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The Narrow Margin (1952)

APPROVED 71 min  -  Film-Noir | Thriller  -   4 May 1952 (USA)
7.8
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Ratings: 7.8/10 from 2,948 users  
Reviews: 60 user | 37 critic

A woman planning to testify against the mob must be protected against their assassins on the train trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Earl Felton (screenplay), Martin Goldsmith (story), and 1 more credit »

Stars:

Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor and Jacqueline White
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4 photos | 1 video | 6 news articles | full cast and crew »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles McGraw Charles McGraw ...
Marie Windsor Marie Windsor ...
Jacqueline White Jacqueline White ...
Gordon Gebert Gordon Gebert ...
Queenie Leonard Queenie Leonard ...
Mrs. Troll
David Clarke ...
Peter Virgo Peter Virgo ...
Densel
Don Beddoe Don Beddoe ...
Paul Maxey Paul Maxey ...
Harry Harvey Harry Harvey ...
Train Conductor
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Storyline

When a mobsters wife decides to testify against his evil deeds she goes undercover to avoid being killed. Now that he's coming to trial she has to be escourted across country via train in order to testify. Cop Walter Brown and his partner are assigned the task, but the mob are on their trail. Written by Col Needham <col@imdb.com>  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Train | Partner | Upper Berth | Newspaper Headline | Police  | See more »

Taglines:

"Okay, copper - you rigged it! Let her stop a bullet!" See more »

Genres:

Film-Noir | Thriller

Parents Guide:

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Testigo accidental See more »

Filming Locations:

Santa Fe Railroad Depot - 1170 W. 3rd Street, San Bernardino, California, USA See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$188,000 (estimated)
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Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

In preference to removing various walls from the sets, director Richard Fleischer decided to make extensive use of a handheld camera that could be brought into rooms; this was one of the first films to do so. To save money the train sets were rigidly fixed to the floor, and the camera was moved to simulate the train rocking. See more »

Goofs

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When the character of nine year old Tommy Sinclair (Gordon Gebert) first appears, his traveling nurse clearly calls him "Tony". For the rest of the film he's called "Tommy", the character's official name. See more »

Quotes

Walter Brown: I love it - so get to the point.
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Connections

Referenced in L.A. Noire (2011) See more »