Vagabond Frank (John Garfield) takes a job at a roadside diner and discovers that the old man’s wife is a hot young blond (Lana “Sweater” Turner). Initially they have a chilly relationship but it warms over time.
I’ve been ringing the “is similar to …” bell recently and Postman is similar enough to an earlier noir to land me in serious spoiler territory. I will avoid that, save to say the former is a better film.
I sometimes confuse the Johns, Garfield and Gilbert, but there really is no comparison. Gilbert was a matinee idol on a path to a great career when it was tragically cut short by heart trouble at age 38, while Garfield was a matinee idol on a path to a great career when it was tragically cut short by heart trouble at age 39. By which I mean, Gilbert was four inches taller.
I’ve crossed paths with Lana Turner a couple times but her only significant role was the bad version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941). Sugar Daddy and diner owner is Cecil Kellaway, dependable character actor whenever an amiable older man is needed. Alan “Flintstone” Reed had a significant part. If you are curious what the voice actor for Fred Flintstone looks like, it’s exactly like Fred Flintstone.
Pretty good story, pretty good chemistry, The Postman Always Rings Twice is a pleasant enough movie. It is not the great Film-Noir it was made out to be, and the “based on a book” artifacts are readily apparent. Time passes without time passing, issues arise and quickly resolve that probably filled a chapter and don’t impact much the story at large. Oh, yea, and the nonsensical title. But these sins are forgivable and it’s a pretty good film. Just not the great noir I was led to believe. AMRU 3.5. No postmen were harmed in the viewing of this film.
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