The film begins with the written statement of Penelope Gill, chairperson of the Daughters of the American Civil Patrol during the 1960s, censuring comedian Richard Pryor for using profanities and defaming the Pope and the President. The following written statement appears after the film’s title in the opening credits: “A contemporary probe and commentary on the mores and maladies of our age…with schtick, bits, pieces, girls, some hamburger, a little hair, a lady, some fellas, some religious stuff and a lot of other things. A Magazine with film by…” The crew credits follow. The credits are presented in a white typewriter font on a dark background. The film closes with many acknowledgments and credits, including the statement that the Lenny Bruce recording was from The Essential Lenny Bruce album, courtesy of Douglas Records, and that the Malcolm X recording was from the “His Wit and Wisdom” album, courtesy of Douglas Records. Guy Fraumeni, who is listed as a contributing photographer, is thanked in the closing credits for many film segments, including those featuring Frank Lauria and Leonard Cohen reading poems, Andy Warhol and Malcolm X speaking and Sha-Na-Na performing.
       Interspersed throughout the credits are the following names of people seen only in documentary footage or heard on the soundtrack: musicians B. B. King, Colwell-Winfield Blues Band, Sha-Na-Na, Velvet Underground, Larry Coryell, Jimi Hendrix, Charles Lloyd, Cat Mother & The All Night Newsboys, The Groupies, Eric Dolphy, Rhinoceros, Nina Simone, Joan Baez, Muddy Waters Blues Band with Luther Johnson, Leonard Cohen, Tony Hendra and Nic Ullett; writers Allen Ginsberg, Frank Lauria, Michael O'Donoghue, Lionel Goldbart and Sylvia Topp; dancer Eleo Pomare; activist Malcolm X; artist Andy Warhol; comedians Lenny Bruce and Charlie Manna; personalities Jason Holiday, Jay Garner and Ondine; mime Julian Chagrin and photographer Lannes Kenfield.
       As noted in a Dec 1970 NYT article, producer-director Ernie Pintoff (1932--2002) described Dynamite Chicken as “a multi-media movie magazine inspired by the TV generation.” The picture aims to illustrate and elucidate counter-culture attitudes, and to offend those who do not embrace its politics. To that end, it mixes newsreel footage, film clips, animation and interviews with new material shot specifically for the film, including comedy sketches, fake commercials and stripteases. The high-energy, composite look and feel of the film is marked by rapid cuts, extreme angles, nudity, overlapping sound and images and photographic collages. Richard Pryor, filmed specially for the production, performs bits from his stand-up comedy routines that are interspersed throughout the film. The picture contains clips from many earlier films, including Samson and Delilah (1950), One Minute to Zero (1952), It’s Only Money (1962), and Devil Dogs of the Air (1935; see above and below for all).
       The film was shot in 1969 by Pintoff, who had won the 1963 Academy Award for Best Animated Short for The Critic, voiced by Mel Brooks. Pintoff's only previous feature film was 1965’s Harvey Middleman, Fireman (see below). According to the Dec 1970 NYT article, Dynamite Chicken was shot in New York in 1969. Although some modern sources state that the film was partially funded by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who appear in the picture, this has not been confirmed. A Dec 1970 Var article reported that the film had been made for $400,000 and was bought after its completion by EYR Programs, a film distribution company headed by Charles C. Salzman and Michael P. Frankfurt. The distributors planned to show the film on college campuses before releasing it theatrically. A contemporary press release noted that the film was first screened on 10 Apr 1970 at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.
       The film was re-released in 1982 by Seymour Borde & Associates and JEM Films. When the distributors advertised Dynamite Chicken as “a new Richard Pryor film,” as noted in a 12 Nov 1982 HR article, Pryor, who at that time was at the peak of his popularity, sued them, along with Pintoff and Through the Looking Glass Pictures, stating that he merely made a cameo in the film. On 15 Nov 1982, DV noted that the judge in the case barred the distributors from “unduly emphasizing his role in the film.”