IMDb RATING
7.6/10
8.7K
YOUR RATING
A woman planning to testify against the mob must be protected against potential assassins on the train trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.A woman planning to testify against the mob must be protected against potential assassins on the train trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.A woman planning to testify against the mob must be protected against potential assassins on the train trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total
Peter Brocco
- Vincent Yost
- (uncredited)
Ivan Browning
- Waiter
- (uncredited)
George Chandler
- Accomplice Running Newsstand
- (uncredited)
James Conaty
- Tenant in Apartment House Hallway
- (uncredited)
Don Dillaway
- Reporter
- (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum
- Train Passenger
- (uncredited)
Bess Flowers
- Wagon Restaurant Diner
- (uncredited)
Don Haggerty
- Det. Wilson
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Richard Fleischer
- William Cameron Menzies(uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn 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.
- GoofsThere are palm trees at the Denver train station.
- Quotes
Walter Brown: Pardon me, I'd like to get through.
Jennings: Sorry, this train wasn't designed for my tonnage, heh. Nobody loves a fat man except his grocer and his tailor!
- Alternate versionsAlso available in a computer colorized version.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story: Howard's Way (1987)
Featured review
Windsor & McGraw: 2 Film Noir Hall-Of-Famers
This was the "original" and, like its re-make "Narrow Margin" (the "The" is missing), it is excellent. This is one of those rare cases in which the old and the new versions both are top-notch.
In fact, it's interesting to compare the two versions. In this film, there is a very unique twist as the end concerning the woman being brought to Los Angeles. It was clever.
That woman in this 1952 version also is played by perhaps the First Lady Of Noir, Marie Windsor. She had the best lines in the film and is outstanding at playing the tough-talking moll of this genre. (See Stanley Kubrick's "The Killing" to fully appreciate more of Windsor's work.)
The film noir tough-guy male equivalent of her also stars in this film: Charles McGraw. Few guys ever looked and sounded better in noirs than McGraw. He and Windor were born to play in 'B' crime movies!
The short length of this film makes it a good one to watch anytime although, to be frank, if I could only own one of the two "Narrow Margin" films, I'd have to take the latter-day version with Gene Hackman and Anne Archer, but it would a tough decision. Both have a lot to offer.
In fact, it's interesting to compare the two versions. In this film, there is a very unique twist as the end concerning the woman being brought to Los Angeles. It was clever.
That woman in this 1952 version also is played by perhaps the First Lady Of Noir, Marie Windsor. She had the best lines in the film and is outstanding at playing the tough-talking moll of this genre. (See Stanley Kubrick's "The Killing" to fully appreciate more of Windsor's work.)
The film noir tough-guy male equivalent of her also stars in this film: Charles McGraw. Few guys ever looked and sounded better in noirs than McGraw. He and Windor were born to play in 'B' crime movies!
The short length of this film makes it a good one to watch anytime although, to be frank, if I could only own one of the two "Narrow Margin" films, I'd have to take the latter-day version with Gene Hackman and Anne Archer, but it would a tough decision. Both have a lot to offer.
helpful•396
- ccthemovieman-1
- Dec 9, 2005
- How long is The Narrow Margin?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $188,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 11 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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