The 7 Mar 1962 Var announced that producer Walter Wood and actor Don Murray were beginning production on the provisionally titled Tunnel 28, based on the recent news story of twenty-eight citizens of the German Democratic Republic, known as East Germany, who tunneled to freedom under the Berlin Wall on 24 Jan 1962. Wood returned a week later from scouting locations in Munich, Germany, as noted in the 14 Mar 1962 DV. Woods made a second trip to Germany, where he finalized arrangements for studio space in Berlin, according to the 23 Mar 1962 issue. The 9 Apr 1962 DV noted that Woods was denounced as a "Hollywood war-monger" and a "capitalist" in Pravda, the official Communist Party newspaper of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), of which East Germany was a satellite state.
       A news item in the 17 Apr 1962 DV reported that German expatriate Werner Klemperer was hired as assistant to the producer and casting director, in addition to appearing on screen. Also joining the cast was Margaret Jahnen, according to the 8 May 1962 edition. The 26 Apr 1962 DV announced that film editor Maurice Wright was joining the crew in Munich. Principal photography began 28 May 1962, as noted in a 27 Jun 1962 Var production chart.
       An article in the 1 Aug 1962 LAT stated that Wood "borrowed" a duplicate of the Berlin Wall, constructed for the 1961 film, One, Two, Three (see entry), located four blocks away from the original. The tunnel, comprised of "movable sections," was assembled on a sound stage at Ufa Studios on the outskirts of Berlin. Erwin Becker, who organized the actual escape, served as technical adviser. According to the 29 Apr 1962 LAT, Wood sought permission to film near the Brandenburg Gate, the only passageway between East and West Berlin. However, authorities warned him that East German border guards were known to fire at people approaching the gate from the west. During pre-production, the 21 May 1962 LAT reported that "volkspolizei" on three East German patrol boats attempted to interrupt filming on a Berlin canal by shining searchlights into the cameras. Anticipating such an intrusion, director Robert Siodmak placed a decoy crew along the canal while the sequence was completed some distance away. Siodmak noted that the searchlights were visible on screen. As stated in the 8 Jun 1962 DV, actress Christine Kaufmann was given a four-day leave, enabling her to rerecord dialogue for Taras Bulba (1962, see entry) in Munich. As production drew to a close, the 4 Jul 1962 Var reported that Walter Wood held a cocktail party on the set for visiting journalists. One week later, the 11 Jul 1962 issue revealed that Wood had filed a lawsuit against a Berlin journalist who wrote an "allegedly distorted and slanderous article" about the picture. Production was completed that week.
       A news item in the 8 Aug 1962 Var stated that simultaneous premieres would likely be scheduled for two undetermined U.S. cities and Berlin during autumn 1962. The title was officially changed to Escape from East Berlin, as announced in the 28 Sep 1962 DV. The picture opened during early Dec 1962 in New York City and Los Angeles, CA, to lukewarm reviews. Although the 6 Dec 1962 NYT commended the filmmakers for the realistic location and interior scenes, critics took issue with the screenplay and editing. According to box office reports in the 7 Nov 1962 Var, openings in Toronto, Canada, and Washington, D.C., occurred during the previous week.
       Escape from East Germany was declared an "outstanding" film by the West German government and awarded a $50,000 prize, as reported in the 19 Dec 1962 Var. Weeks later, the 27 Feb 1963 edition announced that the picture was banned in Israel due to the nation's boycott of German productions and of media that offered sympathetic depictions of the German people.
       he 30 Nov 1962 DV reported that Herts -Lion International Corporation and Bon Ami Film Distributing Corporation filed a temporary injunction against MGM, Walter Wood, Don Murray, and their Murray-Wood Productions, to prevent the film's release. The plaintiffs charged "unfair competition and unauthorized use of the title," referring to the German release, Escape to Berlin (1961). The suit further alleged that the defendants revised the title of their film after viewing the German production. Despite evidence to the contrary, the plaintiffs insisted that the Murray-Wood picture was made in Jul 1961. The court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, awarding $12,500 to Herts-Lion and $4,500 to Bon Ami, as stated in the 11 Jun 1963 DV.
       Two television films about similar escapes from East Berlin were also produced in 1962. "Tunnel to Freedom" was presented by Armstrong Circle Theatre (NBC, 1950 - 1957; CBS, 1957 - 1963) on 14 Nov 1962, and reviewed in the 9 Nov 1962 DV. The Tunnel was a ninety-minute NBC News documentary aired on 17 Dec 1962, and reviewed in the 12 Dec 1962 edition.
       Copyright length: 89 min. Opened in West Berlin in Oct 1962 as Tunnel 28. Registered for copyright in the U. S. as Escape From Berlin.