Principal photography began 19 Jun 1961, according to the 30 Jun 1961 DV. Location filming took place in “the rocky desert hills” near Barstow, CA. The production company was granted access by Southern California Gas Company, which built sand-and-gravel roads through the hills while laying a gas pipeline. The 17 Aug 1961 DV noted that fourteen different Southern California locations were used during the production, the last of which was Thousand Oaks. The last two weeks of filming began that day at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, CA.
       Additional cast members included Claudia Barrett (6 Jul 1961 DV); Kanan Awni (12 Jul 1961 DV); George Sawaya and Phillip Baird (14 Jul 1961 DV); Lionel Ames (24 Jul 1961 DV); Adele Von, who was also a stand-in for lead actress Madlyn Rhue (24 Jul 1961 DV); Iphigenie Castiglioni (10 Aug 1961 DV); and Dick Chambers (17 Aug 1961 1961 DV). The 19 Sep 1961 noted that veteran character actor John P. “Blackie” Whiteford also appeared in the film. Although the article reported that he was ninety-two years old at the time, his obituary in the 23 Mar 1962 issue stated his age as eighty-nine. Other sources claim he was only seventy-two years old. According to the 17 Jul 1961 DV, James Mason appeared in an unbilled role as a favor to producer-director Ronald Neame. The actor donated his salary to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Three days later, DV noted that fifty-seven background actors were hired for “riot scenes.”
       Following the completion of principal photography, Neame told the 15 Sep 1961 LAT that he enjoyed making the picture, which he described as “one for the drive-ins.” He also noted that it was a departure from his earlier, more intellectual works. Editing was currently underway.
       The picture opened 23 May 1962 in Indianapolis, IN, and Chicago, IL, as indicated in 30 May 1962 Var box office reports. The 6 Jun 1962 Var reported debuts in Boston, MA, Washington, DC, Cleveland, OH, and Kansas City, MO. Openings followed in Los Angeles on 13 Jun 1962, and in New York City on 11 Jul 1962. Reviews were mixed: Although the 29 May 1962 DV described the film as “a good old-fashioned chase,” the 12 Jul 1962 NYT found it to be “nonsensical.”
       Later that year, the 5 Dec 1962 Var revealed that Paramount Pictures suffered “a consolidated loss of $1,107,000 for the third quarter,” due primarily to the high cost and low return on the studio’s spring releases, Escape from Zahrain and Hell Is for Heroes (1962, see entry). However, the 9 Jan 1963 issue listed the film among the top rentals of the previous year, earning $700,000 with anticipated receipts of $1,385,000.