The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946 film) The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946 film) The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1946 American film noir based on the 1934 novel of the same name by James M. Cain. This adaptation of the novel features Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway, Hume Cronyn, Leon Ames, and Audrey Totter. It was directed by Tay Garnett. The musical score was written by George Bassman and Erich Zeisl (the latter uncredited). This version was the third filming of "The Postman Always Rings Twice", but the first under the novel's original title and the first in English. Previously, the novel had been
Lana Turner the film their "Movie of the Week" in April 1946, and noted that both Turner and Garfield were "aptly cast" and "take over the screen, [creating] more fireworks than the Fourth of July." Turner commented on her decision to take the role: "The Postman Always Rings Twice" became a major box office success, which prompted the studio to take more risks on Turner, casting her outside of the glamorous sex symbol roles she had come to be known for. In August 1946, it was announced she was set to replace Katharine Hepburn in the big-budget historical drama "Green Dolphin Street"