User Reviews

While this scantily plotted 1963 comedy-drama is nothing to brag about in itself, what makes the film memorable (at least for me) is Jackie Gleason's superlative performance as Army MSgt Maxwell Slaughter. It seems the role of aging, overweight and fairly complacent career NCOIC was tailor-made for Gleason. OTOH, Steve McQueen overacts in his role as a young supply Sgt. Eustis Clay, who idolizes Slaughter and attempts to get him to quit the service and go into a business venture with him. It has been said that McQueen instinctively realized that Gleason was stealing the show and over-reacted, making himself look foolish in his comedic attempts. Tuesday Weld also delivers a fine performance in another tailor- made role as the pouty teenager, Bobby Jo Pepperdine, whom Gleason dates and inevitably forms a paternal attitude towards. Great chemistry between Gleason and her in their mutual scenes. Tom Poston and pre-Batman Adam West play small supporting roles as Army superior officers. Not much drama, but it is fascinating to watch Gleason actually bodyslam an adversary in a bar brawl! Besides the Gleason-Weld scenes, the most memorable ones involve the wistful monologues Gleason gives while standing before a full-length mirror in his office, as they reveal poignant insights into his character. As I've said, the film meanders, not really going anywhere, so the truncated ending is much of a surprise. If you don't care for Gleason too much, then you probably won't like "Soldier In The Rain" all that much either. However, if you are a Gleason fan, this film will be a delectable feast!

By the early 1960s, attempts at screwball comedies were often strained. This service buddy film is certainly oddball, and frequently lurches into unsettlingly dramatic material, but it contains one of Tuesday Weld's very best performances: her scene at the fair with Jackie Gleason is amazingly touching and funny and (startlingly) romantic. Any film that can sustain a comic-romantic idyll between Tuesday Weld and Jackie Gleason must be given credit (it's the only truly romantic scene in Gleason's movie career).

Great movie!

Steve McQueen shone under the presence of the great Jackie Gleason whenever the two shared screen time. The fight scene in the bar in the latter half of the film where the two off duty MP's were ganging up on Sgt. Eustis Clay (McQueen) while he was in mourning, was pitiful. Just when the audience felt that Sgt. Eustis Clay was down and out and about to get his head bashed in by these two (2) creeps in walks a bull of a man in MSgt. Maxwell Slaughter (Jackie Gleason) and he tosses the two bullies aound like rag dolls giving Sgt. Eustis Clay an opportunity to come out of his daze to beat the the living crap out of these two MP creeps. I wanted to kick these two guys myself because the fight scene and what lead up to this situation was inevitable.

This is a story about life in general and playing with the cards God has dealt us all. It is a story about two men, Sgt. Eustis Clay and MSgt. Maxwell Slaughter and how they come to terms in realizing how much they can help one another to become better men.

It's a great film with a lot of heart and soul, worthy of an 8 out of 10 rating.

The unlikely pairing of Steve McQueen and Jackie Gleason generates surprising on-screen chemistry in this sweet little film depicting the equally unlikely friendship of enlisted man Eustis Clay and his mentor/idol Sgt. Maxwell Slaughter.

Country boy Eustis is counting the days until his hitch is up, while the erudite, knows-all-the-angles Maxwell has made a home of what Eustis calls "this stupid old army." Theirs is a rather symbiotic relationship; Maxwell guides and educates Eustis, as well as helping him out of his little scrapes, while Eustis, with his devil-may-care enthusiasm, coaxes Maxwell from his comfortable cocoon and into various adventures.

McQueen gives an uncharacteristically animated performance, while Gleason displays ample justification for his nickname, The Great One. Indeed, it can be imagined that Master Sargeant Slaughter is exactly the person Gleason would have become had he chosen a career in the military rather than show-business. There is not so much a story here as a series of episodes in the day-to-day lives of the two friends and the colorful characters with whom they interact. There is able support from Tom Poston as a clueless lieutenant ("What's the poop, Sargeant?"), Tony Bill as Eustis' own sort-of protégé and Tuesday Weld, demonstrating the versatility for which she was already coming to be known. A pre-Batman Adam West also shows up, and has one of the film's best lines. Escorting a Batallion Major to Poston's office, he says "This company's in charge of Lt. Magee." "You mean, Lt. Magee's in charge of this company," corrects the officer, to which West replies with an uncertain shrug, "Well....."

SOLDIER IN THE RAIN moves deftly from farce to drama, and at 88 minutes, packs a lot into a small package. One can't help but wonder what the set of this film was like. Both Gleason and McQueen were uncompromising, take-charge kind of guys and, with the possible exceptions of billiards and broads (excuse the terminology), probably found little common ground over which to relate. Maybe that was enough. Whatever the case, they play off of each other beautifully.

Ralph Nelson was a more than capable director who had associated with Gleason the previous year on "Requiem For a Heavyweight." He wisely lets the charisma of his two lead players dominate, and the result is an unusual but thoroughly charming picture. Not available on video except for a years-old VHS release, it may be hard to find, but catch it if you can. "Until that time, Eustis, until that time."

Update: It's now available from TCM (online only) as part of their "From the Vault" collection, at a very affordable price.

The bulk of the story and the core of this film are carried by Jackie Gleason (MSgt. Maxwell Slaughter) and Steve McQueen (Sgt. Eustis Clay). About their acting talents there can be no doubt. But this film falls flat despite their efforts.

For me, the only other portrayal of note is Tuesday Weld as Bobby Jo Pepperdine. She adds a dose of excitement to this otherwise low key film, which centers on the relationship between Slaughter and Clay.

Clay is a schemer, similar to characters in other (mostly military) films and TV shows--like Sgt. Bilko. He idolizes Slaughter, who he thinks can do no wrong. Their relationship is unlikely but tender.

The story, however, is uneven and somewhat rambling. I am tempted to blame Blake Edwards (based upon other projects of his), but he is not the only person credited with the screenplay. In any event, this film could be better if the script was more coherent and it showed development in the primary characters.

Some viewers will find this film to be a quirky gem. Others will find it inconsequential. But I think it is safe to say that it falls short of what it could have been.

This is truly a special film. Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen give two of their most untypical performances. The film is what I would categorize as a comedy-drama, light on the comedy and heavy on the drama. Gleason is wonderfully dry and witty as Sgt. Slaughter and McQueen is also funny in his part as well. His accent is a little difficult to get used to, but it's essential to the part he plays. The standout performance here, however, is Tuesday Weld's. She plays the slightly infantile "Miss Pepperdine" who acts as a romantic angle for Gleason's character. Their scenes together are the film's highlights. Her "introduction" in the film, involving a car wreck, is most memorable. It also features some nice acting by the supporting players. A really unique film, that hasn't had much exposure, known only to those who have seen it, and treasure it.

Occasionally ponderous comedy-drama is talky but generally pretty effective with Gleason playing the melancholy, overweight, middle-aged staff sergeant, living somewhat vicariously through his naive supply sergeant (McQueen), a nimble-minded ideas man and surrogate son to Gleason. The first half stars McQueen and his encounters with the officious MP (Nelson) amid zany, get-rich-quick schemes (3 minute mile) involving an eccentric Private (Bill), but the film shifts a gear in both pace and tone when Tuesday Weld appears as the feather-brained teenager of whom Gleason is initially dismissive, and of later becomes enamoured rejuvenating his otherwise sardonic lifestyle.

Like many Blake Edwards' penned movies, the narrative is a bit uneven; whether comedy, drama or somewhere in-between, the lure of the cast manages to mostly disguise any inconsistencies in tone. McQueen being still a relative newcomer (this was filmed before the release of "The Great Escape") essentially supports Gleason, while the youthful Weld (who would later reunite with McQueen for "The Cincinnati Kid") is pert and precocious, unique like all her film roles. Good also to see the ubiquitous Ed Nelson in a prominent role, and Chris Noel, Rockne Tarkington and Adam West in minor roles.

The McQueen-Bill pairing could be the original "dumb & dumber", and I personally would have liked to see more of the Bill character, but both his and McQueen's carefree antics provide fitting contrast to Gleason's ultimately more complex focus. It's clear to see that the Edwards brand is building with each picture, next stop "The Pink Panther" and immortality awaits.

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.

Jackie Gleason does a great job in this film as a Sergeant Bilko type lifer who knows all the angles in the army. He is perfectly cast in this role. McQueen, however, is miscast as the country bumpkin sergeant (how did he ever make sergeant?) who doesn't have a brain in his head. McQueen was never really good at comedy; although a fine dramatic actor. This role would have been much better served by someone like Andy Griffith or. Jim Nabors. However, the storyline by Edwards is strong enough for McQueen to escape with a winning effort here. A mildly entertaining comedy. Tuesday Weld is beyond smoking hot in this film and was the sexiest actress in Hollywood for a decade.

"Soldier in the Rain" is that rare thing, a comedy starring Steve McQueen. It was the third successive film in which he played a member of the armed forces, but his character here, Sergeant Eustis Clay, is very different to either the "Cooler King" from "The Great Escape" or the arrogant and reckless Captain Rickson from "The War Lover". Clay has more in common with Phil Silvers' Sergeant Bilko, having joined the army not to serve his country but to serve his own interests. Clay is in charge of the stores, which he sees as a golden opportunity to engage in pilfering in order to line his own pockets. Clay, however, is much less intelligent than Bilko, who was a smart, shrewd wheeler-dealer, and frequently allows his greed and enthusiasm for a quick buck to get the better of his rather limited powers of judgement. As a result he has to rely on his older friend and mentor, Sergeant Maxwell Slaughter, who frequently has to get Clay out of trouble, particularly as the military police have their suspicions about Clay and are just waiting for him to make a wrong move.

This could have been the basis of a very amusing film, but it never really works. Much of the blame must lie with McQueen, who was not, on this evidence, a natural born comedian. (He probably realised that himself, as he made very few comedies in his later career). Whereas Bilko is a likable rogue, Eustis seems more of cross between an unlikeable rogue and a village idiot. At times he comes across as so stupid that one wonders why he was ever promoted to sergeant. Indeed, I wondered why the Army ever accepted him in the first place instead of categorising him as unfit for active service on the grounds of congenital imbecility.

Unlike McQueen, Jackie Gleason was a natural comedian, and from an acting point of view he is the best thing about the film. The trouble is that the naturally funny Gleason ends up playing straight man to a "funny" man who isn't funny, which is not a pairing which makes for great comedy. Tuesday Weld (who was later to star with McQueen in "The Cincinnati Kid") is simply irritating as Slaughter's eighteen-year-old blonde bimbo girlfriend Bobbie-Jo. While I cannot claim to be an expert on American dialects, her Southern accent is obviously fake. Incidentally, I also wondered whether the film-makers of today would have been quite so blasé about a relationship between a teenage schoolgirl and a forty-something man as were their counterparts in the early sixties.

The other good thing about the film is the attractive jazz score from Henry Mancini, reminiscent of his famous "Pink Panther" theme. ("Soldier in the Rain" was written and produced by Blake Edwards, the mastermind behind the "Pink Panther" series). There is, unfortunately, little else to admire about the film, a failed comedy whose jokes frequently misfire. Towards the end there is a rather muffled attempt to make the film more serious, but it does not work any better as a tragedy than it did as a comedy. One for McQueen completists only. 4/10

This film is a comedy, drama, buddy movie, love story, tear jerker and coming of age film, all rolled very nicely into one very entertaining film. Gleason usually the comic, is brilliant as Maxwell Slaughter, demonstrating his underappreciated dramatic talents. McQueen, in a rare comedic role, shines also. As a pair, they truly can "rule the world". I give it 10 stars out of 10. A classic, and one of the best films no one ever heard of.

Sometimes all it takes to spruce up a dull movie is a beautiful woman. Even better if the woman is a young Tuesday Weld.

Soldier in the Rain is a real bore in its first half despite an earnest Steve McQueen trying to do comedy as a soldier spinning a few schemes to retire early and Jackie Gleason as his mentor who also dreams of retiring to some island with beautiful women.

Things are nice and easy during peacetime and the soldiers indulge in all sorts of goofy shenanigans. None of them particularly interesting.

The young Tuesday Weld's relationship with the elderly and stately Gleason at a fair and the subsequent double date at a golf course makes the movie.

The light hearted film takes a sudden unexpected turn into the violent when there is a desperate fight with McQueen and Gleason on one side and their rivals on the other. It is a pretty violent fight without any music. It was done very well.

The rather desolate ending was at odds with the tone of the first half of the movie.

(6/10)

This is an odd little film with an out-of-sync performance by Mr. McQueen and a relaxed one by Mr. Gleason, playing buddies while servicemen on a base. Tuesday Weld steals the show as the young girl who calls Gleason the funniest nickname. She's a wonderful actress who never really got her due.

Best performance = Tuesday Weld. A 6 out of 10. I'm not sure what the point of the flick was, but it certainly has an odd rhythm to it. I'm not sure if it's on DVD yet, but definitely on video. McQueen has never been this strange before and he's trying new things, but I'm just not sure if they work. Check it out!

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.

This understated film has the feel of a well-done teleplay, showcasing the dramatic and comedic talents of Jackie Gleason. Although McQueen appears lost at times within his character, he acts as counterpoint to the cool, laidback character of Sgt. Slaughter (Gleason).

For those who have seen Soldier in the Rain, the camps appear sharply divided between love it and hate it.

For me, the film contains a certain charm which is unmistakeable. I have seen it well over 50 times, and it never grows old. Certain films have what I like to call a "watchability" factor. This is one of them.

Sergeant Eustis Clay (Steve McQueen) is a scheming operator always working on a deal. Master Sergeant Maxwell Slaughter (Jackie Gleason) is a army lifer who actually likes the hustler Clay. Magee (Tom Poston) is their idiot Lieutenant. Private Jerry Meltzer (Tony Bill) is Clay's idiot sidekick. MP Sgt. James Priest (Ed Nelson) tries to frame Clay. Clay sets up Slaughter with the ditsy Bobbi Jo Pepperdine (Tuesday Weld) to lure him into civilian life. She hates him initially but quickly changes her mind.

This movie depends heavily on the chemistry between McQueen and Gleason. They're both playing against type here. Gleason is the serious soldier and McQueen is trying hard to play for laughs. McQueen isn't terribly funny but their chemistry works. The standout is Tuesday Weld who does a compelling Monroe imitation with an emotional center. There are some poignant moments with a few light laughs.

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 ****

Life in the army. Some try to get in, but once in, they want out. Steve McQueen and Jackie Gleason star in this unique blend of comedy and drama in this tale of Army life, filled with dreams of "someday." Steve McQueen is good as a country boy with an accent that emphasizes his quirkiness and he is always talking of schemes to get rich quick. Gleason is an officer who knows of Steve's eccentricities and barters with him when Steve wants a fan of his.

For those who know Gleason only as the loud Ralph Kramden, you should see this. He gives a very understated and subtle performance, and Gleason, by the way, definitely has 'it', screen presence. And, not just because of his size. He is contained with purpose and state of mind and was in control. You can't hide 'it.' You either have it or you don't, and Gleason had 'it.'

And, as an added plus is Tuesday Weld. If for no other reason, this should be seen for a Tuesday Weld 101 course. She is introduced in grand fashion and gives what can be called nothing less than a spectacular performance. In fact, I have never seen her in anything where she didn't shine. The highlight of the film is her and Gleason at the fair. The scene where she explodes was very well written by Blake Edwards and is quite frankly unforgettable. You are not likely to see two actors in character and talking so honestly to each other, as you do here. They are very natural together and you feel as if you are watching true artists at work in an unknown great moment in film. Miss Weld had already become someone you know, but in this scene she is allowed to show her range from one emotion to another.

Steve McQueen may be the "Soldier in the Rain" (and is good, too), but this belongs to the great ones: Gleason and Weld at their best.

Ralph Nelson's "Soldier in the Rain" is a wonderful movie about the true power of friendship. But it is also Blake Edwards' film. He may only be the writer and producer, but it is as personal as his best films.

The movie features two exceptional performances from Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen, each cast against type here. The stunt works: Gleason is tender and convincing and McQueen is surprisingly funny and sensitive. I've read that the duo were real life friends and I think that adds another dimension to this film. We really believe that they could be friends and it makes the ending of this film, which I will only describe as a real surprise, even more effective. Like I stated before, Edwards only wrote and produced. But his script (co-written with Maurice Richlin, his co-writer on "The Pink Panther", "The Great Race" among others) doesn't preoccupy itself with the plot. It is content to simply observe these characters and Ralph Nelson has directed it well enough to make it a strong and honorable film.



More over, this film confirmed that "Days of Wine and Roses" was no fluke; that Blake Edwards was a talent that was here to stay. After making a string of disappointments ("Operation Petticoat" was a good film, but Edwards had no hand in the script and was only a contract director there), "Days" showed us a great new talent and "Soldier in the Rain" confirms it. After this, he would write and direct "The Pink Panther", which would make him bankable. "Soldier" is better than "Panther", but lesser known. Perhaps people bought into the mystique of "Panther" but wouldn't want to see a movie about character rather than plot. Hollywood must of thought the same, because "Soldier in the Rain' received zero nominations from the usual gang of idiots we call the Academy. Too bad.

"Soldier in the Rain" is not available on home video at this moment, unfortunately. It is a shame that some of Edwards' lesser films are easily available ("Switch", "High Time")but this neglected masterpiece isn't. I think that smart audiences that want to laugh, cry and think will love this tender little masterpiece. It airs often on AMC in both pan-and-scan and letterboxed versions. Tape it when you get a chance. You never know if it'll ever be seen again.

**** out of 4 stars