Baby the Rain Must Fall * (1965, Steve McQueen, Lee Remick, Don Murray) – Classic Movie Review 6,469

Robert Mulligan’s 1965 film Baby the Rain Must Fall is a wet relationships drama starring Lee Remick, Steve McQueen and Don Murray. It is written by Horton Foote from his flop stage play.

‘Don’t call him no damn good…. not in front of her!’

Director Robert Mulligan’s 1965 film Baby the Rain Must Fall is a wet relationships drama of a noble wife Georgette Thomas (Lee Remick) who moves to the small Texas town of Columbus with her infant daughter Margaret Rose to try to live with her moody, irresponsible ex-con husband Henry Thomas (Steve McQueen), who has just been released from prison on parole.

Don Murray plays Henry’s childhood friend Slim, the equally noble the Deputy Sheriff, who tries to help. Charles Watts and Carol Veazie play Mr and Mrs Tillman, who are also trying to help. Ne’er-do-well Henry is a frustrated musician, singer, songwriter.

Horton Foote wrote the screenplay from his flop stage play The Travelling Lady, trying forlornly to adapt his intensely emotional style material into a McQueen vehicle. The Travelling Lady ran for only 30 performances on Broadway at the Playhouse Theatre in October and November 1954.

Baby the Rain Must Fall is civilised and well meaning and well crafted. But, with its shocking waste of talent, it drowns in its own sogginess and in wallowing in its uninteresting characters – though you might be attracted to give it a look by the stars. It falls miles short of To Kill a Mockingbird, the 1962 collaboration of Foote, Mulligan and producer Alan J Pakula.

Also in the cast are Paul Fix, Josephine Hutchinson (only briefly, and with no lines), Ruth White, Georgia Simmons, Estelle Hemsley and Kimberly Block.

The 100 minutes seems endless – you might want to look for cut versions at 93 and 81 minutes.

Baby the Rain Must Fall is directed by Robert Mulligan, runs 100 minutes, is made by Park Place Production and Solar Productions, is released by Columbia Pictures, is written by Horton Foote (screenplay), based on the stage play The Travelling Lady by Horton Foote, is shot in black and white by Ernest Laszlo, is produced by Alan J Pakula, and is scored by Elmer Bernstein.

It was released  on January 13, 1965 (New York City).

Glen Campbell is part of the band at the start of the film in the scene where McQueen sings at a bar with his rockabilly band. That makes it Glen Campbell’s film debut in the uncredited role as Band Member.

McQueen’s vocals are (very obviously) dubbed by Billy Strange. Glenn Yarbrough had a hit with the dreary title song (music by Elmer Bernstein, lyrics by Ernie Sheldon). It is performed by Yarbrough during the opening credits and an instrumental version is also used. Yarborough’s record reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Easy Listening chart.

The film is shot on location in the Texas cities of Columbus (the movie’s actual location), Bay City, Wharton, and Lockhart. A scene at a hamburger joint was filmed at the Baskin-Robbins ice cream store in Tarzana, California.

The crew was shooting in Columbus, Texas, when the radio announced President Kennedy’s assassination. Foote was a native of Wharton, Texas, where other scenes were filmed.

Lee Remick has top billing on the film but Steve McQueen has it on the posters.

The cast are Lee Remick as Georgette Thomas, Steve McQueen as Henry Thomas, Don Murray as Deputy Sheriff Slim, Paul Fix as Judge Ewing, Josephine Hutchinson as Mrs Ewing, Ruth White as Miss Clara, Charles Watts as Mr Tillman, Carol Veazie as Mrs Tillman, Estelle Hemsley as Catherine, Kimberly Block as Margaret Rose, Zamah Cunningham as Mrs T V Smith, George Dunn as Counterman, Glen Campbell as Band Member, and Georgia Simmons.

Glen Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6,469

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