Films

The Postman Always Rings Twice (MGM 1946)

Frank: I can sell anything to anybody.

Cora: That's what you think.

Production Dates: Early June, 1945-Mid October, 1945. Retakes filmed late November, 1945 and January 6-10, 1946

Release Date: May 2, 1946

Credited Cast and Crew:

Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway, Hume Cronyn

Directed by: Tay Garnett

Writing Credits: James M. Cain (novel), Harry Ruskin and Niven Busch (screenplay)

Produced by: Carey Wilson

Original Music by: George Bassman and Eric Zeisl

Non-Original Music by: Neil Moret and Richard A. Whiting

Cinematography by: Sidney Wagner

Synopsis: Frank Chambers and Cora Smith are so smitten with one another that they will stop at nothing to be together. Even if that means becoming cold- blooded killers.

Lana Turner cast as Cora, the beautiful young wife of Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway) who is many years Cora’s senior and owner of a small roadhouse along with John Garfield as Frank Chambers is simply brilliant casting. Protagonist Frank Chambers (John Garfield) plays an aimless drifter with no morals who has the hots for Cora the moment he lays eyes on her.  Frank decides to take the job of handyman offered him by Cora’s clueless husband.  Cora and Frank fall for one another and begin having an affair right under husband Smith’s nose at the roadhouse. Fearing discovery and a nasty divorce they first decide to run away, but Cora stops the plan because of the potential future she would have as owner of the roadhouse. They hatch a plan to murder her husband and manage to pull it off in a cold-hearted manner. But it is Cora who puts the idea in Frank’s head. After a failed attempt the lovers prevail, but are suspected of murder and placed on trial. During this period they become mistrustful of each other but realize they are now bound together through guilt in the murder of Cora’s husband. Clever courtroom tactics get the couple off with a suspended sentence and they must now return to the roadhouse for the sake of their reputations. Toward that end, they marry. Cora finds herself pregnant, much to both their consternation. In an effort to start anew, they drive out to a beach and swim out into the deep ocean where one could easily drown the other. It is the final test of resolve and they pass with renewed trust in each other. As they are driving back to the roadhouse, however, there is a car crash and Cora is killed.
Frank is convicted of her murder in order to collect the roadhouse and Nick’s insurance money. In a twist of fate, Frank goes to the gas chamber with the hope that Cora – wherever she is – knows she died by accident.

PRODUCTION NOTES: MGM acquired the rights to James M. Cain’s best selling first novel shortly after it was published in 1934. Due to the powerful Hays office and movie censorship, however, the project was shelved for ten years before writer-producer Carey Wilson would quietly craft a censor-proof script without spoiling the theme. By that time James M. Cain had become one of the most successful novelists in Hollywood (Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce).  Lana herself attested to the sexual chemistry between she and Garfield at their first meeting, but went on to explain that they never acted on it because it might destroy the ‘sizzle’ they had on the set while working together. Lana’s first scene is pure movie history and director Tay Garnett is credited with coming up with the slow camera pan beginning at Cora’s feet, up her bare legs to her white shorts and finally to Cora’s beautiful
face as she applies lipstick. Throughout the movie, with few exceptions, Lana is dressed all in white and her hair is spectacularly blond. This was a ploy used to soften Cora’s murderous nature. Director Garnett has been quoted as saying, “We figured that dressing Lana in white somehow made everything she did seem less sensuous. It was also attractive as hell. And it
somehow took a little of the stigma off of everything she did.”

MY THOUGHTS: If They Won't Forget made Lana Turner a name and Ziegfeld Girl made her a star, than Postman made her a superstar. After nearly a decade in the movies, she received the best notices of her career (thus far) for her role of the shady Cora Smith, disillusioned wife of Nick Smith and cold-blooded killer. At aged twenty-five she looks quite different from the Sweater Girl that she had played a decade before. She had grown tremendously during those years, both in life and as a performer. Lana had worked very, very hard to get to the top-and she made it. Postman is a must for every classic film fan's top ten list and for good reason. The film is a classic from beginning to end, with Lana, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway and Hume Cronin all at the top of their game and fitting together beautifully. This is the quintessential film noir, meaning that you can't trust any of the characters as they are all incredibly self centered and are only looking out for number one. True Frank and Cora love each other passionately but c'mon ten minutes into the film the viewer already knows that one would stab the other in the back in a New York minute (perhaps they do-you'll have to watch and see!). John Garfield would only make a handful of films before his untimely death in 1952, and a great deal of them are considered classics (Humoresque, Body and Soul). While not exactly the matinee idol type, he and Lana have an amazing  chemistry onscreen. MGM was very nervous about the blatant sexuality in this film and made sure that Lana was dressed in virginal white, save a funeral scene. Since white is the most
revealing color, she probably ended up looking more provocative (and luscious) than she ever would again. Kudos also to Cecil Kellaway as Cora's husband, the clueless Nick Smith. You'll find yourself asking out loud, "Is he really that much of a nitwit?" I think so.
 

Your Review: What are YOUR thoughts on this film? Contact me at Liza@lanaturneronline.com

Reviewed By Chad Edwards on March 13, 2005

One of the best melodramas produced by MGM in the 1940s was THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE. Based on James M. Cain's novel of the same name, the plot centered around the fatal attraction of a married woman and her lover who scheme to do away with the woman's husband. Director Tay Garnett's ability to build tension and dread is comparable to the great Alfred Hitchcock. Harry Ruskin and Niven Busch were forced to ignore the more sexually explicit aspects of the original story, but their screenplay is still a solid work. A platinum blonde Lana Turner, dressed in white as if to conceal her red hot passions and deadly desires,  gives what is very close to being her finest screen performance. John Garfield is vulnerable, yet tough, as the dark and handsome drifter who is caught in her plot, from the moment he sees her gams and then the rest of her
as he retrieves her dropped lipstick. Cecil Kellaway is delightful as Lana's ageing hubby, the owner of the slightly rundown roadside restaurant where the action takes place. A 1981 remake directed by Bob Rafelson features Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in the Garfield/Turner roles; despite the talents involved, it's a disaster on almost every level and should be avoided.

Highlights and Trivia

*During filming of the scenes at Laguna Beach it began to rain heavily shutting down production for several days. The cast and crew (with nothing else to do), instead sat around and got bombed.

*John Garfield died prematurely from a heart attack at aged 39 on May 21, 1952. He had had a bout with rheumatic fever earlier in life that had severely weakened his heart. It has been written that Garfield died while in the company of a female friend, though that may be more speculation than fact.

*All of Lana's white outfits were custom made by MGM costume designer, Irene.

*Although MGM had acquired the rights to this film way back in 1934, objections from the Hayes Office over the script caused it to be shelved for twelve years.

*Remade with 1981 with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange (Lana hated the remake, calling it "pornographic trash".)

*The only film that Lana made in 1946.

*Based on the book The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain.

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