A Hatful of Rain
Encyclopedia
A Hatful of Rain is a 1957 dramatic film. The movie was a rarity for its time in its frank depiction of the effect of drug addiction.It is a medically and sociologically accurate account of the effects of morphine on an addict and his family .
It stars Eva Marie Saint
, Don Murray
, Anthony Franciosa
, Lloyd Nolan
and Henry Silva. The movie was adapted by Michael V. Gazzo
, Alfred Hayes
and Carl Foreman
from the play by Gazzo. Foreman was blacklisted at the time of the film's release. The Writers Guild of America
added his name to the film's credits in 1998, 14 years after his death. It was directed by Fred Zinnemann
and features a strong musical score by Bernard Herrmann
. Herrmann was asked by Fox to rescore his prelude for the film as the original was considered "too terrifying".
Franciosa was nominated for an Academy Award
for Best Actor in a Leading Role
.
, where a stay in a military hospital has left him secretly addicted to morphine
. His emotional distance (and his tendency to stay out all night) alienate him from the apartment's other residents: Johnny's pregnant wife Celia, and his brother Polo. Celia is convinced that Johnny is having an affair, but of course the truth is far worse. Johnny and Polo's father, John Sr., arrives in town and stays with them in the small apartment, further complicating a tense situation and leading to a dynamic and dramatic climax.
It stars Eva Marie Saint
Eva Marie Saint
Eva Marie Saint is an American actress who has starred in films, on Broadway, and on television in a career spanning seven decades. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama film On the Waterfront , and later starred in the thriller film North by...
, Don Murray
Don Murray (actor)
Donald Patrick "Don" Murray is an American actor.-Early life and career:Murray was born in Hollywood, California on July 31, 1929, the only child of Dennis Aloisius, a Broadway dance director and stage manager and Ethel Murray, a former Ziegfeld performer...
, Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa was an American actor, usually billed as Tony Franciosa during the height of his career.-Early life:...
, Lloyd Nolan
Lloyd Nolan
Lloyd Benedict Nolan was an American film and television actor.-Biography:Nolan was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Margaret and James Nolan, who was a shoe manufacturer...
and Henry Silva. The movie was adapted by Michael V. Gazzo
Michael V. Gazzo
Michael Vincenzo Gazzo was an American Broadway playwright who later in life became a film and television actor....
, Alfred Hayes
Alfred Hayes (writer)
Alfred Hayes was a British screenwriter, television writer, novelist, and poet, who worked in Italy and the United States...
and Carl Foreman
Carl Foreman
Carl Foreman, CBE was an American screenwriter and film producer who wrote the notable film High Noon. He was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s.-Biography:...
from the play by Gazzo. Foreman was blacklisted at the time of the film's release. The Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
added his name to the film's credits in 1998, 14 years after his death. It was directed by Fred Zinnemann
Fred Zinnemann
Fred Zinnemann was an Austrian-American film director. He won four Academy Awards and directed films like High Noon, From Here to Eternity and A Man for All Seasons.-Life and career:...
and features a strong musical score by Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann was an American composer noted for his work in motion pictures.An Academy Award-winner , Herrmann is particularly known for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock, most famously Psycho, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo...
. Herrmann was asked by Fox to rescore his prelude for the film as the original was considered "too terrifying".
Franciosa was nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Academy Award for Best Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
.
Plot
The setting is a housing project apartment. Johnny Pope is a soldier who returns from the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, where a stay in a military hospital has left him secretly addicted to morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
. His emotional distance (and his tendency to stay out all night) alienate him from the apartment's other residents: Johnny's pregnant wife Celia, and his brother Polo. Celia is convinced that Johnny is having an affair, but of course the truth is far worse. Johnny and Polo's father, John Sr., arrives in town and stays with them in the small apartment, further complicating a tense situation and leading to a dynamic and dramatic climax.
Cast
- Don MurrayDon Murray (actor)Donald Patrick "Don" Murray is an American actor.-Early life and career:Murray was born in Hollywood, California on July 31, 1929, the only child of Dennis Aloisius, a Broadway dance director and stage manager and Ethel Murray, a former Ziegfeld performer...
as Johnny Pope - Eva Marie SaintEva Marie SaintEva Marie Saint is an American actress who has starred in films, on Broadway, and on television in a career spanning seven decades. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama film On the Waterfront , and later starred in the thriller film North by...
as Celia Pope - Anthony FranciosaAnthony FranciosaAnthony Franciosa was an American actor, usually billed as Tony Franciosa during the height of his career.-Early life:...
as Polo Pope - Lloyd NolanLloyd NolanLloyd Benedict Nolan was an American film and television actor.-Biography:Nolan was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Margaret and James Nolan, who was a shoe manufacturer...
as John Pope, Sr - Henry Silva as Mother
- Gerald S. O'LoughlinGerald S. O'LoughlinGerald Stuart O'Loughlin, Jr. is an American television, stage, and film actor and director who was primarily known for playing tough-talking and rough-looking characters.-Career:...
as Chuch - William HickeyWilliam Hickey (actor)William Edward Hickey was an American actor. He was best known for his Oscar-nominated role as Don Corrado Prizzi in the John Huston 1985 film Prizzi's Honor, as well as the voice of Dr...
as Apples. This was Hickey's film debut. - Paul KrugerPaul KrugerStephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger , better known as Paul Kruger and affectionately known as Uncle Paul was State President of the South African Republic...
as Bartender - Ralph Montgomery as Spectator
- Michael ValeMichael ValeMichael Vale was an American commercial actor famous for being the longtime sleepy-eyed mascot "Fred the Baker" for donut chain Dunkin' Donuts, with his famous catchphrase "Time to make the donuts." He was featured for 15 years until he retired in 1997, having done more than 1,300 television...
as Cab Driver - Art FlemingArt FlemingArt Fleming was an American television host, most notably the original host of the TV game show Jeopardy!.-Early life:...
as Mounted Cop