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Hard to believe this overblown drama was considered the cream of the crop from Hollywood in the 50’s. “The Rainmaker” features the odd casting of Burt Lancaster and Katherine Hepburn and is memorable for the time it was made in (and captures) if not necessarily the quality of the film itself. Based on the play by N. Richard Nash, Lancaster stars as Bill Starbuck a con man who squeezes money out of those desperate for squeezing a drop of rain out of the sky for their dying crops and cattle. When Starbuck arrives in town he immediately romances Lizzy (Hepburn) who’s afraid she’ll turn out to be an old maid if she doesn’t get married soon. The romantic rivalry between Starbuck and Sherrif File (Wendel Corey) who keeps a stern eye on the con man creates some amusing moments. The stars manage to generate enough sparks with the material to make “The Rainmaker” a pleasing minor classic of a bygone era.

This film is as dry as the farms in the film when it comes to extras. It’s a pity once again because a film like this even if it hasn’t aged as well as other period dramas, deserves more than a bare bones presentation. Still, I’m thankful that Paramount has done such a nice job with the picture and sound that I’ll forgive them this oversight. Warner Home Entertainment might have put on a couple of featurettes about the two stars or a featurette about the era the film takes place in. ---