The Tall Target

The Tall Target

🎞️ Movie 78 min US
โ˜… 7.2 /10 1951

A girl whose lovely hands were never meant to hold a gun!

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.

Cast

Dick Powell
Dick Powell
John Kennedy
Paula Raymond
Paula Raymond
Ginny Beaufort
Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Menjou
Colonel Caleb Jeffers
Marshall Thompson
Marshall Thompson
Lance Beaufort
Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee
Rachel - Slave Maid
Richard Rober
Richard Rober
Lt. Coulter
Leif Erickson
Leif Erickson
Stranger
Will Geer
Will Geer
Homer Crowley - Train Conductor
Florence Bates
Florence Bates
Mrs. Charlotte Alsop
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Erville Alderson
Minister - Passenger in Club Car
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Paul Vogel
Cinematographer

๐ŸŽฌ Videos

TCM Bob's Picks Nov 14 2013 4of5 The Tall Target (Intro)
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Featurette
TCM Bob's Picks Nov 14 2013 4of5 The Tall Target (Intro)
The Tall Target (1951) clip
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Clip
The Tall Target (1951) clip