Actor Gregory Alexander is listed as Gregory “Popeye” Alexander in end credits. Similarly, Richard McGregor is credited as Richard “Romeo” McGregor. End credits are superimposed over outtakes from the film. Onscreen text declares: “The moral of the story is…” and is followed by a hip-hop song about African Americans gaining more respectable roles in Hollywood films. The narrative is interspersed with fantasy sequences in which aspiring African American actor, “Bobby Taylor,” imagines himself as characters that have historically been reserved for white actors.
       As noted in the 30 Oct 1986 DV, filmmaker Robert Townsend transitioned from acting to directing in 1984, after signing a three-picture deal with Richard Pyror’s Indigo Productions. Pryor’s newly established, $40 million contract with Columbia Pictures entitled him to exercise full control of the company, which he hoped would precipitate better roles and working conditions for African Americans. Before Indigo collapsed, Townsend was hired based on performances in two 1984 releases, Streets of Fire and A Soldier’s Story (see entries), and was required to direct a trial short film. With Pryor’s approval, Townsend went on to direct two additional shorts and became more ambitious about his work, teaming with his former stand-up comedian partner, Keenen Ivory Wayans, to combine the three shorts into a feature.
       Without financing by the then-defunct Indigo, Townsend started responding to pre-approved credit card applications. According to a 19 Mar 1987 WSJ article, Townsend was able to acquire a total of $40,000 in credit from the Great American Bank, Citibank, and the Bank of Boston. He used the credit lines to obtain debit cards from other establishments, including Saks Fifth Avenue department store and Montgomery Ward. After learning about a ten percent discount for University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) students at a film store, Townsend purchased UCLA shirts to convince shop owners that his crewmembers were students. As noted in DV, Townsend also instructed the crew to wear UCLA shirts during production and pose as students to avoid prosecution for filming without permits.
       With a cast of associates from the Improv and the Comedy Store in Los Angeles, CA, Townsend rehearsed for five weeks while establishing specific procedures for every shot. He planned to film the picture without reshoots due to the imminent threat of being shut down by police. WSJ added that the cast and crew drove around Los Angeles in vans, quickly shooting scenes before jumping back into the vehicles to avoid ticketing.
       Although principal photography began Oct 1984, filming was not complete until Aug 1986 because Townsend augmented the budget by going on tour with his comedy routine, earning $2,000 each week. He also took on several acting roles in commercials and feature films, including American Flyers (1985, see entry), Odd Jobs (1986), and Ratboy (1987, see entry). According to DV, Townsend collected “short ends” of unexposed film stock while working on the pictures to use for Hollywood Shuffle. Over the course of nearly two years, the picture was filmed in only fourteen days, according to the 19 Mar 1987 WSJ.
       During that time, Townsend was unable to keep up with production costs and invested between $60,000 and $100,000 of his own earnings. While DV stated that Townsend refused offers from potential stakeholders, WSJ claimed that he actually sought financiers, but was unable to secure funding. A 31 May 1987 LAT article, which noted that many of the actors accepted low pay rates, and only a few received percentages of the film’s earnings, reported that Hollywood Shuffle was produced for under $1 million and earned $2 million in its first two months of release in forty-five theaters. Two weeks later, an 11 Jun 1987 LAT article listed the budget at $100,000.
       After two industry screenings of the picture’s “rough cut,” Townsend was offered several distribution deals and decided to work with the Samuel Goldwyn Company because he appreciated Goldwyn’s “specialized release” of Jim Jarmusch’s Stranger Than Paradise (1984, see entry), according to DV. Goldwyn also contributed funds to additional filming and post-production work. WSJ noted that Townsend’s credit card debts were paid off “immediately” following the deal.
      End credits include: “The producers would like to thank: The Baldwin Theatre, Nelson & Ernest; Rainbow Dance Studio; Ms. JoAnn’s Factory of Beauty; Jackson Limousine, E. J. Jackson; Leading Artists, Inc.; Davis’s Hair Styling, Freddie L. Davis; Blue Moon Studios; Ebony Showcase Theatre, Nick Stewart; Screen Actors Guild, Ann Talltree; Belami Studios, Nathaniel Bellamy; The Improvisation, Budd and Mark; United States Post Office; Yamaha Musical Instuments; Winston’s on Melrose; Timely Travel International, Lisa Jones; Patricia Hacker; Mr. Paul Mooney; Barry Haldeman; Ed Dector; Robert Looney; Keith Rubinstein; Gina Bolton; Fritz Manes; Verna Jones; Foto-Kem Labs; Lydia Nicole; Beverly Todd; Kojo Lewis; Joe Owens; Bruce Cecil; Clarence Avant; Quincy Jones; George Jackson; Shirley Ann Jenkins; Angela Craig; Helen Martin appears courtesy of His Dog Barks Productions; Byrnadette diSantos, Helen Pinkston; Michael Haney; Robert Cardenas; Bill Figgy; Joyce Maddox; Jerry Chan; Claes Thulin; Serge Usher; Robbie Reed; Tony McGowan; Regan Browning; Victor Clements; B. T. Taylor; Beatrice Giraldo; Michael Scott Henderson; Michelle Hinton; Robert Hammond; Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs; Patricia Matthews; Michael T. Smith; Lori Taylor; John Corey Williams; Dennis Comstock; Bob Carmodie; Michael Rivera; David Ramser; Bob Gantz; Norma Ruth; Jim Beaver; Ellis Harris; Bently Evans; Tommy Morgan; Vivian Johnson; Omar W. Hester; Gail Motley; Tori Peoples; Michael Matthews; Dijon Aragon; James Marcelino.” Also stated is: "This movie is dedicated in loving memory to Lucy Ann Beatty and Adolph Caesar."