The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
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95% of critics liked it
(19 reviews) -
77% of users liked it
(7,249 ratings)
James M. Cain's novel received its first authorized screen treatment in this MGM production. Drifter Frank Chambers (John Garfield) takes a job at a roadhouse run by slovenly but likeable Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway). Nick's sexy young wife Cora (Lana Turner) takes an immediate liking to… More James M. Cain's novel received its first authorized screen treatment in this MGM production. Drifter Frank Chambers (John Garfield) takes a job at a roadhouse run by slovenly but likeable Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway). Nick's sexy young wife Cora (Lana Turner) takes an immediate liking to Frank, but he senses that she's trouble and he keeps his distance--for a while, anyway. Inevitably succumbing to Cora's tawdry charms, Frank enters into her scheme to murder Nick and claim the old boy's insurance money. Not long after committing the foul deed, Frank and Cora are arrested. Thanks to the conniving of slimy attorney Arthur Keats (Hume Cronyn), the illicit lovers are able to beat the murder rap--but, as the film's title symbolically indicates, they eventually pay for their misdeeds in an unexpected manner. Fans of the James M. Cain original--not to mention Cain himself--were aghast at the changes made in the novel by screenwriters Harry Ruskin and Niven Busch; many of the alterations were made to conform with censorship standards of the era, while others simply existed to massage the egos of the stars. Even so, the 1946 version of The Postman Always Rings Twice is infinitely more satisfying than the no-holds-barred 1981 remake, directed by Bob Rafelson with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Tay Garnett
- Written By
- Harry Ruskin, James M. Cain, Niven Busch
- Genres
- Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics
- In Theaters
- May 2, 1946 Limited
- On DVD
- Jan 6, 2004
- Studio
- MGM
Critic Reviews
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Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
The movie is not a wild river but a humid delta of stagnant frustration and stymied movement, so it's all the more impressive that it's such a gripping spectatorial experience.
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Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm
...has little of the insinuating nature of the best film noir.
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Clint Morris, Moviehole
Whilst the Jack/Jessica version was entertaining it was seemingly only interested in 'pushing the envelope', this film doesn't need to do any of that - and doesn't - it just plays out the story, and that's gripping enough.
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John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
Part sultry romance, part mystery thriller, the movie continues to keep audiences involved with its edgy character relationships and unforeseen tensions.
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Bob Ross, Tampa Tribune
Better than the remake
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Lana Turner
as Cora Smith
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John Garfield
as Frank Chambers
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Cecil Kellaway
as Nick Smith
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Hume Cronyn
as Arthur Keats
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Audrey Totter
as Madge Gorland
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Alan Reed Sr.
as Ezra Liam Kennedy
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Leon Ames
as Kyle Sackett
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Jeff York
as Blair
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Morris Ankrum
as Judge
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Betty Blythe
as Customer
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Wally Cassell
as Ben
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Jack Chefe
as Headwaiter
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Dick Crockett
as Reporter
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Edward Earle
as Doctor
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James Farley
as Warden
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Byron Foulger
as Picnic Manager
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Joel Friedkin
as John X. MacHugh
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William Halligan
as Judge
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Paul Kruger
as Officer
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Frank Mayo
as Bailiff
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Harold Miller
as Photographer
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Howard Mitchell
as Doctor
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Garry Owen
as Truck Driver
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Dorothy Phillips
as Nurse
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Paula Ray
as Woman
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Jeffrey Sayre
as Reporter
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Reginald Simpson
as Photographer
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John Maurice Sullivan
as Doctor
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Charles Williams
as Doctor
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Oliver Cross
as Man
- Philip Ahlm
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James Brick Sullivan
as Officer
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Virginia Randolph
as Snooty Woman
- John Alban
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Darrell James Roodt
as Reporter
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George Noisom
as Telegraph Messenger
- Dan Quigg
- Walter Ridge
- Edgar Sherrod
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Tom Dillon
as Father McConnell
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Cameron A. Grant
as Willie
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Paul Bradley
as Man
