U.S. on a double bill with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969, see entry).
       The film was released with an “M” rating (for mature audiences) from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).