The Narrow Margin (1952)

Marie Windsor: Mrs. Frankie Neall

Photos 

Quotes 

• Walter Brown : Sister, I've known some pretty hard cases in my time; you make 'em all look like putty. You're not talking about a sack of gumdrops that's gonna be smashed - you're talking about a dame's life! You may think it's a funny idea for a woman with a kid to stop a bullet for you, only I'm not laughing!

  Mrs. Neall : Where do you get off, being so superior? Why shouldn't I take advantage of her - I want to live! If you had to step on someone to get something you wanted real bad, would you think twice about it?

  Walter Brown : Shut up!

  Mrs. Neall : In a pig's eye you would! You're no different from me.

  Walter Brown : Shut up!

  Mrs. Neall : Not till I tell you something, you cheap badge-pusher! When we started on this safari, you made it plenty clear I was just a job, and no joy in it, remember?

  Walter Brown : Yeah, and it still goes, double!

  Mrs. Neall : Okay, keep it that way. I don't care whether you dreamed up this gag or not; you're going right along with it, so don't go soft on me. And once you handed out a line about poor Forbes getting killed, 'cause it was his duty. Well, it's your duty too! Even if this dame gets murdered.

  Walter Brown : You make me sick to my stomach.

  Mrs. Neall : Well, use your own sink. And let me know when the target practice starts!

• Walter Brown : So far they haven't spotted you, and they don't know what you look like. But they've seen me. If they start shooting in my direction, I don't want you hit.

  Mrs. Neall : You're sure it isn't the other way around?

• Walter Brown : You're a pretty good judge of crooks, Mrs. Neall; the only place you slip up is with cops. I turned the deal down.

  Mrs. Neall : Then you're a bigger idiot than I thought! When are you going to get it through your square head that this is big business? And we're right in the middle.

  Walter Brown : Meaning you'd like to sell out?

  Mrs. Neall : With pleasure and profit, and so would you. What are the odds if we don't? I sing my song for the grand jury, and spend the rest of my life dodging bullets - -if I'm lucky! - -while you grow old and gray on the police force. Oh, wake up, Brown. This train's headed straight for the cemetery. But there's another one coming along, a gravy train. Let's get on it.

  Walter Brown : Mrs. Neall, I'd like to give you the same answer I gave that hood - but it would mean stepping on your face.

• Walter Brown : I know a woman who won't sleep for a lot of nights.

  Mrs. Neall : Who?

  Walter Brown : Forbes's wife.

• Mrs. Neall : That hood wasn't looking at her big blue eyes. He thinks that's me, and I think that's dandy.

• [opening her compartment door in the morning and seeing Brown strap on his gun] 

  Mrs. Neall : What're you gonna do, go out and shoot us some breakfast?