Noir Nook: In Appreciation for Frank Chambers

In Appreciation for Frank Chambers

I’ve been a fan of The Postman Always Rings Twice
(1946) for as long as I can remember – it was one of the first noirs I ever saw
as a child. (I recall that I didn’t initially understand what the title meant –
and how thrilled I was when I finally figured it out.) But when I think of it,
the first, and often only, character who comes to mind is Cora Smith, played by
the luminous Lana Turner. In the spirit of turnabout being fair play, I’m
devoting this month’s Noir Nook to John Garfield’s Frank Chambers and five
reasons why he deserves some love.

• That breath that Frank visibly intakes when he sees Cora for the first time. Until that moment, he’d come off like kind of a hard-shelled guy. Somebody who was completely comfortable in his skin and with his lifestyle, who didn’t take any guff, and who was up for any adventure, challenge, or obstacle. And then he gets a load of Cora and, for a couple of seconds, he’s just a blushing, thunderstruck schoolboy in the presence of the school’s most popular girl. (I like that in a man.)

• Frank’s cocky side. Once he gets over his initial reaction to Cora (and, really, it takes literal seconds), we see his penchant for smartassery. First, after picking up Cora’s dropped lipstick from the floor, Frank cheekily ignores her outstretched hand and makes her cross the room to retrieve it. And in the next scene, while Cora tries to get his goat by spitting out orders and threatening to fire him, Frank sits with his feet propped on a table, reading the newspaper, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, matching her malice with nonchalant impertinence.

• Frank’s ability to think fast on his feet. There was the scene where he convinced Nick (Cecil Kellaway) to replace his old diner sign with a new neon version, and then casually ensured that Nick thought it was his own idea. And when the District Attorney came snooping around after Nick’s “accident” in the bathtub, Frank quickly came up with a plausible reason for the ladder being propped against the house, using the sight of the dead cat to bolster his explanation. And, later when Kennedy (Alan Reed) showed up with blackmail on his mind, Frank quickly assessed the situation and decided on the best course of action – beating Kennedy to a pulp.

• Frank’s skill in serving up the Kennedy
  beatdown. I just love the way he carried it out – with a combination of punching
  proficiency, cucumber-cool, and absolute control of the situation. He broke a
  sweat, but he rarely raised his voice, and he was completely fearless, like he
  dealt with this kind of situation every day of the week. (And that final,
  unexpected jab, delivered so that Kennedy would “act right” when his partner
  arrived, was the cherry on top of the sundae.)

• Frank’s love for Cora. Frank was clearly
  attracted by Cora’s long legs, shapely figure, and stunning face, but his
  feelings were more than surface lust; it was obvious that he truly loved her.
  If we weren’t sure, he proved it – like he proved it to Cora – by helping her
  back to shore after that last late-night swim. And it also showed in his jail
  cell conversation with the priest at the film’s end: “Father, would you send up
  a prayer for me and Cora?” he plaintively requests. “And if you can find it in
  your heart, make it that we’re together, wherever it is.”

So, if you can find it your heart, the next time you watch The Postman Always Rings Twice, give a little extra attention to Frank Chambers. He deserves it!

…

– Karen Burroughs Hannsberry for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Karen’s Noir Nook articles here.

Karen Burroughs Hannsberry is the author of the Shadows and Satin blog, which focuses on movies and performers from the film noir and pre-Code eras, and the editor-in-chief of The Dark Pages, a bimonthly newsletter devoted to all things film noir. Karen is also the author of two books on film noir – Femme Noir: The Bad Girls of Film and Bad Boys: The Actors of Film Noir. You can follow Karen on Twitter at @TheDarkPages.
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