A news item in the 27 Oct 1961 DV referred to the film by its working title, Point Blank. The 2 Nov 1961 DV noted that actor Bobby Darin was loaned to the project by Paramount Pictures as the final film under his contract. Both he and co-star Sidney Poitier were guaranteed a percentage of the profits. In the 22 Nov 1961 Var, director Hubert Cornfield explained that the picture would be shot in an innovative style combining “stage technique and highly intricate cinematic art.” The budget was estimated at $1 million. The 16 Nov 1961 DV stated that Poitier’s and Darin’s characters would be known as “doctor” and “patient,” respectively, rather than having proper names. Principal photography began 20 Nov 1961 at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, CA, (known at the time as Revue Studios) according to 24 Nov 1961 DV production charts. The 1 Dec 1961 DV credited Darin with improvising the line, “Going stir crazy,” when Poitier’s character finds him “ladling a cauldron of soup.” Hubert Cornfield admitted to the 22 Jan 1961 DV that he initially opposed the casting of Darin, but changed his mind after witnessing the actor’s performance.
       Following the completion of principal photography, the 2 Mar 1962 DV reported that Darin and Poitier would resume filming for two days on 12 Mar 1962. Peter Falk joined the cast for the opening and closing scenes, as noted in the 12 Mar 1962 DV. Two days later, DV announced the official title as Pressure Point. Bobby Darin completed his scenes on Stage 30 on 15 Mar 1962, as reported in the that day’s DV. Afterward, he was expected on Stage 31 for If a Man Answers (1962, see entry).
       The 29 Mar 1962 DV stated that composer Ernest Gold was reportedly writing “the first electronic film score” for the picture. Gold began recording with a fifty-piece orchestra on 1 May 1962, according to that day’s DV. The 6 Sep 1962 DV noted that Laura Weston provided lyrics for Gold’s theme, “Tic Tac Toe,” to be published by Chappell Music.
       Pressure Point opened 19 Sep 1962 in Los Angeles, and 10 Oct 1962 in New York City. Reviews were mixed, with the 11 Oct 1962 NYT complaining that the picture’s “ugly truths” were “blunted with too many theatrical contrivances.” An article in the 9 Sep 1962 LAT noted that Hubert Cornfield’s cinematic and narrative styles were influenced by television. Examples included “‘staggering’ of players one behind the other” to fit a narrow frame, and segmenting the story into “a series of dialogues between its two principals.”
       The 15 Nov 1962 LAT quoted Poitier, who commended Stanley Kramer before a session of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor, particularly for the producer’s decision to have the source material’s Jewish Caucasian doctor rewritten as an African American. In Poitier’s opinion, the gesture not only demonstrated Kramer’s sensitivity to race relations, but also enhanced the film’s dramatic aspects. Conversely, the 17 Oct 1962 Var noted that columnist Jack O’Brian, of the New York Journal-American, considered Poitier’s casting to be merely a cynical marketing ploy. Months later, the 20 Mar 1963 Var revealed that the picture was not commercially successful because the distributor chose mass marketing over developing an audience in art theaters.
       A full-page advertisement in the 14 Nov 1962 DV displayed several reviews predicting an Academy Award nomination for Bobby Darin. While the predictions were incorrect, Darin received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor – Drama, and was voted Motion Picture Personality of the Year by the Boston, MA, Masquers Club.
       Casting announcements included stage actress Anne Barton in her motion picture debut (28 Nov 1961 DV), Craig Cooke (5 Jan 1962 DV), Dave White (9 Jan 1962 DV), Jack Miltown (24 Nov 1961 DV), and Alvin Kahn (12 Dec 1961 DV).
Included in the film are newsreel clips of a wartime Nazi Bund rally in Madison Square Garden and march music from Judgment at Nuremberg.