The Rainmaker (1956)

Director:

Joseph Anthony

Writers:

N. Richard Nash (screenplay)
N. Richard Nash (play)

Release Date:

13 December 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Thriller | Western | Comedy

Tagline:

It's about the magic that makes a woman beautiful when she's wanted by a man!

Plot:

Lizzie Curry is on the verge of becoming a hopeless old maid. Her wit and intelligence and skills as...

Plot Keywords:

Rainmaker | Drought | Rain | Spinster | Con Artist

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	Bill Starbuck, aka Bill Smith, Bill Harley, Tornado Johnson
Katharine Hepburn	...	Lizzie Curry
Wendell Corey	...	Deputy Sheriff J.S. File, Three Point Texas
Lloyd Bridges	...	Noah Curry
Earl Holliman	...	Jim Curry
Cameron Prud'Homme	...	H.C. Curry
Wallace Ford	...	Sheriff Howard Thomas (Three Point, Texas)
Yvonne Fedderson	...	Snookie Maguire, Jim's Girl (as Yvonne Lime)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Bachus	...	Sheriff (uncredited)
Dottie Bee Baker	...	Belinda (uncredited)
Kenneth Becker	...	Phil Mackey (uncredited)
John Benson	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Joe Brown Jr.	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Stan Jones	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Walter Merrill	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Frank Mills	...	Train Conductor (uncredited)
James Stone	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Dan White	...	Deputy (uncredited)

Directed by
Joseph Anthony

Writing credits
N. Richard Nash		(screenplay)
N. Richard Nash		(play)

Produced by
Paul Nathan	....	associate producer
Hal B. Wallis	....	producer

Original Music by
Alex North

Cinematography by
Charles Lang		(as Charles Lang Jr.)

Art Direction by
Hal Pereira
Walter H. Tyler		(as Walter Tyler)

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Arthur Krams

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Nellie Manley	....	hair styles supervisor
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles C. Coleman	....	assistant director (as C.C. Coleman Jr.)

Art Department
Dorothea Holt	....	illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Winston H. Leverett	....	sound recordist (as Winston Leverett)
Harold Lewis	....	sound recordist
Bill Wistrom	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special photographic effects

Editorial Department
Warren Low	....	editorial supervisor

Music Department
Maurice De Packh	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Richard Mueller	....	technicolor color consultant

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1965) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Paramount (1957) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Video (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Norway:12 | West Germany:12 (f) | USA:Approved (PCA #18257) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Kanab, Utah, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Bing Crosby wanted the role of Starbuck.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Starbuck shows up at the Currys' house, H.C. and Noah are playing a game of checkers. They start the game with H.C. playing red and make a few moves, then the phone rings. After the call, the game has reset to the beginning, and H.C. is playing black.

Quotes:

Noah Curry: We don't believe in rainmakers.
Bill Starbuck: What DO you believe in mistah? Dyin' cattle?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Elvis (2005) (TV)

even sweeter with the years...

When I was younger & first saw this movie, what caught my eye was the stage-y production, the over-ripe acting- I was wrong. It's funny, but being a late 30-something divorcee with my own self-esteem issues, I now watch this movie & marvel at its depth.

This is a movie about so much more than a con man, an old maid and people stuck and unable to change. It's really about loving yourself. We've all heard the saying that you have to love yourself before someone else can love you. And that is what this movie is about. Believing in yourself even when that's the hardest thing. It's really the crux of the movie.

The casting is actually perfect. I cannot imagine anyone else as Starbuck. Burt Lancaster's magnetism and on-screen "je ne ce qua" and Hepburn's radiant simplicity are a match made in heaven. They compliment each other very well. The supporting cast is also well done. Holliman's exuberance is contagious and the sweetly supporting father and no nonsense brother Noah are well done but not over done.

I highly recommend this movie. Give it a chance & suspend your disbelief- that's part of what going to the movies is about.

P.S. Several people mentioned the last scene with Lancaster riding into the rain as being over done, cheesy or whatever. Yet it's just that kind of imagery that does indeed stick with you after the movie. It may seem overblown the first time, yet upon subsequent viewings, I love the effusive and memorable affect it has on the viewer. :)