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The Rainmaker is a 1956 American romance film directed by Joseph Anthony and adapted by N. Richard Nash from his play The Rainmaker. The film tells the story of a middle-aged woman, suffering from unrequited love for the local town sheriff; however, she falls for a con man who comes to town with the promise that he can make it rain. It stars Burt Lancaster, Katharine Hepburn, Wendell Corey, Lloyd Bridges and Earl Holliman. Holliman won a Golden Globe Award for his performance.
| The Rainmaker | |
|---|---|
Film poster | |
| Directed by | Joseph Anthony |
| Produced by | Hal B. Wallis |
| Written by | N. Richard Nash |
| Starring | Burt Lancaster Katharine Hepburn |
| Music by | Alex North |
| Cinematography | Charles Lang |
| Edited by | Warren Low |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date | December 13, 1956 |
Running time | 121 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.1 million (US) |
The film was later remade in Hindi as Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaayen.
Screenplay
During the Depression era in the Midwest, con man Bill Starbuck acts as a rainmaker, but is chased out of town after town. One day, he arrives in a drought-ridden rural town in Kansas and shows up at the door of spinsterish Lizzie Curry and the rest of the Curry clan. Lizzie keeps house for her father, H.C., and two brothers on the family cattle ranch. As their farm languishes under the devastating drought, Lizzie's family worries about her marriage prospects more than about their dying cattle. Prior to Starbuck's arrival, Lizzie was expecting Sheriff File, for whom she harbors a secret yen, though he declined the family's invitation to dinner. Starbuck promises to bring rain in exchange for money. Against Lizzie's protests, H.C. goes for the deal out of desperation for rain even though he thinks Starbuck is a con. Starbuck is exposed, but the Curry clan stands up for him, leading to both Starbuck and File finally declaring for Lizzie. In the end, Lizzie gets her man, and of course, it rains.
- Burt Lancaster as Bill Starbuck
- Katharine Hepburn as Lizzie Curry
- Wendell Corey as Deputy Sheriff J.S. File
- Lloyd Bridges as Noah Curry
- Earl Holliman as Jim Curry
- Cameron Prud'Homme as H.C. Curry
- Wallace Ford as Sheriff Howard Thomas
- Yvonne Lime as Snookie Maguire
Academy Awards
- Nominations
- Best Actress: Katharine Hepburn
- Best Music (Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Alex North
Golden Globe Awards
Won:
- Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor: Earl Holliman
Nominations
- Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama
- Golden Globe for Best Actor: Burt Lancaster
- Golden Globe for Best Actress: Katharine Hepburn
The Rainmaker play was remade for American television in 1982, directed by John Frankenheimer and starring James Cromwell, Tommy Lee Jones, William Katt and Tuesday Weld.
- List of American films of 1956
- The Rainmaker
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