The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

A married woman and a drifter fall in love, then plot to murder her husband.

Director:

Tay Garnett

Writers:

Harry Ruskin (screen play), Niven Busch (screen play)

Stars:

Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lana Turner	...	Cora Smith
John Garfield	...	Frank Chambers
Cecil Kellaway	...	Nick Smith
Hume Cronyn	...	Arthur Keats
Leon Ames	...	Kyle Sackett
Audrey Totter	...	Madge Gorland
Alan Reed	...	Ezra Liam Kennedy
Jeff York	...	Blair

Storyline

Nick Smith, the middle-aged proprietor of a roadside restaurant, hires drifter Frank Chambers as a handyman. Frank eventually begins an affair with Nick's beautiful wife Cora, who talks Frank into helping her kill Nick, by "accident." But the best laid plans......

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Plot Keywords:

murder of husband | older husband younger wife relationship | criminal | drifter | district attorney | 

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Taglines:

The Book that Blazed to Best-Seller Fame!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1946 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Bar-B-Q

Filming Locations:

Laguna Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,683,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the third version of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" novel. The first was French, The Last Turning (1939) whilst the second was Italian, Ossessione (1943). The fourth was The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981). As such, this 1946 film was the first English language version but was the third version in black-and-white as both earlier versions were not in colour.

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Goofs

During the second part of the car tumbling down the mountain, wires connected to the back bumper are visible.

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Quotes

Cora Smith: It's too bad Nick took the car.
Frank Chambers: Even if it was here we couldn't take it, unless we'd want to spend the night in jail. Stealing a man's wife, that's nothing, but stealing a man's car, that's larceny.

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Crazy Credits

Ending credits are shown over the hardcover book of the same name.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a computer colorized version.

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Connections

Referenced in The Thrushes Are Still Singing (1979)

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Soundtracks

She's Funny That Way
(1928) (uncredited)
Music by Neil Moret
Lyrics by Richard A. Whiting
Played on guitar and Sung by Cecil Kellaway

User Reviews

The postman always rings twice review

Although I didn't get to watch this film with the rest of the class; i'm almost tempted to say my review was more enjoyable and personal, making it a totally different experience for me. This face paced and thrilling film-noir from 1946 is certainly a classic... one of my favorite films from class, to date. Many elements of film making went into this piece. Great lead role acting, particular camera angles, and appropriate mood lighting make this film the high quality that is. For example, Lana Turner's character Cora is unforgettable, her excellent acting skills allowed her to be enticing on screen but not carnal or even just too dramatic. John Garfield's character Frank Chambers is a strong supporting role and I really liked his sense of humor and the way he portrayed his infatuation with Cora, I felt the passion between those two after that infamous lip lock. The camera aids her in this smooth sense of seduction as well. Lighting throughout the film also helped to make the mood suspicious (in the way of her careless husband Nick) yet captivating and sensual (Cora's form fitting outfits and intense kissing scene) I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and enjoyed it all to myself this time too!