Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965)

Henry Thomas is out on parole in a small Texan town and, in the evenings, he is the lead singer in a band. He is being pressured by his foster mother to give up his singing and go back to ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Mulligan

Writers:

Horton Foote (screenplay), Horton Foote (play)

Stars:

Steve McQueen, Lee Remick, Don Murray

Cast

Credited cast:
Steve McQueen	...	Henry Thomas
Lee Remick	...	Georgette Thomas
Don Murray	...	Deputy Sheriff Slim
Paul Fix	...	Judge Ewing
Josephine Hutchinson	...	Mrs. Ewing
Ruth White	...	Miss Clara
Charles Watts	...	Mr. Tillman
Carol Veazie	...	Mrs. Tillman
Estelle Hemsley	...	Catherine, Miss Kate Dawson's Housekeeper
Kimberly Block	...	Margaret Rose Thomas
Zamah Cunningham	...	Mrs. T.V. Smith, Old Lady on Bus
George Dunn	...	Counterman at Restaurant
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Horvath
Wallace Schlemmer	...	Horse Boss Guarding Prisoners
Georgia Simmons	...	Miss Kate

Storyline

Henry Thomas is out on parole in a small Texan town and, in the evenings, he is the lead singer in a band. He is being pressured by his foster mother to give up his singing and go back to school. His wife, Georgette, and young daughter unexpectedly come to town to live with him. However Henry's hot temper leads him into knife fights, and jeopardizes his parole.

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Plot Keywords:

singer | homecoming | mother daughter relationship | planting a tree | death | 

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Taglines:

Don't call him no damn good .... not in front of her!

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Lady und der Tramp

Filming Locations:

Bay City, Texas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Solar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Horton Foote was a native of Wharton, Texas, where portions of this movie were filmed. The Texas premier of "Baby the Rain Must Fall" was held in Wharton on February 4, 1965 at the now-demolished Rio Theatre.

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Goofs

Near the end of the film, right after Slim seats Georgette and Margaret Rose in his car, he closes the door and the camera along with the head of the camera operator can be briefly glimpsed in the rear passenger-side window; then in the next shot, as Slim is backing the car out, the entire crew, as well as their equipment, can be seen reflected on the driver side of his car.

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Quotes

Georgette Thomas: [woken up from Henry's banging] Henry, what's the matter?
Henry Thomas: I dreamt I was back in the pen.

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Connections

Referenced in The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Baby, The Rain Must Fall"
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Lyric by Ernie Sheldon
Sung by Steve McQueen (dubbed by Billy Strange)

User Reviews

Let it pour.

I find this film quite fascinating because of its setting and style.

The credits on the road and the black and white photography are so striking and evocative of its time that if one in the year 2005 wants to get a real sense of the quiet 'sixties rural/suburban time, this film will do it for you. I find it a companion piece to BUS RILEY'S BACK IN TOWN and even THE STRIPPER all made around the same time, as if a set of films of a similar tone and look all made in the same US town. Where I lived in Australia in 1965 was exactly like all these films but this this one gives me the childhood recollection of hearing the sad adult conversations of neighbors. These 3 films deserve better awareness of lonely and changing 60s life before Vietnam horror and psychedelia took over and perhaps offer the best sense of time travel one could wish for. If you also want a bitter chaser with a wicked laugh, add KISS ME STUPID to the mix.