Femme fatale in "The Killers" and Cora (Lana Turner) in "The Postman Always Rings Twice", based on novels by Ernest Hemingway and James M. Cain respectively, manipulate men into killing their husbands. In the Hitchcock film "The Paradine Case" (1947), Alida Valli's character causes the deaths of two men and the near destruction of another. Another frequently cited example is the character Jane played by Lizabeth Scott in "Too Late for Tears" (1949); during her quest to keep some dirty money from its rightful recipient and her husband, she uses poison, lies, sexual teasing and a gun to keep men wrapped around
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.