The Tall Target facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Tall Target
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Anthony Mann
Produced by	Richard Goldstone
Written by	George Worthing Yates (story and screenplay) Daniel Mainwaring (story, as Geoffrey Homes) Art Cohn (screenplay)
Starring	Dick Powell Paula Raymond Adolphe Menjou
Music by	Bronislau Kaper
Cinematography	Paul Vogel
Editing by	Newell P. Kimlin
Studio	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	August 17, 1951 (1951-08-17)
Running time	78 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$966,000
Money made	$620,000

The Tall Target is a 1951 American historical crime film. It was directed by Anthony Mann. The movie stars Dick Powell, Paula Raymond, and Adolphe Menjou.

In the film, Dick Powell plays a police sergeant. He tries to stop someone from harming Abraham Lincoln. This happens while Lincoln is traveling by train to become President. The story is based on a real event called the Baltimore Plot. This was an alleged plan to attack Lincoln in 1861.

The movie's settings were designed by art directors Eddie Imazu and Cedric Gibbons.

Stopping a Secret Plan

New York Police Sergeant John Kennedy once protected Abraham Lincoln. This was for two days when Lincoln was campaigning to become President of the United States. Kennedy was very impressed by Lincoln.

Kennedy later found out about a secret group. This group planned to attack Lincoln. The attack was supposed to happen as Lincoln traveled by train to Washington, D.C. He was going through Baltimore for his inauguration. Kennedy told his boss, Superintendent Simon G. Stroud, about the danger. But Stroud did not believe him. Caleb Jeffers, a military colonel, also thought it was not true.

Kennedy decided to quit his job right away. He wanted to stop the plot on his own. He had already sent a report to the Secretary of War. He also sent a telegram to Lincoln. He asked to meet Lincoln urgently in Baltimore.

The Train Journey Begins

On February 22, 1861, Kennedy got on the train. It was heading to Washington. Inspector Reilly was supposed to give Kennedy his train ticket. But Kennedy could not find Reilly. Without a ticket, the conductor, Homer Crowley, made him get off. There were no more tickets available. As the train started to move, Kennedy ran after it. He managed to climb back on board.

Other passengers on the train included:

• Mrs. Charlotte Alsop, a writer who was against slavery.
• Lance Beaufort, a young cadet from West Point. He planned to leave the army and join the Confederate side.
• Ginny, Lance's sister.
• Rachel, their slave.

Kennedy searched for Reilly for a long time. He finally found Reilly's body on the outside platform of a train car. But as he reached for it, the body fell off the train. When Kennedy returned to his seat, he found someone else there. This person was pretending to be him and had his ticket. Colonel Jeffers, a fellow passenger, said he knew Kennedy. He gave Kennedy a spare ticket to share his compartment.

Danger on the Rails

The imposter made Kennedy get off the train at the next stop. He planned to kill Kennedy when the train whistle blew. Kennedy fought with him. The noise got Jeffers' attention. The colonel shot and killed the imposter. When they got back on the train, Jeffers offered Kennedy the only bed in their compartment.

While Kennedy seemed to be sleeping, Jeffers took a small gun he had lent Kennedy. He then shot Kennedy. But Kennedy had become suspicious of Jeffers. He had changed the bullet in the gun. Jeffers then admitted he was part of the plot. He wanted to protect his shares in cotton mills in the North. A war would hurt his business.

Escaping Capture

At the next stop in Philadelphia, Kennedy tried to have Jeffers arrested. But Jeffers got a message from Stroud. The message confirmed that Kennedy was no longer a police officer. So, Lieutenant Coulter arrested Kennedy instead. Rachel tried to give Kennedy an important message. But Coulter ignored her. Kennedy managed to escape and get back on the train.

Meanwhile, the conductor was told to hold the train. A special package needed to be delivered. A passenger named Mrs. Gibbons met her sick husband and brought him onto the train.

Kennedy found Rachel again. She told him that Beaufort was getting off in Baltimore, not Atlanta. Beaufort then captured Kennedy. He tied Kennedy up in Jeffers' compartment. The plotters were disappointed. They heard that Lincoln had canceled his speech in Baltimore. Beaufort was supposed to attack him there.

The Final Twist

Jeffers got off the train. But as the train pulled away, he remembered Mrs. Gibbons. He realized her "husband" was actually Lincoln in disguise. Jeffers ran after the train and managed to tell Beaufort.

However, Kennedy freed himself. He fought with Beaufort. Kennedy pushed the attacker off the speeding train. Afterward, Mrs. Gibbons told Kennedy she was a secret agent. She worked for the Pinkerton agency. She said that Kennedy's report to the War Department was read by Allan Pinkerton. Pinkerton convinced Lincoln to cancel his speech. He also convinced Lincoln to travel secretly on the train as the sick Mr. Gibbons.

As the train arrived in Washington, Lincoln thought to himself, "Did ever any President come to his inauguration so like a thief in the night?"

Main Actors