''Soldier in the Rain'' is a 1963 American comedy

buddy film The buddy film is a subgenre of adventure and comedy film in which two people are put together and are on an adventure, a quest, or a road trip. The two often contrast in personality, which creates a dynamic onscreen different from a pairing ...

directed by

Ralph Nelson Ralph Nelson (August 12, 1916 – December 21, 1987) was an American film and television director, producer, writer, and actor. He was best known for directing '' Lilies of the Field'' (1963), '' Father Goose'' (1964), and '' Charly'' (1968 ...

and starring

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

and

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and ...

Tuesday Weld Tuesday Weld (born Susan Ker Weld; August 27, 1943) is an American actress and model. She began acting as a child and progressed to mature roles in the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960. Over t ...

portrays Gleason's character's romantic partner. Produced by Martin Jurow and co-written by

Maurice Richlin Maurice Richlin (February 23, 1920 – November 13, 1990) was an American screenwriter. He received two Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nominations for ''Pillow Talk'' and ''Operation Petticoat'' in the same year. For the first of ...

and

Blake Edwards Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio s ...

, the screenplay is based upon a 1960 novel of the same name by

William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. He won Academy Awards for his screenplays '' ...

. It was directed by explores the friendship between an Army master sergeant (Gleason) and a young country bumpkin buck sergeant (McQueen). The music is by

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

. The film was released five days after President John F. Kennedy's assassination. The national crisis reduced audiences for the film.

Plot

Sergeant Eustis Clay (

) cannot wait to finish his peacetime service and move on to bigger, better things. He is a personal favorite of Master Sergeant Maxwell Slaughter (

), a career soldier who is considerably brighter than Eustis, but enjoys his company and loyalty. Slaughter is wired into all the perks, back channels, and supply sources an army base can provide, which filter through his nearly autonomous cabin hub. Clay becomes involved in a number of schemes and scams, including one in which he will sell tickets for soldiers to watch private Meltzer (

Tony Bill Gerard Anthony Bill (born August 23, 1940) is an American actor, producer, and director. He produced the 1973 movie '' The Sting'', for which he shared the Academy Award for Best Picture with Michael Phillips and Julia Phillips. As an actor, ...

) purportedly run a three-minute mile. He inconveniences Slaughter more than once, and in one case has a traffic mishap that requires him being bailed out of jail. Determined to tempt Slaughter with the joys of civilian life before his hitch is up, Clay fixes him up on a date with the much younger woman, not-too-bright Bobby Jo Pepperdine (

). At first, Slaughter is offended, but gradually he sees another side of Bobby Jo, finding that they have a mutual fondness for crossword puzzles. Clay and Slaughter golf together and begin to enjoy the good life. One night, Clay is devastated to learn of the death of his dog Donald. A pair of hated rivals use their status as military policemen to lure Clay into a barroom brawl, where he is being beaten two-against-one before Slaughter angrily comes to his rescue. Together, they win the fight, but the middle-aged, overweight Slaughter collapses from the effort. Hospitalized, Slaughter delights Clay by suggesting that they leave the Army together and go live on a tropical isle, surrounded by blue seas and beautiful girls. But Slaughter dies. A changed man, Clay re-enlists in the Army with a new sense of purpose.

Cast

as Master Sergeant Maxwell Slaughter *

as Sergeant Eustis Clay *

as Bobby Jo Pepperdine *

as Private First Class Jerry Meltzer *

Tom Poston Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

as Lieutenant Magee *

Ed Nelson Edwin Stafford Nelson (December 21, 1928 – August 9, 2014) was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Michael Rossi in the television series '' Peyton Place''. Nelson appeared in episodes of many TV programs, more than 50 mov ...

as MP Sergeant First Class James Priest *

Lew Gallo Lewis D. Gallo (June 12, 1928 – June 11, 2000) was an American character actor and producer, best known for his role as Maj. Joseph Cobb on the 1960s ABC World War II series '' Twelve O'Clock High''. Gallo was born in Mount Kisco, New York, ...

as Sergeant Fred Lenahan *

Rockne Tarkington William Rockne Tarkington, Jr. (May 14, 1932 – April 5, 2015) was an American stage, film and television actor. Career Born in Junction City, Kansas, Tarkington began his career as a stage actor, and made the transition to television with ...

as First Sergeant William Booth * Paul Hartman as Chief of Police * John Hubbard as Battalion Major *

Chris Noel Chris Noel (Sandra Louise Noel, born July 2, 1941) is a retired American actress and entertainer. Noel is best known for her appearances in beach party movies in the 1960s, and for her work on the Armed Forces Radio And Television Servic ...

as Frances McCoy *

Sam Flint Sam Flint (born Samuel A. Ethridge; October 19, 1882 – October 17, 1980) was an American actor. Flint appeared in more than 230 films, often as a "judge, lawyer, military officer, senator, sheriff, chief of police, or doctor." Flint was ...

as Old Man * Lewis Charles as Sergeant Tozzi * Adam West as Inspecting Captain

Reception

In 2011, film critic Craig Butler wrote about the film's theme,

Source Novel

William Goldman drew his novel from his experience of being in the United States Army from 1952 to 1954. He set it at a fictional "Southern" Army post, Camp Scott, in the spring and summer of 1953. He says he was stuck during the writing. He asked his roommate John Kander, also an aspiring writer, to read it. Kander suggested that the woman (eventually played by Weld) should be developed as a major figure. This suggestion helped Goldman finish the rest of the book. Goldman says the publisher put pressure on him to change the ending:

It was one of the first three books of the firm, and they said "We can't publish this ending. It's a downer. We guarantee you the book won't sell. Will you change it? I said, "I will absolutely change it, and I will give it a very happy ending, if you can guarantee me the book will sell." They said, "Obviously, we can't guarantee that," and I said, "Obviously, I can't change the ending."

Goldman says the character of Clay "was sympathetic for me. There was a sergeant who was a villain, but I thought Clay was just a nice affable stoop. I'd been in the army. A lot of this stuff is also, as I look back on it, autobiographical." The novel received mixed reviews. Although Goldman became a noted screenwriter, he was not involved in the adaptation of his novel for the film of the same name. "They made changes", said Goldman of the film. "No one says 'Oh, we are going to fuck up Bill Goldman's book.' Most of this stuff I didn't pay any attention to. I don't know that I've ever seen ''Soldier in the Rain''. I must have because I like

but as a rule I don't look at movies I'm involved with and I don't read books that I've written. One does the best one can and that's it."Egan p 40

References

* Andersen, Richard, ''William Goldman'', Twayne Publishers, 1979 * Egan, Sean, ''William Goldman: The Reluctant Storyteller'', Bear Manor Media, 2014

External links