In 1963, the hottest television star in American was Jackie Gleason, and the hottest movie star was Steve McQueen. At Allied Artists, they must have said that putting them together in a film would be a stroke of box office genius, and so they were teamed up. But this is not a great film by any stretch. The story is strange for the situation. Usually in an military story, you think Quirt and Flagg, Gomer and Carter, or maybe Beetle and Sarge, but this one is the buddiest buddy picture ever. They have nearly no competition with each other, no conflicts, just love and respect. They talk about moving to an Island together. They pick up girls, noticeably Tueday Weld as a stupid, way-too-young hillbilly girl that Gleason takes to a carnival, and they both have girls that can't take their hands off them as they play a beer-soaked round of golf, but the only real, devoted passion shown is McQueen's for his dog, whom he even dreams about. They face a brawl in a dive that shows Jackie hurling bad guys over his head like Popeye. This brings the lighthearted dull doings to a serious, if bloodless, turn. It puts Jackie in the hospital, where he puts on a brave, bland face for Steve, who bravely, quietly accepts the inevitable. If you were to tell me this was some kind of parody of "From Here To Eternity", I could go along with it. Steve McQueen is in his usual stride, complete with his too-cute mumbly Josh Randall voice, and Gleason is in his typical "Serious Actor" mode, all flat delivery and arrogant demeanor. The two haven't a speck of chemistry together.
Review of Soldier in the Rain
