Film noir the most influential of the early noirs. A slew of now-renowned noir "bad girls" followed, such as those played by Rita Hayworth in "Gilda" (1946), Lana Turner in "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946), Ava Gardner in "The Killers" (1946), and Jane Greer in "Out of the Past" (1947). The iconic noir counterpart to the femme fatale, the private eye, came to the fore in films such as "The Maltese Falcon" (1941), with Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade, and "Murder, My Sweet" (1944), with Dick Powell as Philip Marlowe. The prevalence of the private eye as a lead character declined
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946 film) that while they were waiting for Kennedy's friend to show and she was keeping up appearances outside, serving diners, the woman with whom Frank had an affair dropped by to return his tie. She threatens to tell Sackett about Frank's part in the murder. They confront each other about everything, and she tells him she is pregnant. She speculates that bringing a new life into the world may help make up for the one they took. They go to the beach and agree to rededicate themselves to each other. On the drive home, Frank becomes distracted by Cora and crashes