Jack Nicholson's solo directorial debut. It was one of two post-Easy Rider (1969) Nicholson films that weren't released on any kind of home video until 2010. That year, the Criterion Collection released this movie and A Safe Place (1971) on DVD and Blu-ray as part of their "America Lost And Found - The BBS Story" box set.
The outdoor riot scene was shot during an actual campus protest. During filming, students at a nearby college got in a scuffle with police. When Jack Nicholson heard about it, he took his actors and crew to the campus and shot footage without permission.
A scene was surreptitiously filmed of Michael Margotta running naked across the campus. The contract with the University of Oregon stated no nudity to be filmed on campus. The word got out, officials of the university objected, but that part of the filming had already been secreted out of the state. The movie's other nude scenes were filmed elsewhere. Source: Variety, Sep. 16, 1970.
While directing this film, Jack Nicholson coined the term "Dernsie," to describe Bruce Dern's habit of improvising dialogue or other behavioral quirks.
Bruce Dern has said that Jack Nicholson's directing was one of the best he ever received.