This film won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature of 1968. However, when it was discovered that the film had actually enjoyed a well documented premiere in Charlotte, North Carolina 11 October 1967, it was declared ineligible and the Oscar was withdrawn just days after the ceremony. No explanation was given as to why the Motion Picture Academy was apparently unaware of the date of this premiere at the time of its nomination. On May 1969, a few months after the event, the Oscar was given to Journey Into Self (1969).
In most circles, this film is classified as a documentary, and was even nominated for an Academy Award as Best Feature Length Documentary. However, the movie has heavily scripted elements, and has the disclaimer in the opening credits, "The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious, and any similarity to the name, character or history of any person is entirely coincidental and unintentional."
Of the thirty-seven featured The Young Americans in this grouping, the one arguably that would go on to achieve the greatest fame in the entertainment business is Vicki Lawrence.