“The Rains of Ranchipur.” Charismatic Richard Burton & femme fatale Lana Turner  give every different the attention whilst her husband Michael Rennie turns out oblivious…  This state of affairs turns out acquainted!

Burton would replay this state of affairs for actual in 1962!

What occurs while you combine cleaning soap suds with man-made or mom
nature’s calamities? The result’s Hollywood “crisis” motion pictures, all the time a film
staple. The style hit their top within the Nineteen Seventies when Irwin Allen arrange loved stars
in probably the most elementary situations, best to be knocked down like bowling pins.

The Rains of Ranchipur is a ‘50s instance, with stars who
endure emotional and bodily turmoil. A wealthy couple commute to India to shop for a
race horse. The spouse is rich and does as she pleases, whilst the husband
suffers stoically, and spends her cash. At their host’s birthday party, one take a look at an
Indian physician and the spouse will get a fever! Theirs and a few supporting characters’
plots plod alongside till the titled torrents wash some sense proper into their
brains. If this have been an Irwin Allen flick, a number of the supporting forged
would have washed away. Whilst no longer surroundings the silver display ablaze, Lana
Turner, Richard Burton, and Fred MacMurray do smartly sufficient of their roles in The Rains of Ranchipur. Lana provides an old-style
film famous person efficiency, Richard strangely underplays, and Fred provides up a
veteran famous person going via his paces.

Michael Rennie’s Lord appears on as Woman Lana Turner greets outdated buddy Fred MacMurray.  Eugenie Leontovich appears skeptical because the Maharani in “The Rains of Ranchipur.”

Whilst The Rains of
Ranchipur has been in comparison unfavorably to the 1939 model, The Rains Got here, the previous isn’t any nice
shakes, both. Each are escapist leisure performed adequately. The unique
has Myrna Loy, Tyrone Energy, and George Brent, on the top in their
freshness. And new famous person Energy a minimum of appeared
unique because the Indian physician. The ’39 model made just about 3 times as a lot at
the field place of work because the ’55 model; the latter was once just a average hit.

Cool poster for a lukewarm film, 1955’s “The Rains of Ranchipur.”

There were quotes attributed to Richard Burton
relating to Lana Turner’s performing talents. Smartly, Turner wasn’t Davis or
Stanwyck, however she knew tips on how to give a film famous person efficiency when confronted with
lesser subject material. So did Joan Crawford and later, Elizabeth Taylor—it should have
been within the MGM Guide! Turner’s wealthy playgirl is natural dime retailer romance,
however she performs the stereotype rather entertainingly. Lana Turner was once 34 right here. Although
Lana’s in advance previous her younger freshness, it is nonetheless great to peer her
glamour sooner than it turned into shellacked in Imitation
of Lifestyles.

Mid-stardom, Lana Turner is gifted ravishingly, 1955’s “The Rains of Ranchipur.”

But in all of the promo pics, Lana Turner appears ghostly!

As for Burton, he admitted through the years that he was once no longer
the most efficient bodily actor and relied a lot on his nice voice. Truthful sufficient. Nonetheless,
he seems like a soldier status at consideration; sitting, he slumps in a no longer very
main man-like posture. In fact, the arena’s most renowned Welshman appears
absurd in a turban and brown face as Dr. Safti. But, Richard is placing to
take a look at in his good-looking formative years, with blue-green eyes much more piercing with the
make-up. It is been famous that as brown-faced Burton has extra scenes with golden
Lana, his pores and skin tones turn into lighter. Love is ordinary, because the tune is going! Richard
does not over-act, as he may just later do, however he’s very minimum, which may well be
how you can play this function, when so unconvincingly forged as any other
nationality.

Richard Burton’s sensible Hindu physician additionally has sensible blue-green eyes!

Michael Rennie has the unenviable function as cuckold husband Albert
to Turner’s adventuress spouse.  Rennie’s
stone face made him very best because the customer from outer house, however enjoying
reverse some of the flashiest stars in MGM’s galaxy is a thankless process.

Fred MacMurray as Tom Ransome, a super guy who beverages an excessive amount of in “The Rains of Ranchipur.” Fred’s expression strikes a chord in my memory of Benedict Cumberbatch right here.

Fred MacMurray, as Lana’s long-time pal Tom Ransome, is
the wealthy ingesting guy. Fred’s cast, however nonetheless at the stodgy facet, and somewhat on
autopilot. His love hobby is Joan Caulfield as Fern, who is meant to be
school age, whilst Fred was once in his mid-40s. Joan was once if truth be told 33, a 12 months
more youthful than lady of the arena Lana! Caulfield targets to move past the standard
2nd lead ingénue function and is relatively overbearing. Right here, Joan’s perky interactions
with world-weary Fred are just a little too valuable.

Eugenie Leontovich has a box day because the willful Maharani, who spars with Lana  Turner’s playgirl over Richard Burton’s sensible document, in “The Rains of Ranchipur.”

Russian actress Eugenie Leontovich, who performs Burton’s mother-figure
because the Maharani, is any other light-eyed Indian. And he or she has a box day
overplaying the Indian grande dame, which is announcing one thing, for the reason that function
was once initially performed by way of Maria Ouspenskaya. Film enthusiasts might recall Leontovich as
the wheelchair-bound lady in William Fort’s cult vintage, Homicidal.

The characters of “The Rains of Ranchipur” paintings in combination right through the titled crisis.

As for Lana, even though her personality has married Michael
Rennie’s for the name, she’s the cash baggage. In order that explains how Lana is a
“Woman,” however how on earth did a Lana finally end up enjoying a personality named
“Edwina?!”  I smiled each time she was once addressed as “Woman
Edwina.”

Lana’s Woman Edwina is stunned when Document Burton’s thoughts wasn’t on HER whilst tending to the survivors of “The Rains of Ranchipur.”

With the exception of Burton’s disparaging quotes about Lana, Turner
has protested in all probability somewhat an excessive amount of that she discovered Richard unappealing as a
guy and famous person. Joan Collins would make the similar claims in a while after, with The Sea Spouse. As neither lady was once
in particular discriminating when it got here to males, I care for a wholesome skepticism
towards their stances. It is fun that Burton and Turner, two of
Hollywood’s greatest gamers, claimed not to get private off the set. And it’s very fun that Burton performs a
personality that has been chaste!

Turner’s Woman Edwina redeems herself in a last reel from “The Rains of Ranchipur.”

Fox’s Travilla didn’t do Lana Turner’s cloth cabinet, and Lana
introduced her MGM genre workforce together with her to Fox, together with clothier Helen Rose. In all probability
Travilla were given his revenge on her later with the gaudy get ups of The Large Dice!

Jean Negulesco directs competently, if no longer together with his same old refined
genre. The Nineteen Fifties was once flooded with studio remakes in their golden oldies, and The Rains
of Ranchipur was once a by way of the numbers rehash. The site capturing was once in
Pakistan, however did any of the celebs if truth be told cross there?

The chemistry between Lana & Richard does not set the Cinemascope display on fireplace, however they’ve their moments, in 1955’s “The Rains of Ranchipur.”

The Rains of Ranchipur is a mildly entertaining film for
some lazy time to your favourite chair, for film stars and studio genre.

After Lana Turner’s comeback in The Dangerous within the Stunning, it was once again to doing junk like The Rains of Ranchipur. Right here’s certainly one of
Turner’s absolute best, my take right here:

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-bad-and-beautiful-1952.html

My fave scene: after surviving sickness & floods, Lana’s first order of industrial is striking her make-up again on, in “The Rains of Ranchipur.”