In 1972-73, Edward Platt ("The Chief" in Get Smart (1965)) raised enough money to produce this film, which was one of the first independent color movies shot partially on videotape. It was actually the first western to use videotape on location. Platt saw the many advantages of using videotape rather than film, and his crew shot the production with portable TV cameras (Norelco PCP-70 NTSC analog television system and the Philips PC-70 studio color camera) along with the Ampex VR-3000 two-inch portable video tape recorder). Once completed, the images were transferred to 35mm film format for it's theatrical release.