Tuesday's Overlooked Film this week is the 1963 comedy/drama Soldier in the Rain.
Soldier in the Rain stars Steve McQueen as a young Army sergeant, naive and wholesome, who forms an unlikely friendship with his master sergeant played by Jackie Gleason (a favorite of mine), a schemer who seems McQueen's opposite. However, over the course of the film, the two characters develop an unusual bond: McQueen admires Gleason's resourcefulness, and Gleason admires McQueen's innocence and can-do attitude. They help each other out in various ways throughout the film, until the last favor done for the other leads to tragedy.
Like the characters they portray, McQueen and Gleason seem an odd pairing, but seeing them work so well together will convince you of the characters' friendship. The film costars Tuesday Weld, was based on a book by William Goldman, and was produced and coadapted by Blake Edwards.
Unfortunately, the film is difficult to find on video. It was only briefly available on VHS and has been available on DVD only through Warner Archive's site.
Here is a brief clip of the film that demonstrates the conniving sergeant's honest love for his country. Thanks!
3 comments:
I wrote about this one for Overlooked Movies a while back. I really liked it when I saw it long ago, and I went out and bought the book, which I liked even more.
A Steve McQueen film I don't know! Thanks for the tip.
And with Tuesday Weld. Worse things can happen.
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