This is a neat, no-frills thriller about an intricately planned train heist, the turbulent insurance investigator assigned to the case, and his hard-nosed boss whose motto is "There's no such thing as a perfect crime." Filmed in the flat, greyish TV style of the 50s with occasional expressionist touches, it is rife with plot twists and intriguing characters, and features a supporting cast of familiar faces (Alan Reed, Jack Klugman, etc). It should appeal to those who prefer story over stylishness. Tough-guy Stevens starred in several top-notch noirs of the 40s, and directed a couple of good second-feature thrillers in the 50s, including Cry Vengeance.
29 Reviews
A hidden little gem.
planktonrules19 August 2013
"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.
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.
Mark Stevens directs Mark Stevens in tight, unsentimental thriller
bmacv21 November 2003
Warning: Spoilers
Aboard a train slicing through the Southwestern night, the conductor summons a physician (Wesley Addy) to aid a passenger who has taken ill. `Polio' is his verdict, and he orders an unscheduled stop, so the patient can be taken by ambulance to a the nearest hospital. But first he must retrieve medical supplies from the locked baggage car. These supplies turn out to be a gun, three hypos to subdue the crew, and an explosive to relieve the safe of half a million dollars. When the train makes its stop, the doctor and his cronies vanish with the loot.
Back in Los Angeles, news of the robbery puts a crimp into insurance investigator Mark Stevens' plans for a holiday south of the border with his wife (Marianne Stewart). He feigns disappointment, but isn't all that surprised, since he masterminded the whole thing. Apparently deep in a dilly of a midlife crisis, he dreamed up this get-rich-quick scheme, on the proceeds of which he would leave his wife and abscond to Mexico with one of his partners in crime, Felicia Farr (who, off screen, would become Jack Lemmon's long-time spouse). But he hadn't counted on two factors: That fate would disrupt his meticulously plotted timetable, and that his partner in the investigation would be meticulous old pro King Calder....
Stevens' career as actor reached in high-water mark with The Dark Corner and The Street With No Name in the late 40s. In the 50s he turned his hand to producing and directing his own vehicles. The first, Cry Vengeance, was a pretty blatant knockoff of The Big Heat (and the camera was unkind to him), but Timetable, two years later, proves much better. Starting out as a clockwork heist movie, it quickly turns character-driven and wholly unsentimental. In his dual role as director and star, it's certainly Stevens' finest hour, anticipating, in its final Tijuana-set scenes, some of the corrupt, tourist-trap seediness of Touch of Evil.
Back in Los Angeles, news of the robbery puts a crimp into insurance investigator Mark Stevens' plans for a holiday south of the border with his wife (Marianne Stewart). He feigns disappointment, but isn't all that surprised, since he masterminded the whole thing. Apparently deep in a dilly of a midlife crisis, he dreamed up this get-rich-quick scheme, on the proceeds of which he would leave his wife and abscond to Mexico with one of his partners in crime, Felicia Farr (who, off screen, would become Jack Lemmon's long-time spouse). But he hadn't counted on two factors: That fate would disrupt his meticulously plotted timetable, and that his partner in the investigation would be meticulous old pro King Calder....
Stevens' career as actor reached in high-water mark with The Dark Corner and The Street With No Name in the late 40s. In the 50s he turned his hand to producing and directing his own vehicles. The first, Cry Vengeance, was a pretty blatant knockoff of The Big Heat (and the camera was unkind to him), but Timetable, two years later, proves much better. Starting out as a clockwork heist movie, it quickly turns character-driven and wholly unsentimental. In his dual role as director and star, it's certainly Stevens' finest hour, anticipating, in its final Tijuana-set scenes, some of the corrupt, tourist-trap seediness of Touch of Evil.
Well-Crafted and Suspenseful
dougdoepke26 February 2011
Gang executes intricate train robbery, putting two insurance investigators on their trail, with a major twist.
At about the time Kubrick was making a reputation with his heist film The Killing (1956), Mark Stevens put together this little gem. Unlike Kubrick's classic, this caper film doesn't rise to semi-artistic heights, but it is tight, tough, and well-acted, with some nice touches. For example, there're the surly baggage handler and the brusque airplane mechanic, both colorful bits that could have easily remained routine.
Aben Kandel's script is carefully plotted, dribbling out pieces of information that keep us glued to developments-- plus that great opening hook with its careful staging. But what I especially like is his and Stevens' attention to jilted wife Ruth (Stewart). It would have been so easy to shove this plain-faced woman aside as Stevens cavorts with the lovely Linda (Farr). Instead they play up her heartbreak as this drably devoted wife watches the collapse of everything she holds dear. In my book, it's a sensitive dimension that helps lift this 80- minutes beyond the simply well-crafted.
In addition to Stewart's fine performance is King Calder's (Armstong). His humorless, Bassett hound face is perfect for the dogged investigator who knows the importance of visualizing and goes where the evidence takes him, regardless. Look too for Jack Klugman (Frankie) in one of his earliest film roles.
Judging from Stevens' list of credits (IMDB), he's one of those contract players trying his best after the break up of the old studio system and the decline of the B-movie. Whatever his later misfortunes (Gunsight Ridge {1957}; Gun Fever {1958})-- he and Kandel team up to score solidly with this overlooked little caper gem.
At about the time Kubrick was making a reputation with his heist film The Killing (1956), Mark Stevens put together this little gem. Unlike Kubrick's classic, this caper film doesn't rise to semi-artistic heights, but it is tight, tough, and well-acted, with some nice touches. For example, there're the surly baggage handler and the brusque airplane mechanic, both colorful bits that could have easily remained routine.
Aben Kandel's script is carefully plotted, dribbling out pieces of information that keep us glued to developments-- plus that great opening hook with its careful staging. But what I especially like is his and Stevens' attention to jilted wife Ruth (Stewart). It would have been so easy to shove this plain-faced woman aside as Stevens cavorts with the lovely Linda (Farr). Instead they play up her heartbreak as this drably devoted wife watches the collapse of everything she holds dear. In my book, it's a sensitive dimension that helps lift this 80- minutes beyond the simply well-crafted.
In addition to Stewart's fine performance is King Calder's (Armstong). His humorless, Bassett hound face is perfect for the dogged investigator who knows the importance of visualizing and goes where the evidence takes him, regardless. Look too for Jack Klugman (Frankie) in one of his earliest film roles.
Judging from Stevens' list of credits (IMDB), he's one of those contract players trying his best after the break up of the old studio system and the decline of the B-movie. Whatever his later misfortunes (Gunsight Ridge {1957}; Gun Fever {1958})-- he and Kandel team up to score solidly with this overlooked little caper gem.
Complex Little Noir
Bucs196015 September 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This film, starring and directed by Mark Stevens, has more twists and turns than the streets of San Francisco. Stevens plays a seemingly by-the-book insurance investigator called in on a train robbery caper which appears to be the perfect crime. But all is not as it seems and the true character of Stevens is revealed. He is the man, obsessed with sticking to the timetable, who has planned the robbery and now is on his own trail. (This is reminiscent of "The Big Clock" where Ray Milland was put in a similar situation of being the hunter and the hunted). He is romantically involved with one of the perpetrators, played by Felicia Farr, and must avoid detection by misdirecting his partner from the truth and the clues that keep popping up all over the place.
The chase leads to Mexico, leaving a trail of bodies, and the game is up. Farr gets killed, Steven's oblivious wife finds him out, and Stevens attempts to escape, forcing his partner to shoot him down.
This film packs quite a punch in the short running time of a little over an hour. The plot is complicated but believable and all the players do a good job of making this a stand-out in the realm of the lower budget B film genre.
The chase leads to Mexico, leaving a trail of bodies, and the game is up. Farr gets killed, Steven's oblivious wife finds him out, and Stevens attempts to escape, forcing his partner to shoot him down.
This film packs quite a punch in the short running time of a little over an hour. The plot is complicated but believable and all the players do a good job of making this a stand-out in the realm of the lower budget B film genre.
There's no such thing as a perfect crime
Paularoc2 September 2013
This is a fast paced crime thriller involving a well synchronized heist of $500,000 from a train. Insurance investigator Charlie Norman (Stevens) and railroad detective Joe Armstrong (Calder) are called in to investigate the crime. The gang of thieves seem to have thought of everything and covered their tracks well. But then things start to unravel and the gang's leader kills one of gang members who is on the verge of telling all to the police. Armstrong is a dogged detective who pays attention to the smallest detail and whose motto is "There's no such thing as a perfect crime." That's certainly so in this case. Stevens does an okay job as Charlie Norman but he doesn't have a particularly striking screen presence and often delivers his lines too flatly. Even so, this movie has a couple of great twists and maintains interest throughout
Nice little noir
bensonmum227 July 2019
The Quick Pitch: $500,000 in cash is stolen from a train's baggage car.
Not a lot to say other than that this is a good one. My little plot summary may be shorter than usual, but I don't want to spoil anything. Time Table has a couple of plot twists that are about as good as any I've seen. The first comes early on in the film. While I may have had an inkling of what was about to happen, I still enjoyed watching the events unfold. But the second twist caught me by complete surprise. What fun!
Time Table is one of those films that proves you can (or at least you could in 1956) make a quality little movie without breaking the bank. Given budgetary constraints, director Mark Stevens created a tense, atmospheric crime/noir/thriller that moves at a brisk pace and is entertaining throughout. Not only does Stevens direct, but he also stars in Time Table. His performance is just as solid as his direction. The mostly no-name supporting cast is equal to the challenge. I'm sure I could pick a few things to complain about, but why bother when a movie is this enjoyable.
7/10
Not a lot to say other than that this is a good one. My little plot summary may be shorter than usual, but I don't want to spoil anything. Time Table has a couple of plot twists that are about as good as any I've seen. The first comes early on in the film. While I may have had an inkling of what was about to happen, I still enjoyed watching the events unfold. But the second twist caught me by complete surprise. What fun!
Time Table is one of those films that proves you can (or at least you could in 1956) make a quality little movie without breaking the bank. Given budgetary constraints, director Mark Stevens created a tense, atmospheric crime/noir/thriller that moves at a brisk pace and is entertaining throughout. Not only does Stevens direct, but he also stars in Time Table. His performance is just as solid as his direction. The mostly no-name supporting cast is equal to the challenge. I'm sure I could pick a few things to complain about, but why bother when a movie is this enjoyable.
7/10
Nifty little noir
madmonkmcghee27 August 2013
It's remarkable how many actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood began or ended their careers making crime pictures ( or horror movies). Mark Stevens is a case in point. He began promisingly enough with the stylish noir The Dark Corner in 1946 and basically ended it with Timetable ten years later. Was he a classic Marlowesque private eye in the first one, in Timetable the rigors of maintaining a Hollywood career have visibly and morally taken their toll. Directed by Stevens himself, all the glamour of the classic noir is drained from both the look of the film as from the protagonists. Stevens has the look of a man who has seen too much and has basically given up hope that his life will change for the better. Even his last desperate attempt to turn his life around seems doomed from the start. Which is not helped by the strict moral code of the day that is constantly underlined, namely that Crime Doesn't Pay. The plot is a little convoluted, but then that's not what we watch these movies for. Stylistically it has little going for it,and small effort was made to avoid a stage-bound look. But the performances are adequate enough and especially Stevens is totally convincing as the world-weary protagonist. For noir fans this one is certainly worth a look.
Gotta love it ...
acadianjoe28 June 2018
I seen many bad reviews for this film and I just do not get it. I love it, it may not be the greatest film ever made but I love it. It is cheesy and I am okay with that. If you watch it without being overly critical it is a fun watch. It has its twists and turns which keep you interested. The plot is pretty decent and for the time original. If you like this genre of film you should really enjoy this one. Mark Stevens does a credible job as the lead and it is the earliest film I believe I saw Jack Klugman in. Ignore the nay sayers and give it go it may not be the best film you have seen but it will keep you entertained and in the end that is all a film is supposed to do. Yes there are some issues with the film but it was not a big budget movie and they do a brilliant job with what they are given. Try it, you won't regret it.
Twisty plotted crime movie with the assigned insurance investigator investigating his own robbery
vampire_hounddog12 November 2020
After robbers steal $50,000 from a train, an insurance investigator (Mark Stevens) is assigned to investigate, who in fact one of the ring leaders of the train robbery and needs to make the investigation seem credible.
Produced, directed by and starring Stevens, this is an interestingly plotted crime thriller written by Aben Kendel that contains plenty of twists and turns with some decent changes in direction with Stevens' character trying to double cross his co-thieves.
Produced, directed by and starring Stevens, this is an interestingly plotted crime thriller written by Aben Kendel that contains plenty of twists and turns with some decent changes in direction with Stevens' character trying to double cross his co-thieves.
Sadly, it falls apart.
pauldeadman21 June 2020
The film gets off to a really good start. A slick crime with no clues appearing and you're wondering how the investigators are going to solve it. I'm thinking this is great (8 or 9 out of 10); a real puzzle but out of the blue they catch a member of the gang with no explanation as to how they found him. Then other members of the gang start making mistakes by not following orders. If the crime had been solved by deduction it could have been a great movie. Gripping start but soon disappoints.
Why is this great little film so unknown?
AlsExGal6 June 2021
You would think that by 1956 nobody could breathe new life into a train robbery tale. But in this film there are two major surprising twists, one near the beginning and then one smack in the middle.
Because half a million was taken in the robbery, a crack insurance investigator has his vacation to Mexico postponed to solve this crime. He is paired up with a bulldog of a railroad detective. Very shortly the pair determine that this crime was meticulously planned. But because it is obvious the crooks were working by a "time table" (thus the title), the railroad investigator says that is their weak link. Find a place where they couldn't make their time table, and the case should be something that can be cracked.
This is somewhat like a film noir and somewhat like a crime drama - a bit half and half. The interesting theme here is that of a normal middle class person turning to crime not because of one small bad decision snowballing or some life event causing a desperate need for money beyond their means, but because of living a life of "quiet desperation". Maybe this film is not remembered so much because that theme has become quite common in the decades that have passed. But in the "I Like Ike" 1950s, the idea of somebody not being happy with a chicken in their pot and their suburban tract home was almost blasphemy.
I'd highly recommend it. I haven't given too many details because to say much at all would spoil it for you.
A funny coincidence - Actor Raymond Bailey as the insurance company executive, calmly stating that if the crime cannot be solved and the loot recovered, then the company may have to pay out half a million. Bailey played skinflint banker Milburn Drysdale during the 1960s in the Beverly Hillbillies, and THAT character would have had a heart attack over losing such a sum!
Because half a million was taken in the robbery, a crack insurance investigator has his vacation to Mexico postponed to solve this crime. He is paired up with a bulldog of a railroad detective. Very shortly the pair determine that this crime was meticulously planned. But because it is obvious the crooks were working by a "time table" (thus the title), the railroad investigator says that is their weak link. Find a place where they couldn't make their time table, and the case should be something that can be cracked.
This is somewhat like a film noir and somewhat like a crime drama - a bit half and half. The interesting theme here is that of a normal middle class person turning to crime not because of one small bad decision snowballing or some life event causing a desperate need for money beyond their means, but because of living a life of "quiet desperation". Maybe this film is not remembered so much because that theme has become quite common in the decades that have passed. But in the "I Like Ike" 1950s, the idea of somebody not being happy with a chicken in their pot and their suburban tract home was almost blasphemy.
I'd highly recommend it. I haven't given too many details because to say much at all would spoil it for you.
A funny coincidence - Actor Raymond Bailey as the insurance company executive, calmly stating that if the crime cannot be solved and the loot recovered, then the company may have to pay out half a million. Bailey played skinflint banker Milburn Drysdale during the 1960s in the Beverly Hillbillies, and THAT character would have had a heart attack over losing such a sum!
An Above-Average Crime Caper Doomed to Failure
zardoz-1324 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Actor & director Mark Stevens of "Cry Vengeance" plays Charlie Norman, a conventional, suit & tie insurance investigator in "Time Table," a polished but flawed 'perfect crime' thriller. The caper concerns a slick gang of criminals that rob a train and try to live happily ever after with half-a-million dollars in hot money. After this apparently flawless robbery occurs, company executive Sam Hendrix (Raymond Bailey of "The Line Up") contacts his best investigator and persuades Charlie to delay his vacation to Mexico with his wife Ruth until the loot can be recovered. Charlie teams up with another veteran detective Joe Armstrong (King Calder of "The Rains of Ranchipur") who doesn't believe in the concept of the 'perfect crime,' and they embark on their search for clues.
Whoever planned the crime knew what they were doing when they had the train's conductor summon a physician to attend to a sick passenger. Urbane physician Dr. Paul Brucker (Wesley Addy of "Kiss Me Deadly") explains that he must have his medical bag stashed away in the baggage car where three capable guys—a guard and two baggage handlers--keep track of everything. Once they had over his bag, Brucker opens it, brandishes a snub-nosed revolver from it, taking them by complete surprise, and instructs the men to lay prone on the floor of the railway coach. Plunging a hypodermic needle into each of them, he administers a knock-out drug that eliminates them as obstacles to his efforts. Afterward, he blows the safe with shaped charges and hides the money in an inconspicuous piece of luggage. Earlier, Brucker informed the conductor that the man that he has examined is violently ill and that they must get him off the train. The conductor calls an ambulance, and the train makes an unscheduled stop. Brucker, his patient, and the patient's wife Linda Alvarez (Felicia Farr of "Charley Varrick"), get off the train and vanish into the night. Eventually, the three guys rendered unconscious in the baggage coach recover from the effects of the narcotic and notify the authorities. By this time, the robbers have disappeared without a trace. Charlie and Joe talk to the train employees in Phoenix and the local sheriff in the nearly town of Winslow, but they have little to offer them. Our investigators are completely baffled. Nevertheless, Joe is convinced that the criminals will make a mistake. Charlie isn't as optimistic as his cynical partner.
Thirty minutes into this clever, fast-paced, 80 minute crime epic, "Time Table" delivers its most devastating surprise. We learn that good guy Charlie Norman masterminded the crime! Although everybody got away from the train, the dominoes of bad luck start to topple one after another as the authorities close in on the criminals. The patient that Brucker removed from the train accidentally shoots him during the getaway. Mind you, none of this is depicted, but it is revealed through expository dialogue. Despite Brucker's efforts to save him, the man dies. Later, the authorities arrest the ambulance driver, Frankie Paige (Jack Klugman, later of "Quincy" fame), with his cut of the loot on him. Paige knows next to nothing about the details of the crime. Eventually, the authorities learn how the criminals got away after ditching the ambulance. They used a helicopter that had been reported stolen months before the robbery by airplane rental agent Al Wolfe (Alan Reed of "Breakfast at Tiffany's"), who sweats it out himself when the authorities bring him in for Frankie to identify. Frankie doesn't recognize Wolfe.
Meantime, when he isn't coordinating the investigation with Joe, Charlie tracks down his number one accomplice Brucker. As it turns out, Brucker is a former surgeon who tried to file a bogus insurance claim, and Charlie caught him. Instead of turning him in for fraud, Charlie hires Brucker to collaborate in his complicated scheme. Unfortunately, Brucker refuses to obey Charlie's orders, and he is nabbed at the Mexican border and killed. Brucker's wife Linda eludes the authorities. Joe informs Charlie that he will get his long sought-after vacation but he won't have to pay for it since the trail of evidence leads them to Tijuana. By this time, Charlie begins to lose his nerve, and his wife Ruth (Marianne Stewart), learns the truth that he no longer loves her. Before Brucker left for Mexico, the alcoholic former doctor entrusted the money to Charlie. Charlie left the luggage with Ruth. Curious Ruth broke into the luggage and discovered the loot. In a futile effort to salvage their marriage, she sent the money in an anonymous envelop to the authorities. Now, Charlie is clearly rattled. Earlier, he had cornered Wolfe in a hotel room and killed him to keep the airplane rental agent from breaking down and spilling the beans.
When Stevens produced "Time Table," the Production Code Administration monitored and controlled the content of the Hollywood studios. This meant that criminals could not succeed in any of their unlawful endeavors, so once we know who planned the scheme, the fate of Charlie and his accomplices are sealed. Charlie cannot turn himself in because he panicked and murdered Wolfe. Later, when he tries to escape from Joe and the police in Tijuana, Charlie cannot and he must pay for his crime. The best things about "Time Table" are its fast-paced action and the big reveal at the half-hour mark. Afterward, it is a foregone conclusion that Charlie is doomed. Unfortunately, Charlie loses his cool and comes unglued far too early. Altogether, "Time Table" qualifies a gripping yarn with good performances and strong pacing reminiscent of director Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity."
Whoever planned the crime knew what they were doing when they had the train's conductor summon a physician to attend to a sick passenger. Urbane physician Dr. Paul Brucker (Wesley Addy of "Kiss Me Deadly") explains that he must have his medical bag stashed away in the baggage car where three capable guys—a guard and two baggage handlers--keep track of everything. Once they had over his bag, Brucker opens it, brandishes a snub-nosed revolver from it, taking them by complete surprise, and instructs the men to lay prone on the floor of the railway coach. Plunging a hypodermic needle into each of them, he administers a knock-out drug that eliminates them as obstacles to his efforts. Afterward, he blows the safe with shaped charges and hides the money in an inconspicuous piece of luggage. Earlier, Brucker informed the conductor that the man that he has examined is violently ill and that they must get him off the train. The conductor calls an ambulance, and the train makes an unscheduled stop. Brucker, his patient, and the patient's wife Linda Alvarez (Felicia Farr of "Charley Varrick"), get off the train and vanish into the night. Eventually, the three guys rendered unconscious in the baggage coach recover from the effects of the narcotic and notify the authorities. By this time, the robbers have disappeared without a trace. Charlie and Joe talk to the train employees in Phoenix and the local sheriff in the nearly town of Winslow, but they have little to offer them. Our investigators are completely baffled. Nevertheless, Joe is convinced that the criminals will make a mistake. Charlie isn't as optimistic as his cynical partner.
Thirty minutes into this clever, fast-paced, 80 minute crime epic, "Time Table" delivers its most devastating surprise. We learn that good guy Charlie Norman masterminded the crime! Although everybody got away from the train, the dominoes of bad luck start to topple one after another as the authorities close in on the criminals. The patient that Brucker removed from the train accidentally shoots him during the getaway. Mind you, none of this is depicted, but it is revealed through expository dialogue. Despite Brucker's efforts to save him, the man dies. Later, the authorities arrest the ambulance driver, Frankie Paige (Jack Klugman, later of "Quincy" fame), with his cut of the loot on him. Paige knows next to nothing about the details of the crime. Eventually, the authorities learn how the criminals got away after ditching the ambulance. They used a helicopter that had been reported stolen months before the robbery by airplane rental agent Al Wolfe (Alan Reed of "Breakfast at Tiffany's"), who sweats it out himself when the authorities bring him in for Frankie to identify. Frankie doesn't recognize Wolfe.
Meantime, when he isn't coordinating the investigation with Joe, Charlie tracks down his number one accomplice Brucker. As it turns out, Brucker is a former surgeon who tried to file a bogus insurance claim, and Charlie caught him. Instead of turning him in for fraud, Charlie hires Brucker to collaborate in his complicated scheme. Unfortunately, Brucker refuses to obey Charlie's orders, and he is nabbed at the Mexican border and killed. Brucker's wife Linda eludes the authorities. Joe informs Charlie that he will get his long sought-after vacation but he won't have to pay for it since the trail of evidence leads them to Tijuana. By this time, Charlie begins to lose his nerve, and his wife Ruth (Marianne Stewart), learns the truth that he no longer loves her. Before Brucker left for Mexico, the alcoholic former doctor entrusted the money to Charlie. Charlie left the luggage with Ruth. Curious Ruth broke into the luggage and discovered the loot. In a futile effort to salvage their marriage, she sent the money in an anonymous envelop to the authorities. Now, Charlie is clearly rattled. Earlier, he had cornered Wolfe in a hotel room and killed him to keep the airplane rental agent from breaking down and spilling the beans.
When Stevens produced "Time Table," the Production Code Administration monitored and controlled the content of the Hollywood studios. This meant that criminals could not succeed in any of their unlawful endeavors, so once we know who planned the scheme, the fate of Charlie and his accomplices are sealed. Charlie cannot turn himself in because he panicked and murdered Wolfe. Later, when he tries to escape from Joe and the police in Tijuana, Charlie cannot and he must pay for his crime. The best things about "Time Table" are its fast-paced action and the big reveal at the half-hour mark. Afterward, it is a foregone conclusion that Charlie is doomed. Unfortunately, Charlie loses his cool and comes unglued far too early. Altogether, "Time Table" qualifies a gripping yarn with good performances and strong pacing reminiscent of director Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity."
Turntable
kapelusznik1813 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS***One the many film noir "Perfect Crime" movies of the 1950's that turned out to be anything but perfect has hotshot insurance investigator Charlie Norman, Mark Stevens, trying to act like a tough guy but coming across more like the wimpy Filex Unger of the TV show "The Odd Couple". In fact it's Felix's partner it that show Jack Klugman, as Oscar Madison, who's in the movie playing a private ambulance driver, using his car, who's given the 3rd degree by Norman while being interrogated by the police. The movie has to do with a $500,000.00 train robbery that Norman dreamed up involving disbarred, for drinking on the job, surgeon Paul Brucker, Wesley Addy, posing as a doctor trying to help one of the passengers, who's part of the robbery detail, suffering from appendicitis.
Right from the start all of Norman's plans go downhill with one of his fellow train robbers getting shot accidentally thus upsetting the time table he set to make a quick getaway south of the border to Mexico. Things get even worse when Brucker going against Norman's orders makes a dash for the Mexican border with his wife and fellow train robber Linda ,the former wife of "The Lemon Drop Kid" himself Jack Lemon, played by Felicia Farr only to get gunned down by the Mexican border guards. As for Norman he secretly had the hots for Linda for some time and decided to take her along with him to Mexico and later Argentina with the stolen money and leave his long suffering wife Ruth played by Marianne Stewart, in being married to the two timing heel,behind. It was in fact Ruth who got the last laugh by mailing the stolen money she was to deliver to him back to it's rightful owner the train company.
***SPOILERS*** Better then expected film noir crime drama directed by it's star Mark Stevens who kept the action tight, in not stretching it out, and mood depressing as hell in making losers of almost everyone in the film. It's in the final moments of the movie that Norman got everything he had coming to him as well as lost what turned to be the love of his life Linda who foolishly went along with the jerk in his attempt to escape justice. As for Norman himself he gets his piece of justice from the barrel from the .38 of his good friend train inspector Joe Armstrong, King Calder. It was Armstrong who had figured out his plan, with the help of Norman's soon to be estranged & widowed wife Ruth, of escape and stopped it before he could put it into operation!
Right from the start all of Norman's plans go downhill with one of his fellow train robbers getting shot accidentally thus upsetting the time table he set to make a quick getaway south of the border to Mexico. Things get even worse when Brucker going against Norman's orders makes a dash for the Mexican border with his wife and fellow train robber Linda ,the former wife of "The Lemon Drop Kid" himself Jack Lemon, played by Felicia Farr only to get gunned down by the Mexican border guards. As for Norman he secretly had the hots for Linda for some time and decided to take her along with him to Mexico and later Argentina with the stolen money and leave his long suffering wife Ruth played by Marianne Stewart, in being married to the two timing heel,behind. It was in fact Ruth who got the last laugh by mailing the stolen money she was to deliver to him back to it's rightful owner the train company.
***SPOILERS*** Better then expected film noir crime drama directed by it's star Mark Stevens who kept the action tight, in not stretching it out, and mood depressing as hell in making losers of almost everyone in the film. It's in the final moments of the movie that Norman got everything he had coming to him as well as lost what turned to be the love of his life Linda who foolishly went along with the jerk in his attempt to escape justice. As for Norman himself he gets his piece of justice from the barrel from the .38 of his good friend train inspector Joe Armstrong, King Calder. It was Armstrong who had figured out his plan, with the help of Norman's soon to be estranged & widowed wife Ruth, of escape and stopped it before he could put it into operation!
A time bomb with not quite enough terror
TheLittleSongbird14 April 2020
There were two main reasons really to see 'Time Table' (well, as well as the oddly intriguing title). The premise was interesting and it is the sort of film that has for a while appealed to me. The other, and actually the main, reason was that it appeared in the more like this section based on my love of classic film and the genre. Am not somebody that knows Mark Stevens' work very well and what has been seen has been watchable but never wowed me.
Which is the case with 'Time Table', an above average film (just) but not great. A film that does a lot right, more right than wrong when it comes to quantity. But 'Time Table' to me was also a film that could have been a lot better, considering the premise and the genre it falls under, the flaws being more than a couple and they're quite big sadly. It starts off great and ends just as well but is more uneven in between while never being hard to watch.
Starting with what didn't come over quite so well, the production values are fairly threadbare. Some clever photography early on, but it all feels too confined and the low budget and indication of rushed production show in the sets. The music can be too intrusive agreed.
'Time Table's' story would have been even better if less events happened off screen and made it on screen instead (or at some), which may have given the story more clarity. Stevens' performance was a bit mixed for me, in terms of charisma he struck me as reliable if not riveting but some of his line delivery is flat.
A lot of things make up for those shortcomings though. 'Time Table' starts off pretty incredibly, with an opening that really gripped me, was cleverly shot and had tension and intrigue. The identity of the responsible when revlealed was a shcok in a pretty genius twist not expected at all. Leading to a very well staged, non-contrived and suspenseful finish, even if the outcome was on the predictable side.
Despite being mixed on his performance Stevens directs credibly, showing better skill as director than as lead actor. The script is tight and treats the viewer with respect throughout, while the story doesn't have a dull stretch, is not too hard to swallow and has well thought-out twists. The excitement and menace are there. There is good support playing, from Felicia Carr, Jack Klugman and King Calder, Calder giving the best performance.
Altogether, above average but not exceptional. 6/10
Which is the case with 'Time Table', an above average film (just) but not great. A film that does a lot right, more right than wrong when it comes to quantity. But 'Time Table' to me was also a film that could have been a lot better, considering the premise and the genre it falls under, the flaws being more than a couple and they're quite big sadly. It starts off great and ends just as well but is more uneven in between while never being hard to watch.
Starting with what didn't come over quite so well, the production values are fairly threadbare. Some clever photography early on, but it all feels too confined and the low budget and indication of rushed production show in the sets. The music can be too intrusive agreed.
'Time Table's' story would have been even better if less events happened off screen and made it on screen instead (or at some), which may have given the story more clarity. Stevens' performance was a bit mixed for me, in terms of charisma he struck me as reliable if not riveting but some of his line delivery is flat.
A lot of things make up for those shortcomings though. 'Time Table' starts off pretty incredibly, with an opening that really gripped me, was cleverly shot and had tension and intrigue. The identity of the responsible when revlealed was a shcok in a pretty genius twist not expected at all. Leading to a very well staged, non-contrived and suspenseful finish, even if the outcome was on the predictable side.
Despite being mixed on his performance Stevens directs credibly, showing better skill as director than as lead actor. The script is tight and treats the viewer with respect throughout, while the story doesn't have a dull stretch, is not too hard to swallow and has well thought-out twists. The excitement and menace are there. There is good support playing, from Felicia Carr, Jack Klugman and King Calder, Calder giving the best performance.
Altogether, above average but not exceptional. 6/10
Mistake of being unfaithful to his wife
Rich3591 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Fairly good low-budget noir about a train-heist. Problem is that I lost interest in the main character when it is disclosed that he is having an affair with the doctors wife. His wife was so loyal and attentive to him that we lose his motivation as to why we wanted to do the heist. Was he going to leave his wife behind at start a new life with new money? How was he going to deal with the doctor? And why did he murder the plane mechanic? He seems to be such a heel that we don't care what happens to him. Would have been a much better film if the motivation was just the money. Silly requirement to make reviews 10 line minimum! ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES RICH A DULL BOY. ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES..
Time Table
CinemaSerf17 July 2023
Quite a complex crime thriller directed by and starring Mark Stevens ("Charlie Norman"). The gist being that a gang steal $500k from a moving railway train. The insurance company put their ace investigator "Norman" onto the case with his old pal "Joe Armstrong" (King Calder). Soon it is quite clear that something is amiss and "Armstrong" becomes suspicious that his buddy might be more involved than he ought to be. The supporting cast benefit from a little more character depth than we might expect from this low budget affair and are superb in keeping it moving along sharpishly; there are plenty of crumbs for us to follow and the dialogue is quick and to the point.
Worth seeing!
RodrigAndrisan27 June 2021
But only for the first quarter of an hour, exactly until the robbery is over. After that, the rest of the film is just boring dialogue and there are scenes where things that don't make sense happen. But, once again, the beginning of the film is unique, spectacular, avant-garde for 1956. That's why 7 stars, for the bold, intelligent, original robbery of the train car.
"Every case is an ulcer."
clanciai31 August 2018
Brilliant tight thriller and a minor but classical noir. There is everything in it: a doomed romance, an alcoholic doctor, bars with loose women, corruption and murder - although a minor film, it provides it all. The perfect crime is flawlessly staged, and when one slight detail goes wrong the whole watertight enterprise gradually starts to disintegrate but slowly, piece by piece, as an honest man with a happy marriage by his own doing gradually is pushed further and further down the abyss of increasing criminality. Mark Stevens made many films of this kind and acted in even more, and although he never quite got out into the limelight as any central figure, his performances and contributions were always reliable, usually on low budget. This was probably one of his best films, which he directed, produced and acted himself, and there is no pause for catching your breath in the constantly accelerating action. This is a film to return to for its ingenious composition.
Good B movie noir
miked-2680017 January 2021
The movie gets off to a great start with Wesley Addy pulling off a very cool heist on board a rail train. Sadly the film is fairly routine stuff from then on and virtually nothing more is seen of Addy. Mark Stevens plays an insurance investigator who was actually the brain behind the heist and so an echo here of the classic "Double Indemnity"
Seek And Ye Shall Be Fined.
rmax30482330 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Mark Stevens, who also directed, is Charlie Norman, an insurance investigator. He seems to be a casual guy, chummy with his boss, married to a dull but loyal woman, leading a customary suburban life. We see him called in a case involving the robbery of half a million dollars from a train. The photography is flat, the dialog routine.
About a third of the way through, he's in the kitchen with his wife, and during a perfectly uninteresting conversational exchange, he slams the table and vomits a torrent of complaints. Charlie may not be what he seems.
And in fact he's NOT what he seems. He's the brains behind half dozen mob members who pulled off the train robbery. He's no longer in love with his wife but with the beautiful Felicia Farr, who is married to one of the gang members. He plans to run off to Mexico City with Farr, except that the plan -- the timetable -- is upset by the fact that he's been assigned by the insurance company to his own case by his friendly boss, King Calder.
Things go awry. The center does not hold. The plan unravels bit by bit, as it always does in these crime movies, and Charlie winds up killing another gang member, then a slime ball in Tijuana. He gets what's coming to him, and as he's dying in his boss's arms, like Fred MacMurray in "Double Indemnity," he gets to utter a last line -- "I guess this wasn't in the timetable either." As a director, Steven is okay. The most memorable thing about the film is the switch from flat, high-key lighting in the first third, to the murky shadows and blinking neons of the rest. It's professional, no more than that.
None of the performances stand out much. Stevens has done better elsewhere ("Street With No Name," "Jack Slade"). He doesn't challenge himself here. Nobody else has too much to do. King Calder is an ordinary but reliable actor. Wesley Addy is a doctor gone bad, and he seems to fit the role with his distingué demeanor and appearance -- and those wide and unprincipled lips bespeaking weakness. At about this time, Addy also played a murderous thug in another movie -- the name of which I forget -- and he was totally unsuited for the role. Wesley Addy is a bad doctor, not a thug. Check him out as the bad doctor in "The Verdict." The structure is pretty formulaic. Gang members are at odds with one another after a caper. And the depth of character of, say, "The Asphalt Jungle" is simply absent.
Don't expect much and you might enjoy it more.
About a third of the way through, he's in the kitchen with his wife, and during a perfectly uninteresting conversational exchange, he slams the table and vomits a torrent of complaints. Charlie may not be what he seems.
And in fact he's NOT what he seems. He's the brains behind half dozen mob members who pulled off the train robbery. He's no longer in love with his wife but with the beautiful Felicia Farr, who is married to one of the gang members. He plans to run off to Mexico City with Farr, except that the plan -- the timetable -- is upset by the fact that he's been assigned by the insurance company to his own case by his friendly boss, King Calder.
Things go awry. The center does not hold. The plan unravels bit by bit, as it always does in these crime movies, and Charlie winds up killing another gang member, then a slime ball in Tijuana. He gets what's coming to him, and as he's dying in his boss's arms, like Fred MacMurray in "Double Indemnity," he gets to utter a last line -- "I guess this wasn't in the timetable either." As a director, Steven is okay. The most memorable thing about the film is the switch from flat, high-key lighting in the first third, to the murky shadows and blinking neons of the rest. It's professional, no more than that.
None of the performances stand out much. Stevens has done better elsewhere ("Street With No Name," "Jack Slade"). He doesn't challenge himself here. Nobody else has too much to do. King Calder is an ordinary but reliable actor. Wesley Addy is a doctor gone bad, and he seems to fit the role with his distingué demeanor and appearance -- and those wide and unprincipled lips bespeaking weakness. At about this time, Addy also played a murderous thug in another movie -- the name of which I forget -- and he was totally unsuited for the role. Wesley Addy is a bad doctor, not a thug. Check him out as the bad doctor in "The Verdict." The structure is pretty formulaic. Gang members are at odds with one another after a caper. And the depth of character of, say, "The Asphalt Jungle" is simply absent.
Don't expect much and you might enjoy it more.
Little I can add....
wtey18 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
...to the reviews here. I stumbled across this little gem on The Movie Networks Roku app. Not expecting much other than standard cop fare I was in for a really engrossing pleasant surprise. Mark Steven's almost Jekyl -Hyde persona, his on film wife's devotion and later angst, his friends slow realization and integrity to his job and Felicia Farr's smoldering beauty and never quite trustworthy mystique make this a must see for Film Noir fans. BTW, Steven's standing next to a sign in one scene that reads "Theres no such thing as a perfect crime" was a highly sardonic and ironic bit of brilliance. Highly recommended.
crime, detective work, double cross.
ksf-27 April 2024
Directed .. and acted by... mark stevens! When a passenger on a train has a medical emergency, they ask the doctor on board to check him out. And the doc tells them they must get the man off the train at the next stop for medical help. But ... it turns out there was no medical emergency. And the train has been robbed! So the coppers back track, and try to track down the well orchestrated robbery. Fun appearance by familiar face wes addy ! He was in some huge films. Also jack klugman, fifteen years before odd couple! This one is a little squirrely, but has a good basic storyline. It's mostly good. About an hour in, charlie and ruth have a really odd conversation about busting up the marriage. And at about the same time, we're hearing voices from either a room next door, or maybe an extra sound track was stuck to the film reel. Lots of extra voices, in their hotel room, if you listen closely. Addy was married to the lovely and talented celeste holm when he died. Looks like they were married for thirty years!
Fails To Make Its Destination
Theo Robertson16 February 2014
This seems relatively well regarded amongst my peers on the IMDb . TIME TABLE gets off to a relatively good start involving a heist on a train . It's not spectacular but is somewhat intelligent . Alas however you realise the reason it isn't spectacular isn't down to the film relying on smart scripting but something more pragmatic - it lacks a budget and this becomes infuriating . The camera constantly stays locked the actors on small sets that probably indicates it was shot on location , ie a scene is set in a motel and it looks like a motel interior too but it doesn't strike you as cinema verite but more like very cheap B movie cinema . This is reflected in scene following tedious scene without any incident except for the cops interviewing suspect after suspect . In order to bring any excitement to the proceedings the director Mark Stevens - who also stars in the lead role - has the most annoying and intrusive musical score drown everything out . There is a fairly exciting climax at the end but by this time I was probably beyond caring
Well worth the watch
sltryerson19 December 2019
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