The Rainmaker (1956)
Katharine Hepburn takes the lead in The Rainmaker, in one of her finest performances. She’s an old maid living in a small town, keeping house for her father and brothers, Lloyd Bridges, Earl Holliman, and Cameron Prud’Homme. She’s secretly got a crush on Sheriff Wallace Ford, but he doesn’t pay her any attention. The town is going through an unprecedented drought, and Burt Lancaster, a travelling conman, comes to town claiming to be a “rainmaker”. As he tries to convince the town he’s genuine, he also convinces old maid Kate that she’s beautiful and desirable.
While Kate’s and Burt’s acting really make the movie, the story itself is a classic. It was also adapted to a Broadway musical called 110 in the Shade, by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. The characters are real and vivid, and even though it’s obvious it was adapted from a play—written by N. Richard Nash—it’s still very enjoyable even for modern audiences. Who doesn’t wonder with fear and sadness that they’ll never find love, and who doesn’t want to believe in that last scrap of hope even when it might be fake? I don’t actually like the film, but I appreciate how beloved it is by others. I don’t really care for Kate’s character and choices, but it wouldn’t be fair for me to write a negative review for personal reasons.
The film is chock-full of famous moments: romantic, funny, and wise. “When a man makes a point of ignoring you, he ain’t ignoring you at all,” is one of my favorite lines. And while I won’t spoil the ending for you, it is incredibly famous. You might have seen it before in classic film montages. Burt Lancaster’s iconic line in the end, which unfortunately I can’t quote here because it would spoil things, is my favorite part of the movie.
More Katharine Hepburn movies here!
More Burt Lancaster movies here!
While Kate’s and Burt’s acting really make the movie, the story itself is a classic. It was also adapted to a Broadway musical called 110 in the Shade, by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. The characters are real and vivid, and even though it’s obvious it was adapted from a play—written by N. Richard Nash—it’s still very enjoyable even for modern audiences. Who doesn’t wonder with fear and sadness that they’ll never find love, and who doesn’t want to believe in that last scrap of hope even when it might be fake? I don’t actually like the film, but I appreciate how beloved it is by others. I don’t really care for Kate’s character and choices, but it wouldn’t be fair for me to write a negative review for personal reasons.
The film is chock-full of famous moments: romantic, funny, and wise. “When a man makes a point of ignoring you, he ain’t ignoring you at all,” is one of my favorite lines. And while I won’t spoil the ending for you, it is incredibly famous. You might have seen it before in classic film montages. Burt Lancaster’s iconic line in the end, which unfortunately I can’t quote here because it would spoil things, is my favorite part of the movie.
More Katharine Hepburn movies here!
More Burt Lancaster movies here!
Hot Toasty Rag Awards:
Best Actor of 1956: Burt Lancaster
Best Actress: Katharine Hepburn
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Dramatic Screenplay
Best Musical Score: Alex North