Time Table (1956)

In Arizona, a train's baggage car is robbed of a large payroll, prompting an investigation led by a railroad official-insurance investigator team.

Director:

Mark Stevens

Writers:

Robert Angus (original story), Aben Kandel (screenplay)

Stars:

Mark Stevens, King Calder, Felicia Farr

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mark Stevens	...	Charlie Norman
King Calder	...	Joe Armstrong
Felicia Farr	...	Linda Brucker
Marianne Stewart	...	Ruth Norman
Wesley Addy	...	Dr. Paul Brucker
Alan Reed	...	Al Wolfe
Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.	...	Lt. Castro (as Rudolpho Hoyos)
Jack Klugman	...	Frankie Page
John Marley	...	Bobik

Storyline

As a train speeds through the Arizona night, a man posing as a physician holds up the baggage-car crew and escapes with a $500,000 payroll. The fake doctor, Paul Bruckner, leaves the train with his "patient" and the "patient's wife", who is really Bruckner's wife Linda. The insurance company puts its best investigator, Charlie Norman, on the case to work with the railroad's investigator, Joe Armstrong. The men are friends and Joe is upset that Charlie and his wife, Ruth, will have to postpone their Mexico vacation. Charlie's concern goes beyond the spoiled vacation as he was the brains behind the holdup, who had fallen in love with Linda several months earlier while investigating a claim Bruckner had filed against his insurance company. At first, Joe is unable to find anything out about the flawlessly timetable planning for the robbery other than what Charlie wants him to find out.

---

Plot Keywords:

train | fake doctor | baggage car | arizona | robbery | 

---

Taglines:

Deadly Minutes! Murderous Seconds!...and then the Screen Explodes!

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 February 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Timetable

Filming Locations:

California Studios - 5530 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mark Stevens Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The $500,000 payroll stolen would be the equivalent of $4,400,000 in 2016.

---

Goofs

At the end of the film, when Joe shoots Charlie, he fires way to the left of Charlie. There is no way that his bullet would have hit Charlie with that aim.

---

Connections

Featured in The World Famous Kid Detective (2014)

---

Soundtracks

Salud, Felicidad y Amor
Music by Walter Scharf
Lyrics by Jack Brooks

User Reviews

A hidden little gem.

"Time Table" is a rather forgotten crime film which was directed by and stars Mark Stevens—a very capable but mostly forgotten actor from the 50s and 60s. It's really a shame the film isn't seen and lauded, as it's quite good—especially since it has a very modest budget. I've never seen it on TV nor DVD but fortunately it IS in the public domain and is therefore available through archive.org—a website often linked to films on IMDb. Download a free copy and watch it—it's quite good.

The film starts off wonderfully—with one of the most intelligently filmed heists I can remember. You really need to see it—and I don't want to spoil it by saying more about this. In the next scene, a couple are talking about their upcoming and much-needed vacation to Mexico when the phone rings—the husband (Stevens) is needed at once. It seems he's an investigator for the insurance company covering the heist—and they want him to look into it ASAP. This means the vacation is on hold.

When the investigation begins, it's quite obvious that the crime was very, very professional and was carried out with attention to every detail. However, during the robbery, somehow one of the gang was injured—and this might be the lead they need to break the case. But, in a WONDERFUL twist, the audience soon learns that there is so much more to the story than anyone has anticipated and the identity of the big brains of the operation is quite the surprise. I'd say more but don't want to spoil it.

Some might consider this film to be an example of Film Noir. Well, it is a crime film from the 1950s and is pretty unflinchingly violent in places. However, the film lacks the snappy dialog and cinematography you'd expect for Noir. I personally like the way the movie was handled, as it seemed more realistic than Noir—like you were watching a real investigation unfold. Fascinating throughout.