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IMDb > The Narrow Margin (1952)
The Narrow Margin
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The Narrow Margin (1952) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   1,864 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 2% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Richard Fleischer
Writers:
Earl Felton (screenplay)
Martin Goldsmith (story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Narrow Margin on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 May 1952 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Film-Noir | Drama more
Tagline:
'THAT BULLET'S MEANT FOR ME!" - Suspense every speeding second aboard a stream-lined limited...as syndicate killers seek to find and silence mystery woman headed for the Grand Jury! more
Plot:
A woman planning to testify against the mob must be protected against their assassins on the train trip from Chicago to Los Angeles. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
NewsDesk:
Director Richard Fleischer Dies at 89
 (From WENN. 24 March 2006)

User Comments:
Charles McGraw At His Best more

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Target (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
71 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Filmed in 1950, not released until 1952. According to director Richard Fleischer, when the film was finished RKO Pictures owner Howard Hughes heard good things about it and ordered that a copy of it be delivered to him so he could screen it in his private projection room. The film stayed in the projection room for more than a year, apparently because the eccentric Hughes forgot about it. more
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When the character of nine year old Tommy Sinclair (Gordon Gerbert) first appears, his traveling nurse clearly calls him "Tony". For the rest of the film he's called "Tommy", the character's official name. more
Quotes:
Walter Brown: So far they haven't spotted you, and they don't know what you look like. But they've seen me. If they start shooting in my direction, I don't want you hit.
Mrs. Neall: You're sure it isn't the other way around?
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Silver Streak (1976) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
26 out of 30 people found the following comment useful:-
Charles McGraw At His Best, 10 September 1999
Author: gerrytwo from Queens, NY

While director Richard Fleischer gets plenty of credit for his role in making the film noir classic "The Narrow Margin" on a shoestring budget, it is hard to imagine this picture without actor Charles McGraw in the lead role. As a tough cop escorting a witness to testify in Los Angeles, McGraw's performance is what holds the picture together. Try to think now of one actor around today who could portray a cop who is at times calculating, other times sarcastic and almost always menacing. In the Hollywood of the 1940s and 50s,Charles McGraw usually played secondary roles in A pictures. In "The Narrow Margin," McGraw shows that with a competent director, he could put on some performance as the star of a movie.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Narrow Margin (1952)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Good movie, but the twist makes no sense Derelictman
Marie Windsor looks like... Tenate9
It is coming to TCM on 4-9-08 (Wed) at 8 P.M. EST wtl471629
Great movie, but.............. HoferPM-1
Question (SPOILER) Erich-13
Other famous remakes? jafoleyiii
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