The Tall Target (1951)
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- Approved
- 1h 18min
- Adventure, Crime
- Aug 1951 (USA)
- Movie
A New York City detective, traveling by train between New York and Baltimore, tries to foil an on-board plot to assassinate President-elect Abraham Lincoln before he reaches Baltimore to give a major pre-Inauguration speech in 1861.
Director:
Stars:
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Dick Powell | ... |
John Kennedy
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| Paula Raymond | ... |
Ginny Beaufort
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| Adolphe Menjou | ... |
Colonel Caleb Jeffers
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| Marshall Thompson | ... |
Lance Beaufort
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| Ruby Dee | ... |
Rachel - Slave Maid
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| Richard Rober | ... |
Lt. Coulter
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| Leif Erickson | ... |
Stranger
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| Will Geer | ... |
Homer Crowley - Train Conductor
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| Florence Bates | ... |
Mrs. Charlotte Alsop
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Erville Alderson | ... |
Minister - Passenger in Club Car (uncredited)
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Olive Ball | ... |
Hawker (uncredited)
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| Barbara Billingsley | ... |
Young Mother (uncredited)
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| Peter Brocco | ... |
Fernandina (uncredited)
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George Bunny | ... |
Hawker (uncredited)
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| John Butler | ... |
Miller - Drummer in Ticket Line (uncredited)
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| John Call | ... |
Clerk (uncredited)
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| Ken Christy | ... |
Detective (uncredited)
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Harry Cody | ... |
Minor Role (uncredited)
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Frank Conlan | ... |
Clerk (uncredited)
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| Clancy Cooper | ... |
Brakeman (uncredited)
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Lucille Curtis | ... |
Minor Role (uncredited)
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| John Damler | ... |
Division Manager (uncredited)
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| Robert Easton | ... |
Young Southerner (uncredited)
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| Estelle Etterre | ... |
Little Old Lady (uncredited)
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Budd Fine | ... |
Pinkerton Man (uncredited)
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Dan Foster | ... |
Dapper Man (uncredited)
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A. Cameron Grant | ... |
Train Passenger (uncredited)
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Robert Haines | ... |
Train Passenger (uncredited)
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| Jonathan Hale | ... |
Passenger from Carolina (uncredited)
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Sherry Hall | ... |
Man in Boarding Line (uncredited)
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| Alvin Hammer | ... |
Telegraph Operator (uncredited)
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James Harrison | ... |
Allan Pinkerton (uncredited)
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| Paul Harvey | ... |
Minor Role (uncredited)
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| Percy Helton | ... |
Beamish - Passenger in Club Car (uncredited)
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Clarence Hennecke | ... |
Hawker (uncredited)
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Marjorie Jackson | ... |
Minor Role (uncredited)
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Wilfred Jackson | ... |
Newsboy (uncredited)
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Chester Jones | ... |
Pedestrian (uncredited)
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Nikki Juston | ... |
Minor Role (uncredited)
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| Stapleton Kent | ... |
New Brunswick Station Master (uncredited)
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| Victor Kilian | ... |
John K. Gannon - Flyer Express Engineer (uncredited)
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Leslie Kimmell | ... |
Abraham Lincoln (uncredited)
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| Mitchell Lewis | ... |
Sleeping Train Passenger (uncredited)
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| Emmett Lynn | ... |
News Vendor (uncredited)
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| Robert Malcolm | ... |
Patrolman (uncredited)
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| Mickey Martin | ... |
Daniel - Messenger (uncredited)
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Billy Mitchell | ... |
Hawker (uncredited)
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| Tom Monroe | ... |
Zoaves (uncredited)
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| Roger Moore | ... |
Minor Role (uncredited)
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| Brad Morrow | ... |
Winfield (uncredited)
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Thomas Murray | ... |
Zoaves (uncredited)
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| Lou Nova | ... |
Zouave Sergeant (uncredited)
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| Tom Powers | ... |
Simon G. Stroud (uncredited)
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Bob Rich | ... |
Zoaves (uncredited)
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| Jeff Richards | ... |
Philadelphia Police Officer (uncredited)
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| Bert Roach | ... |
Politician (uncredited)
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| Phil Schumacher | ... |
Zoaves (uncredited)
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Irving Smith | ... |
Hawker (uncredited)
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Robert Spencer | ... |
Zoaves (uncredited)
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| Robert R. Stephenson | ... |
Hawker (uncredited)
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Jack Sterling | ... |
Zoaves (uncredited)
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Robert Strong | ... |
Minor Role (uncredited)
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| Frank Sully | ... |
Telegram Messenger (uncredited)
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William Sundholm | ... |
Hawker (uncredited)
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| Regis Toomey | ... |
Insp. Tim Reilly (uncredited)
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| Charles Wagenheim | ... |
Telegraph Clerk (uncredited)
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| Katherine Warren | ... |
Mrs. Gibbons (uncredited)
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| Dan White | ... |
Passenger in Club Car (uncredited)
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| Napoleon Whiting | ... |
Hawker (uncredited)
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Wilson Wood | ... |
Dispatcher (uncredited)
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Rodney Wooton | ... |
Newsboy (uncredited)
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| Will Wright | ... |
Thomas I. Ogden - Train Passenger (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Anthony Mann | ||
Written by
| George Worthing Yates | ... | (screenplay) and |
| Art Cohn | ... | (screenplay) |
| George Worthing Yates | ... | (story) and |
| Daniel Mainwaring | ... | (story) (as Geoffrey Homes) |
Produced by
| Richard Goldstone | ... | producer |
Cinematography by
| Paul Vogel | ... | director of photography (as Paul C. Vogel) |
Editing by
| Newell P. Kimlin | ||
Art Direction by
| Cedric Gibbons | ||
| Eddie Imazu | ||
Set Decoration by
| Ralph S. Hurst | ||
| Edwin B. Willis | ||
Makeup Department
| Sydney Guilaroff | ... | hair designer |
| William Tuttle | ... | makeup designer |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Joel Freeman | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Douglas Shearer | ... | recording supervisor |
Special Effects by
| A. Arnold Gillespie | ... | special effects |
| Warren Newcombe | ... | special effects |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Harry Stradling Jr. | ... | assistant camera (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Rudolph G. Kopp | ... | composer: trailer (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Leslie H. Martinson | ... | script supervisor (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Paul W. 'Pat' Durnell | ... | train engineer (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
Distributors
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1951) (United States) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1951) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1952) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- France 3 (1982) (France) (tv) (French subtitles)
- Warner Home Video (2009) (United States) (DVD) (dvdr)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
The historical fact of a possible assassination attempt on the President-Elect Abraham Lincoln makes the movie very interesting. The drama comes from a fictitious New York police sergeant discovering the plot and boarding the last train to Washington, DC, to protect the new president to be. Dick Powell does a very good job using deduction and logic to find who on the train could be conspirators. He is foiled at different times but manages to succeed even when the conspirators have caught him. The movie's action takes place mostly on the train and the effects of travelling are well done. Historically, several states have already seceded from the union and that included Virginia. That's why Lincoln had to travel to Washington, DC, through Maryland, also a slave state. When he was taking his own "Inaugural Train" the plan was to kill Lincoln in Baltimore during a long stop but Lincoln's supporters did some slight of hand to sneak him on board the last train to the capital. Maybe not Oscar material but a very enjoyable piece of entertainment. Written by Zack Rinderer |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | You'll never see the target till the very end ! See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $966,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | The first director attached to this subject, several years before the film was finally made, was Joseph Losey. He had wanted to cast Lena Horne in the role played by Ruby Dee, which originally was planned as a much larger part. See more » |
| Goofs | In spite of being set in 1861, there are electric lights hanging in the station and in other locations. See more » |
| Soundtracks | Rally Round the Flag See more » |
| Crazy Credits | The opening credits slowly roll up from the bottom of the screen, over a background of a train station. The word "TALL" is extra tall, and the credits are followed by: "Ninety years ago, a lonely traveler boarded the night train from New York to Washington DC and when he reached his destination, his passage had become a forgotten chapter in the history of the United States. This motion picture is a dramatization of that disputed journey." See more » |
| Quotes |
Rachel - Slave Maid:
Freedom isn't a thing you should be able to give me, Miss Ginny. Freedom is something I should have been born with. See more » |