John Garfield of the last film, based on the life of Al Schmid, a war hero blinded in combat. In preparing for the role, Garfield lived for several weeks with Schmid and his wife in Philadelphia and would blindfold himself for hours at a time. After the war, Garfield starred in a series of successful films such as "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946) with Lana Turner, "Humoresque" (1946) with Joan Crawford, and the Oscar-winning Best Picture "Gentleman's Agreement" (1947). In "Gentleman's Agreement", Garfield took a featured, but supporting, part because he believed deeply in the film's exposé of antisemitism in America.
Lana Turner as an ingénue. During the early 1940s, Turner established herself as a leading actress and one of MGM's top performers, appearing in such films as the film noir "Johnny Eager" (1941); the musical "Ziegfeld Girl" (1941); the horror film "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1941); and the romantic war drama "Somewhere I'll Find You" (1942), one of several films in which she starred opposite Clark Gable. Turner's reputation as a glamorous femme fatale was enhanced by her critically acclaimed performance in the film noir "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946), a role which established her as a serious dramatic actress.