The Tall Target (1951): Cast & Plot
The Tall Target is a 1951 historical thriller directed by Anthony Mann, starring Leslie Kimmell as Abraham Lincoln (uncredited), Dick Powell and Victor Kilian. It runs 1 hour 18 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 18m (78 min)
- Director
- Anthony Mann
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is The Tall Target About?
The premise of The Tall Target without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
The story follows a determined detective racing against time to stop a plot to assassinate President‑elect Abraham Lincoln aboard a 1861 train bound for Washington. As the journey unfolds, clues surface and tension builds, leading to a dramatic revelation at the very end.
The Tall Target Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- assassination plot
- secessionist
- year 1861
- ex police detective
- abraham lincoln character
- allan pinkerton character
- baltimore maryland
- pinkerton detective
- planning to assassinate the u.s. president
- new york police
- attempted assassination
- railway journey
+38 more Show fewer
- train thriller
- police report
- police sergeant
- based on story
- prologue
- train passenger
- political thriller
- presidential inauguration
- washington d.c.
- train station
- train ticket
- cop murdered
- stolen identity
- attempted murder
- pistol whipped
- female slave
- slavery
- militia leader
- telescopic rifle
- train conductor
- brother sister relationship
- southerner
- telegram
- delayed train
- police lieutenant
- evading arrest
- man on top of train
- fugitive pursuit
- reference to philadelphia
- draft horses
- wilmington delaware
- bound and gagged
- barber
- assassination conspiracy
- canceled event
- thrown from a moving train
- shackled prisoner
- police procedural crime
The Tall Target Cast & Characters
Leslie Kimmell leads the cast as Abraham Lincoln (uncredited), with Dick Powell as John Kennedy and Victor Kilian as John K. Gannon (uncredited). Directed by Anthony Mann; 72 actors are credited in all.
-
Director Anthony Mann
- Leslie Kimmell as Abraham Lincoln (uncredited)
- Dick Powell as John Kennedy
- Victor Kilian as John K. Gannon (uncredited)
- Lou Nova as Zouave Sergeant (uncredited)
Also Starring in The Tall Target
· 68 more- Will Wright Thomas Ogden (uncredited)
- Adolphe Menjou Caleb Jeffers
- Tom Powers Simon G. Stroud (uncredited)
- Regis Toomey Insp. Tim Reilly (uncredited)
- Florence Bates Mrs. Charlotte Alsop
- Marshall Thompson Lance Beaufort
- Paula Raymond Ginny Beaufort
- Ruby Dee Rachel
- Richard Rober Lt. Coulter
- Katherine Warren Mrs. Gibbons (uncredited)
- James Harrison Allan Pinkerton (uncredited)
- Roger Moore Minor Role (uncredited)
- Wilfred Jackson Newsboy (uncredited)
- Jonathan Hale Passenger from Carolina (uncredited)
- Paul Harvey Minor Role (uncredited)
- Frank Sully Telegram Messenger (uncredited)
Show all 72 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Erville Alderson Minister (uncredited)
- Bert Roach Politician (uncredited)
- Mitchell Lewis Sleeping Train Passenger (uncredited)
- Sherry Hall Man in Boarding Line (uncredited)
- Percy Helton Beamish (uncredited)
- Peter Brocco Fernandina (uncredited)
- Robert Haines Train Passenger (uncredited)
- Dan White Passenger in Club Car (uncredited)
- Leif Erickson Stranger
- Charles Wagenheim Telegraph Clerk (uncredited)
- Will Geer Homer Crowley
- John Butler Miller (uncredited)
- Robert R. Stephenson Hawker (uncredited)
- Emmett Lynn News Vendor (uncredited)
- Robert Easton Young Southerner (uncredited)
- Clancy Cooper Brakeman (uncredited)
- Budd Fine Pinkerton Man (uncredited)
- Ken Christy Detective (uncredited)
- Barbara Billingsley Young Mother (uncredited)
- Billy Mitchell Hawker (uncredited)
- Alvin Hammer Telegraph Operator (uncredited)
- Phil Schumacher Zoaves (uncredited)
- Estelle Etterre Little Old Lady (uncredited)
- Robert Malcolm Patrolman (uncredited)
- Wilson Wood Dispatcher (uncredited)
- Tom Monroe Zoaves (uncredited)
- Jeff Richards Philadelphia Police Officer (uncredited)
- Robert Strong Minor Role (uncredited)
- John Damler Division Manager (uncredited)
- John Call Clerk (uncredited)
- Frank Conlan Clerk (uncredited)
- Chester Jones Pedestrian (uncredited)
- George Bunny Hawker (uncredited)
- Napoleon Whiting Hawker (uncredited)
- A. Cameron Grant Train Passenger (uncredited)
- Mickey Martin Daniel - Messenger (uncredited)
- Dan Foster Dapper Man (uncredited)
- Brad Morrow Winfield (uncredited)
- Lucille Curtis Minor Role (uncredited)
- Harry Cody Minor Role (uncredited)
- Thomas Murray Zoaves (uncredited)
- Jack Sterling Zoaves (uncredited)
- William Sundholm Hawker (uncredited)
- Robert Spencer Zoaves (uncredited)
- Nikki Juston Minor Role (uncredited)
- Irving Smith Hawker (uncredited)
- Stapleton Kent New Brunswick Stationmaster (uncredited)
- Olive Ball Hawker (uncredited)
- Clarence Hennecke Hawker (uncredited)
- Marjorie Jackson Minor Role (uncredited)
- Bob Rich Zoaves (uncredited)
- Rodney Wooton Newsboy (uncredited)
The Tall Target Plot Summary
What happens in The Tall Target from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
On a tense 1861 train journey toward the capital, New York Police Sergeant Dick Powell as John Kennedy discovers a plot to assassinate the president-elect long before he reaches Washington. Kennedy, who once guarded Abraham Lincoln for 48 hours, has already infiltrated a cabal and believes the conspiracy will unfold as the ill Lincoln travels in disguise on the Baltimore–Washington leg. His superior, Superintendent Will Wright as Simon G. Stroud, dismisses the warning as “hogwash,” and even Caleb Jeffers, a militia colonel who sits beside Stroud, shares the sentiment. Frustrated, Kennedy resigns on the spot and vows to foil the plot himself, having already sent his report to the Secretary of War and a telegram to Lincoln requesting a private meeting in Baltimore.
Full summary
The whole story of The Tall Target, scene by scene
The Tall Target Videos
2 videos: 1 clip and 1 featurette.
- Featurette TCM Bob's Picks Nov 14 2013 4of5 The Tall Target (Intro)
How Well Do You Know The Tall Target?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is the name of the New York Police Sergeant who discovers the assassination plot?
Seen The Tall Target?
Movies Like The Tall Target
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including The Narrow Margin, The Tall T and Murder at 1600.
The Tall Target FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of The Tall Target, each answered in a sentence.
How long is The Tall Target?
The Tall Target runs 1 hour 18 minutes (78 minutes).
When was The Tall Target released?
The Tall Target was released on August 17, 1951.
Who directed The Tall Target?
The Tall Target was directed by Anthony Mann.
More films by Anthony Mann Who is in the cast of The Tall Target?
The Tall Target stars Leslie Kimmell as Abraham Lincoln (uncredited), Dick Powell as John Kennedy and Victor Kilian as John K. Gannon (uncredited), among 72 credited actors.
Does The Tall Target have a post-credit scene?
No. The Tall Target has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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