The Rainmaker

The Rainmaker is a 1956 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. It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. Earl Holliman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting... Actor. The Rainmaker play was remade as for American television in 1982, directed by John Frankenheimer and starring James Cromwell, Tommy Lee Jones, William Katt and Tuesday Weld. Set in a drought-ridden rural town in the West in Depression era America, the film tells the story of a pivotal hot summer day in the life of spinsterish Lizzie Curry. Lizzie keeps house for her father 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.
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