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) Frank to meet his new boss. Frank and Cora conspire to stage a drunk-driving accident that will kill Nick. As they are about to leave, District Attorney Sackett shows up for gas; the couple had planned to fake an argument, at a gas station along the way, in which Cora would insist on driving because the men are too drunk (in fact, it is only Nick who is drunk). Since Sackett is there, they feign the exchange there at Twin Oaks, so he can later be a witness if needed. Cora drives along precarious cliff roads and soon stops the