Lana & Burton Romancing ‘The Rains of Ranchipur’ 1955

"The Rains of Ranchipur." Charismatic Richard Burton & femme fatale Lana Turner
 give each other the eye while her husband Michael Rennie seems oblivious...
 This scenario seems familiar! 

Burton would replay this scenario for real in 1962!

What happens when you mix soap suds with man-made or mother nature’s calamities? The result is Hollywood “disaster” movies, always a movie staple. The genre hit their peak in the 1970s when Irwin Allen set up beloved stars in the most basic scenarios, only to be knocked down like bowling pins.

The Rains of Ranchipur is a ‘50s example, with stars who suffer emotional and physical turmoil. A rich couple travel to India to buy a race horse. The wife is wealthy and does as she pleases, while the husband suffers stoically, and spends her money. At their host’s party, one look at an Indian doctor and the wife gets a fever! Theirs and some supporting characters’ plots plod along until the titled torrents wash some sense right into their brains. If this had been an Irwin Allen flick, a few of the supporting cast would have washed away. While not setting the silver screen ablaze, Lana Turner, Richard Burton, and Fred MacMurray do well enough in their roles in The Rains of Ranchipur. Lana gives an old-style movie star performance, Richard surprisingly underplays, and Fred offers up a veteran star going through his paces.

Michael Rennie's Lord looks on as Lady Lana Turner greets old pal Fred MacMurray.
 Eugenie Leontovich looks skeptical as the Maharani in "The Rains of Ranchipur."

While The Rains of Ranchipur has been compared unfavorably to the 1939 version, The Rains Came, the former is no great shakes, either. Both are escapist entertainment done adequately. The original has Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power, and George Brent, at the height of their freshness. And new star Power at least looked exotic as the Indian doctor. The ’39 version made nearly three times as much at the box office as the ’55 version; the latter was only a moderate hit.

Cool poster for a lukewarm movie, 1955's "The Rains of Ranchipur."

There have been quotes attributed to Richard Burton regarding Lana Turner's acting abilities. Well, Turner wasn't Davis or Stanwyck, but she knew how to give a movie star performance when faced with lesser material. So did Joan Crawford and later, Elizabeth Taylor—it must have been in the MGM Handbook! Turner's rich playgirl is pure dime store romance, but she plays the stereotype quite entertainingly. Lana Turner was 34 here. Though Lana’s prematurely past her youthful freshness, it's still nice to see her glamour before it became shellacked in Imitation of Life.

Mid-stardom, Lana Turner is presented ravishingly, 1955's "The Rains of Ranchipur."

Yet in all the promo pics, Lana Turner looks ghostly!

As for Burton, he admitted over the years that he was not the best physical actor and relied much on his great voice. Fair enough. Still, he looks like a soldier standing at attention; sitting, he slumps in a not very leading man-like posture. Of course, the world's most famous Welshman looks absurd in a turban and brown face as Dr. Safti. Yet, Richard is striking to look at in his handsome youth, with blue-green eyes even more piercing with the makeup. It's been noted that as brown-faced Burton has more scenes with golden Lana, his skin tones become lighter. Love is strange, as the song goes! Richard doesn't over-act, as he could later do, but he is very minimal, which might be the right way to play this role, when so unconvincingly cast as another nationality.

Richard Burton's brilliant Hindu doctor also has brilliant blue-green eyes!

Michael Rennie has the unenviable role as cuckold husband Albert to Turner’s adventuress wife.  Rennie’s stone face made him perfect as the visitor from outer space, but playing opposite one of the flashiest stars in MGM’s galaxy is a thankless task.

Fred MacMurray as Tom Ransome, a brilliant man who drinks too much in "The Rains of Ranchipur." Fred's expression reminds me of Benedict Cumberbatch here.

Fred MacMurray, as Lana's long-time friend Tom Ransome, is the rich drinking man. Fred's solid, but still on the stodgy side, and a bit on autopilot. His love interest is Joan Caulfield as Fern, who is supposed to be college age, while Fred was in his mid-40s. Joan was actually 33, a year younger than woman of the world Lana! Caulfield aims to go beyond the typical second lead ingénue role and is slightly overbearing. Here, Joan’s perky interactions with world-weary Fred are just a bit too precious.

Eugenie Leontovich has a field day as the willful Maharani, who spars with Lana
 Turner's playgirl over Richard Burton's brilliant doc, in "The Rains of Ranchipur."

Russian actress Eugenie Leontovich, who plays Burton's mother-figure as the Maharani, is another light-eyed Indian. And she has a field day overplaying the Indian grande dame, which is saying something, since the role was originally played by Maria Ouspenskaya. Movie fans may recall Leontovich as the wheelchair-bound woman in William Castle’s cult classic, Homicidal.

The characters of "The Rains of Ranchipur" work together during the titled disaster.

As for Lana, though her character has married Michael Rennie's for the title, she's the money bags. So that explains how Lana is a "Lady," but how the heck did a Lana end up playing a character named "Edwina?!"  I smiled every time she was addressed as "Lady Edwina."

Lana's Lady Edwina is shocked when Doc Burton's mind wasn't on HER
while tending to the survivors of "The Rains of Ranchipur."

Aside from Burton's disparaging quotes about Lana, Turner has protested perhaps a bit too much that she found Richard unappealing as a man and star. Joan Collins would make the same claims shortly after, with The Sea Wife. As neither woman was particularly discriminating when it came to men, I maintain a healthy skepticism toward their stances. It's amusing that Burton and Turner, two of Hollywood's biggest players, claimed to not get personal off the set. And it’s very amusing that Burton plays a character that has been chaste!

Turner's Lady Edwina redeems herself in a final reel from "The Rains of Ranchipur."

Fox's Travilla did not do Lana Turner’s wardrobe, and Lana brought her MGM style crew with her to Fox, including designer Helen Rose. Perhaps Travilla got his revenge on her later with the gaudy get ups of The Big Cube!

Jean Negulesco directs competently, if not with his usual sophisticated style. The 1950s was flooded with studio remakes of their golden oldies, and The Rains of Ranchipur was a by the numbers rehash. The location shooting was in Pakistan, but did any of the stars actually go there?

The chemistry between Lana & Richard doesn't set the Cinemascope screen on fire,
but they have their moments, in 1955's "The Rains of Ranchipur."

The Rains of Ranchipur is a mildly entertaining movie for some lazy time in your favorite chair, for movie stars and studio style.

After Lana Turner’s comeback in The Bad in the Beautiful, it was back to doing junk like The Rains of Ranchipur. Here’s one of Turner’s best, my take here:

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

My fave scene: after surviving illness & floods, Lana's first order of business is
putting her makeup back on, in "The Rains of Ranchipur."