Soldier in the Rain

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source: Soldier in the Rain

Soldier in the Rain

Sure there's some dumb scenes (photographing Tony Bill in drag for a beauty contest for example), but that carnival scene with Weld and Gleason! Weld-"I guess I ain't no prize." and Gleason-"Who is Miss Peperdine? Who is?" and her comment about fireworks. Goosebumps for me still. Get emotional every time I see it and I never tire of it. McQueen's dog, Gleason's deathbed scene and that immortal line - "Until that time, Eustis, until that time". May be the best I ever saw Jackie Gleason. Definitely the best I ever saw Tuesday Weld. And that fight scene! McQueen flying thru the air! Definitely in my top 10. And I love the Mancini score.

as a 20-year army brat, this film is quite sentimental.. no combat is involved, but as a dependent in peacetime at many army bases, it brings back lots of memories.. imdb has no info. on where this was filmed, but the hospital scenes are familiar.. there may be several army hospitals which are similar to this one--it seems to be a southern location.. with names like pepperdine, where else? anyway, my association is with an army base in louisana, which shall remain nameless.. if info is out there which can specify where this was filmed, i'd want to know, especially the hospital parts..

Hopeless movie-adaptation of Willam Goldman's novel (by Maurice Richlin and, of all people, Blake Edwards!) concerns an Army Base in the South which gets turned upside-down by a rambunctious soldier and his cronies. Jackie Gleason, as the easy-going sergeant, is too low-keyed for this broad material, while Steve McQueen and Tony Bill are encouraged to play it way over-the-top. Ralph Nelson directed, with a heavy, dispiriting hand; he has no idea what tone to aim for, and no talent for sustaining a mood once he finally achieves one. Supporting players Tuesday Weld, Ed Nelson and Tom Poston are wasted. A misfire. * from ****

The one line summary says it all. This is in my top 10 of all time. If you watch it for plot or if you think stars just play themselves, then skip it. It is a character study with Steve McQueen and Jackie Gleason giving the performances of their careers. Try to find it on tape and watch in a darkened room without commercials - it needs and deserves your attention.

Even were I not an admirer of William Goldman and just stumbled across this film rather than actively pursuing the Goldwyn connection I would have still been captivated and charmed by it. Gleason was brilliant and I hadn't been exposed to sufficient examples of the 'cool' Mcqeen to be averse to it, Tony Bill was adequate and even Tuesday Weld weighed in with a fine performance. If anything the fact that it is presented as a series of vignettes rather than a continuous storyline works in its favour.

This funny and sweet film brings together three characters whose personalities are in sharp contrast to each other. McQueen is known for his roles as a "tough guy," but in this movie, his remarkable comedy skill was shown. If you have seen McQueen only as a tough guy, then seeing him in this movie will impress you with the range of which he was capable. Conversely, Gleason, the great comic, as the straight man here, is sweet and touching and tragic. Tuesday Weld plays a ditzy bimbo who oddly enough, becomes a girlfriend for Gleason's character in a May/December pairing that is even more peculiar on account of her fluffiness contrasted to his quiet and sober nature. The film is in black and white, which was very effective for the story.

For all its heavy-handed sterotyping of hick Southerners(the real backbone of our armed services) and its Hollywood ham hocks accents, this film offers some fine-tuned dramatics and genuinely poignant moments. Gleason's performance couldn't be improved upon, and perhaps Tuesday Weld is just too pretty for some critics to be convinced she can act, but she demonstrates real pathos in her fair scene with Gleason, for instance. It's a shame someone didn't tell Steve McQueen to tone it down. Maybe they did and he didn't listen. He portrayal is too often off pace and far too broad. Goldman's story does not lend itself well to the grinning goofiness of, say, "No Time for Sergeants." McQueen's true acting genius does not come through here until the final scene and it's a shame. There are some fine moments throughout, nevertheless.