The Tunnel (NBC documentary)
Encyclopedia
The Tunnel was a 90-minute black-and-white
documentary film
that chronicled how three West Berlin
university
student
s organized the escape of 59 friends and family
members by digging a tunnel
underneath the Berlin Wall
. Produced by Reuven Frank
and narrated by Piers Anderton, it was a NBC White Paper
installment that was broadcast on December 10, 1962 and sponsored by the Gulf Oil Corporation
.
The Tunnel earned three Emmy Award
s in 1963, for The Program of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Documentary (awarded to Frank) and Outstanding Achievement in International Reporting (awarded to Anderton).
The Tunnel was the basis for a pair of similarly named German
projects (Der Tunnel) which were released just under four decades after the original. One was the 1999 documentary directed by Marcus Vetter, which featured the NBC footage
accompanied by firsthand
accounts from the actual participants. The other was the 2001 television movie production directed by Roland Suso Richter
, which was loosely based on the events recorded in the original.
officially announced on October 11, 1962 that it was going to televise the documentary on October 31 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. (EST
). Reluctant to add to global tensions in light of the Cuban Missile Crisis
, the television network
decided on October 23 to indefinitely postpone the broadcast.
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that chronicled how three West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s organized the escape of 59 friends and family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
members by digging a tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
underneath the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
. Produced by Reuven Frank
Reuven Frank
Reuven Frank was an American broadcast news pioneer.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Israel Reuven Frank earned a bachelor's degree at City College of New York and a graduate degree in journalism from Columbia University...
and narrated by Piers Anderton, it was a NBC White Paper
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
installment that was broadcast on December 10, 1962 and sponsored by the Gulf Oil Corporation
Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil was a major global oil company from the 1900s to the 1980s. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies...
.
The Tunnel earned three Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s in 1963, for The Program of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Documentary (awarded to Frank) and Outstanding Achievement in International Reporting (awarded to Anderton).
The Tunnel was the basis for a pair of similarly named German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
projects (Der Tunnel) which were released just under four decades after the original. One was the 1999 documentary directed by Marcus Vetter, which featured the NBC footage
Footage
In filmmaking and video production, footage is the raw, unedited material as it had been originally filmed by movie camera or recorded by a video camera which usually must be edited to create a motion picture, video clip, television show or similar completed work...
accompanied by firsthand
First hand
Firsthand is obtained directly from the original source. The phrase may also refer to:* First Hand , the debut album released by Steven Curtis Chapman* First Hand Foundation, a non-profit organisation...
accounts from the actual participants. The other was the 2001 television movie production directed by Roland Suso Richter
Roland Suso Richter
Roland Suso Richter is a German film director and producer.He also worked as a screenwriter and actor before settling for directing.- Biography :...
, which was loosely based on the events recorded in the original.
Controversy & postponement
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC)NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
officially announced on October 11, 1962 that it was going to televise the documentary on October 31 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. (EST
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
). Reluctant to add to global tensions in light of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
, the television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
decided on October 23 to indefinitely postpone the broadcast.
External links
- NBC Special Report: The Tunnel – NBC News Archives.
- Steinberg, Jacques. "Reuven Frank, Producer Who Pioneered TV News Coverage at NBC, Is Dead at 85," The New York Times, Tuesday, February 7, 2006.
- Collins, Scott. "Reuven Frank, 85; NBC Producer Helped Launch 'Huntley-Brinkley' Show, Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, February 7, 2006.