Soldier in the Rain

Soldier in the Rain (1963) is a comedy-drama film about the friendship between an aging Army Master Sergeant (Jackie Gleason) and a young country bumpkin buck sergeant (Steve McQueen). Tuesday Weld also stars. Produced and co-written by Blake Edwards, the screenplay is based on a novel by William Goldman. The film was directed by Ralph Nelson, who had directed Gleason in Requiem for a Heavyweight the previous year. Eustis Clay is a peacetime sold... more

Soldier in the Rain (1963) is a comedy-drama film about the friendship between an aging Army Master Sergeant (Jackie Gleason) and a young country bumpkin buck sergeant (Steve McQueen). Tuesday Weld also stars. Produced and co-written by Blake Edwards, the screenplay is based on a novel by William Goldman. The film was directed by Ralph Nelson, who had directed Gleason in Requiem for a Heavyweight the previous year. Eustis Clay is a peacetime soldier who can't wait to finish his service and move on to bigger, better things. He is a personal favorite of Master Sergeant Maxwell Slaughter, a military lifer who is considerably brighter than Eustis but enjoys his company and loyalty. Eustis is involved in a number of schemes and scams, including one in which he will sell tickets to see an equally dim private named Meltzer run a three-minute mile. He inconveniences Slaughter more than once, including a traffic mishap that requires him being bailed out of jail. Determined to tempt Slaughter... less