(THE MAKING OF AND THE STORY)

- Principle photography begins October 11, 1977 in the East Village on St. marks Place.

- The scene where the main characters jump into the lake in Central Park a few weeks earlier, taking advantage of some warem late summer weather.

- Scenes were shot on location in Brooklyn in the Flatbush section before moving on to Millneck, Long Island (near Oyster Bay) where the "I Got Life" section was filmed.

-Returning to Manhattan, locations included the US Customs House (doubling for the US Army's Induction Centre), the Tombs (the inactive jail on White Street near Foley Square), Washington Square Park and the courthouse scene was filmed in Weehauken, New Jersey.

- Next came the big move across country to California where sequences were filmed in the town of Barstow and at the California National Guard Installation at Fort Irwin. 1500 National Guardsmen were used as extras.

- The cast then returned to New York to the Film Production Centre in Astoria, Queens where the "Hare Krishna" scene was filmed on a soundstage.

- The Be-Ins were staged at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. where over 20,000 local student types took part in the filming. These were the background scenes for "3-5-0-0" and "Let the Sun Shine In"

The second Be-In was filmed on Sheep Meadow in Central Park where some 10,000 locals took part. This scene took 3 days to film.

- Principle photography was completed on location in New York City's financial district on Pine Street.

The story starts with Claude leaving his parents farm in Oklahoma. He takes the bus to New York City. In Central Park Claude runs into Berger and his crew when they ask him for spare change. Claude has a couple of days before he is due to enlist for service in Vietnam. After Claude throws some change their way he spots a girl on a horse. He is infatuated by her and later tries to show off his expert horse skills with a little stunt riding. She doesn't seem too impressed.

Night falls and Berger, Jeannie, Hud and Woof have convinced Claude they can show him a good time. They introduce him to drugs and he soon gets into the spirit of things.

Morning dawns and Claude is off to see some sights. Berger has now awoke and spots a picture in a newspaper lying on the ground. It is the girl on the horse and there is a party being thrown in her honour that day.

Berger and friends show up at Sheila's party and are asked repeatedly to leave. Of course Berger just wants Claude to have a chance to look at Sheila for awhile and sings "I Got Life". Sheila's father then has Berger and his friends arrested and they wind up in jail.

The court rules that Berger and each of his friends must pay a $50 fine but only Claude has any money. Berger persuades his new friend to part with it so he can get out and find some money to get them all out.

Berger first tries to get Sheila and her friend Steve to help out but they won't. Berger must then swallow his pride and ask his parents. His father refuses but mom save the day and soon the hippies are free. First stop is Central Park for a Be-In. Claude manages to get some drugs and trips out. The drug trip combines all the experiences Claude has had since coming to New York.

Evening comes and Berger and friends are searching for Claude who has wandered off. They had met up with Sheila and Steve in the park earlier but Steve has gone home. Claude is found by the lake in Central Park and Berger hands over Sheila who suddenly see's no point in befriending Claude. Berger, Hud and Woof all go skinny dipping in the lake and Claude joins in. Sheila decides she might have been too hasty and jumps into the lake as well. Suddenly Claude and Sheila realise everyone has disappeared but Jeannie and then comes to the realization that their clothes are missing as well. Sheila is angry and hails a cab which is only to eager to stop for the naked woman.

Claude does show up to enlist and the film follows him through basic training. Sheila has written to Claude and one day (mid-winter) in Central Park she spots Berger and his friends. She tells them how Claude is doing and where he is. Suddenly a woman and her young boy appear and call out to Hud. Seems the boy is his child and by now it is obvious Jeannie is very pregnant and Hud's finance confronts her as to whose child she is caring. Jeannie is into free love and doesn't much care as she loves both Hud and Woof. Hud storms off but his friends talk him back and soon the whole gang is off to find Claude at the army base.

A picnic is planned in the desert and Berger's plan is to switch places with Claude so Claude can see Sheila one last time. Things go terribly wrong when the base is dispatched overseas and the base is cleared out in a matter of minutes.

If you want to know how it ends....you'll have to rent the video.