Although Lonne Elder III and Robert B. Radnitz returned as screenwriter and producer respectively, neither Martin Ritt nor any of the cast members from the first film participated in the sequel, with the exception of Ted Airhart who reprised his role as Mr. Perkins and Taj Mahal, who reprised his role as Ike and returned as composer.[1][4] According to Bob McCann, the film was "barely released."[5]
Roger Ebert gave the film two stars.[6]Richard Eder, reviewing the film for The New York Times, called it "unrelievedly didactic" and "a depressed kind of film, with a lot of gloominess and teeth-gritting".[1]
