User reviews

Ah...the wealth of info that this website provides...never knew that our old pal Michael Gazzo wrote this play/screenplay...another piece of "Godfather" trivia I can now pepper my pals with....

And William Hickey's voice was a marvel of genetic engineering even back in his debut film...

"Hatful" may appear somewhat dated by today's standards and the direction and performances still seem more stage than film-oriented..but love seeing the old Brooklyn waterfront and those ESSO gas signs again...and the cast puts in a fine day's work...

If you liked this one...put "The Lost Weekend", "Man With The Golden Arm" and "Days of Wine and Roses" on the to-do list for comparison shopping purposes.

(And for you Tony Franciosa fans out there...you can now turn your attention to line 2 of Tom Waits' "Goin' Out West").....

Good drama showing how a family can be far different than what it appears when certain members refuse to live in the present. Nolan was good as the bantam rooster of a father and Franciosa shone as the drunken yet solid older brother. As always Silva, with that cruel face, was well cast as a heartless pusher whose love for money can only lead to disaster. I wanted to slap his hyper little helper; what a creep.

I really enjoy black and white films as the audience is then expected to observe the actors' emotions and actions on screen and not be distracted by the color of the male star's shirt, or the color of lipstick that the lead actress is wearing. Having just complimented the B&W cinematography I can also compliment the stellar acting of the four main characters.

Eva Marie Saint is such a beautiful and striking actress but, in this film, she plays Celia Pope, and she had to dress down to a more homely looking (only in dress appearance) stenographer working housewife who shares her apartment kitchen conversations with her three leading men. Don Murray plays Johnny Pope, a retired war veteran who is struggling with a severe drug addiction that only his older brother Polo Pope, played by Anthony Franciosa is aware of, when their absentee childhood father John Pope, Sr. Played by veteran actor Lloyd Nolan decides to suddenly re-appear into his sons' lives with his hand out for some money that his son Polo had provided an open end invitation to receive.

The drama that takes place within the kitchen amongst these four actors is very lifelike except for the constant moaning of the three family members consistently calling out the drug addicted family member Johnny Pope " Oh Johnny", or "no Johnny" and the most common cry simply "Johnny, Johnny, Johnny" .

As I write my review 67 years subsequent to the films initial release, and with the more prevalent use of the drug fentanyl being much more deadly in todays society the film's impact has obviously been diminished. What has not diminished over the past 67 years is the quality of the acting and the B&W cinematography in Hatful of Rain. Once again, I thank Turner Classic Movies (TCM) for adding it to their film library for all to watch a time capsule of four (4) great performances.

I give the film a respectable 6 out of 10 IMDb rating.

Back in the 1950's, it was not normal to see a movie that addressed a social problem such as Heroin addiction. The film also slightly implicates the US Army as the source of Johnny's addiction when he was in the Army Hospital following spending months in a cave in Korea. The film pulls no punches as it displays the ruthless pushers who will "put you in the hospital with Willie DeCarlo" if you don't pay what you owe for the Heroin. It also shows how addicts will do anything to get their next "fix". One really feels for Johnny's brother Polo who works as a bouncer to get money for Johnny's habit and at the same time trying to hide the fact that his brother is an addict from Johnny's wife and thier father. In addition, as one who grew up in a NYC housing project in the 1950's and 60's i have to say the on location filming in the projects brings back lots of memories of what my project looked like. I am happy to say i have a good VHS version of the film i took off the OLD AMC years ago (before they ruined AMC with commercials.)

An ex-soldier/now unemployed junkie in New York City keeps his addiction secret from his pregnant wife and his visiting father; his adoring brother acts as an enabler, and eventually things come to a boil when the guy needs a hit and can't scrape together the twenty dollars to get himself through the night. Playwright Michael V. Gazzo made a big splash with this story on the stage; he's also credited with work on the adaptation, yet the only fault of the film is the dialogue. The back-and-forth conversations between the addict and his wife or the addict and his father don't really ring true (the words are theatrical, as is the phrasing given by the actors). The brother, portrayed by Oscar-nominee Anthony Franciosa (reprising his Broadway performance), spends far too much of the first act drunk--in that movie-version of inebriated (stumbling, laughing, fiddling with his clothes, saying, "I'm drunk! I'm drunk!"). Still, Franciosa gets a good rhythm going with Lloyd Nolan as his father and Don Murray as his brother, although Nolan and Murray don't fare as well when they're on their own. Murray tries hard in the showiest part, and several of his big scenes are effective, but he's too clean, too dry and smooth to really convey the lows of a doper on the edge. Eva Marie Saint has the most under-developed role playing Murray's wife, yet she conveys the polite frustration of this woman with ease (which is often times harder than pulling out all the stops). Nice locations and gritty black-and-white cinematography help tremendously, and the picture is quite moving once the preliminaries are out of the way. **1/2 from ****

A Korean war veteran (Don Murray) has developed a raging heroin habit which he hides from his pregnant wife (Eva Marie Saint)and his father (Lloyd Nolan). He has those classic "I've got a monkey on my back" mannerisms which the audience can appreciate, while the wife and father wonder why he seems nervous all the time. His dealer, a character known as Mother, played by Henry Silva, and Mother's sidekick, a beatnik type known as Chuch, played by Gerald S. O Laughlin, are memorable characters. Murray is great as his desperation grows, in debt to Mother, trying to keep his problem a secret, pushed to the extreme. The powerhouse drama features an utterly fantastic role, played by Anthony Franciosa, as Murray's heavy drinking brother, who protects Murray but is in love with his wife at the same time. It could have all been too stagey, but thanks to director Fred Zinneman, there's action to spare in this gritty New York drama.

I saw A Hatful of Rain and Bigger Than Life in the same evening, because they seemed to make the perfect double feature as they both dealt with addictions. (They had been on my short list of movies to see for a while.) I watched A Hatful of Rain first. It features good actors, who give good, thoughtful performances, but the film, on the whole, felt a little too stagy and like it was trying too hard to be self-important and/or preachy with its family dynamics. While it's rather respectful and tender in depicting Don Murray's morphine addiction and Eva Marie Saint's predicament in loving someone she can't altogether help, you begin to tire of its downbeat feel. Tony Franciosa is good as his brother who is tired of helping him out every single time and, at the same time, finds himself attracted to his wife. One may say that comparing this film to Bigger Than Life is not fair to this one, as I found it to be far superior to this, but, if you only have two hours to spare, watch Bigger Than Life first. Then, five minutes into this, you will see a world of difference, as A Hatful of Rain tries to be bigger than life.

I have had relatives addicted to street drugs. As this film shows, overdose is the least of your worries. Addicts not only throw their own lives away, they drag their loved ones down with them. They not only destroy the love you have for them but they endanger your life along with theirs. They make the character more sympathetic by being a veteran with PTSD. This film should be shown in all schools starting in third grade. Although realistic it is still more sanitized that reality.

A Hatful Of Rain (1957) : Brief Review -

Medically and sociologically accurate, as they say, but a depressing watch for non-junkies. Don Murray is more powerful than morphine. Fred Zinnemann's cinema has sometimes left me stunned, and for the right reasons, but I had never expected him to make a film on a druggie and leave my nerves shaking. I don't know about others, but for someone like me who doesn't touch a drop of alcohol, cigarettes, or tobacco-forget drugs-A Hatful of Rain is a depressing watch. It is a hateful film, I must say. Why would someone enjoy watching things on a screen that they don't like to do in real life? For others, especially addictive ones, this might be a lesson, but I am not gonna speak on their behalf. When I saw "Requiem For a Dream," I was stunned and shattered, not because of the horrible consequences of drug addiction but because the film explored those scary visuals in a mind-shaking manner. A Hatful of Rain is not that dangerous, but yes, it does leave you shattered for a moment or so, especially the ending note. Speaking about the impact it created at the time of its release, the frank depiction of drug addiction was so rare that people started noticing physical changes in their own family members for a while. People also call it a medically and sociologically accurate account of the effects of morphine on an addict and his family. The performance of Don Murray will leave you stunned, if not the film. He is phenomenal, outstanding, and unbelievable! Eva Marie Saint as Celia is fantastic too. You can't expect a female character to be so disturbed, unhappy, stable, and yet strong at the same time, and what a knockout Eva was here. The other two fellas, Anthony Franciosa and Lloyd Nolan, add their brilliant support to leave you in awe. Fred Zinnemann has better films, but this was a gutsy one. So, it's fairly watchable.

RATING - 6/10*

By - #samthebestest.

I check at least once a month to see if this fabulous film has finally been released on video. Just like the way that "Days of Wine and Roses" tackled the subject of alcohol addiction, this film tackled the subject of drug addiction like none other before or since. Terrific performances by all, especially Don Murray and Anthony Franciosa as the two brothers, each held to a different standard by a overbearing father played by Lloyd Nolan. There is also an appearance by a very young William Hickey of "Prizzi's Honor" fame in one of his first roles. This film is a window back in time to life in New York City in the 50's. I urge whoever owns the rights to this film, please release it on DVD

Johnny Pope (Don Murray), his pregnant wife Celia (Eva Marie Saint), and his brother Polo (Anthony Franciosa) live in a New York City housing project. The boys' father John Sr. (Lloyd Nolan) has come for a visit. He also needs money from Polo. Polo had promised him the money, but now needs it himself. Johnny is secretly addicted to morphine after his Korean War experience.

This is based on a play. It tries to be realistic especially with drug addiction. This does have Eva Marie Saint. The guys are all pretty good. Anthony Franciosa gets an Oscar nomination. The filming style does have a bit of the play in it. Sometimes, it stays relatively stationary and allows the actors to do their work. They do some good work.

My summary might scare off some, but this is not the infamous "Reefer" movies of earlier days. This film has a great cast, who work with a great script. Don Murray plays an unlikely addict because he acquired his habit as a wounded soldier. His addiction and effects on himself and family are the plot focus. The actors draw out our pity and condemnations. The film does not preach about addiction. The film does portray an ugly problem about drugs, be they legal or illegal. My generation which came to age in the 60's saw many films which showed the "fun" side of getting smashed or high. A great number of them are no longer living, or are shadows of themselves because of addiction.

"Johnny" (Don Murray) has returned from the Korean war to pregnant wide "Celia" (Eva Marie Saint) and together with his sometimes quite wayward brother "Polo" (Anthony Franciosa) tries to make a go of things in New York. It's the arrival of the boy's father (Lloyd Nolan) that seems to set the cat amongst the pigeons as he is looking for some money he lent one of them so he can complete a property deal in Florida. Well, there's not a penny in the pot and he demands to know why. Initially you might think it's "Polo" who is the root of the problem, but quickly we are introduced to "Mother" (Henry Silva) and his drug peddling goons and discover that it's "Johnny" who has a problem that is spiralling menacingly out of control. It's a secret the brothers share, but not the only secret in the story and as we progress the intensity of conflict and old grudges only increases amongst this family grappling with the effects of despair and fear. Murray and an admittedly emotive effort from Marie Saint my claim top billing, but it was actually Nolan who played the pivotal role here. Not without demons of his own, his portrayal of this confused and betrayed paternal character adds quite a bit to the sense of embarrassment and shame felt by just about everyone. Bernard Herrmann's instantly recognisable score is over-used, I thought - all too often used to augment a tension that could maybe have been done better by a stronger Murray and a more penetrative script. That said, though, this is a grittily well delivered illustration of a man abandoned by the state after his military usefulness was over and picked up by mercenary addict-fuelling hoodlums with little human decency.

My first viewing of this movie was when i was eleven years old. It was being aired on the Friday night late show. I found it to be a gripping tale of a Korean war veteran returning home with a heroin addiction which was brought on from battle wounds recieved during the conflict.After that point was established you tend to feel for Johnny Pope and his family. A hero in his fathers eyes with his brother Polo paling in comparison in dads opinion. Johnny's wife and brother do everything they can to cope with his addiction and keep John Sr. in the dark about it building to the eventual climax when the truth comes out.A well written and acted tale that left an impression on me.

I saw this play-turned-film many years ago on late-night TV and have been wanting a copy for my collection. I miss that late-night discovery of motion picture history from my bed that I received back in my high-school days, when I'd watch whatever was on because they seemed to care to show good stuff on my local station and there was always something I'd never seen. I'd remembered Eva Marie Saint from "On The Waterfront", but she just blew me away in this film. And Tony Franciosa I new from TV. Was it "The Name of the Game"? Anyway, he was great in this film, as he was in "A Face in the Crowd". I wish more people remembered him. Don Murray was also very good. These were all actors hard at work with a great script. It has one of the most moving endings I've ever seen. Where's my DVD?

written in perfect form and directed the same. as for the acting well don murray turns in the best performance of his career. eva marie saint and lloyd nolan are in top form and henry silva is excellent as mother. anthony franciosa steals the show with possibly the best performance in a motion picture. this film is so good it should be made available on video and never be taken out of print. it is one of those as perfect as film can be movies. if you get the chance to see it don't pass it by for anything.

dated, cornball, but with truths still to be told; that's the plus side; the negative is don murray who can single handedly wreck any movie; the standard ploy? look as though it's difficult, almost painful to say what you're about to say; in this movie he does it to death, but also in bus stop which could have been a hoot; and it's only cagney's overwhelming performance in shake hands with the devil to keep this one-note guy from wrecking that otherwise brilliant flick; no, i never met the guy, don';t have any reason to dislike the guy, but in his movies you are constantly reminded that one of the charters is trying to act here; overall a tired subject nicely shot but you will be tempted to find something else in the fridge whenever murray tries to take charge

The average fan will know Michael V. Gazzo far better for his career role as Frankie Pantangeli in The Godfather Part 2, but he was so much more than a film gangster. He was an acting teacher of some renown and a writer. This multi-talented man penned A Hatful Of Rain and it ran for 398 performances during the 1955-56 season on Broadway.

Two of the players repeated their roles from Broadway, Anthony Franciosa as Polo Pope for which he won a Best Actor nomination to go with the Tony Award nomination he got for Broadway. And as the murderous drug dealer Mother, Henry Silva came over from the East Coast as well.

On what should be a happy occasion Lloyd Nolan as father to Franciosa and younger son Don Murray is up from Florida where he's coming to collect on a promise of money from Franciosa. The nest egg that Tony was sitting on is now gone. Little does Nolan dream that the money is being poured into Murray's veins. Murray his beloved younger son and war hero from Korea came home as did so many others a drug addict, hooked on morphine.

As we watch the film, bit by bit the Pope family secrets come out. The boys did not have much of a childhood, half the time they were foster care or orphanages as Nolan who was a widower just couldn't take care of them. In addition Franciosa who's bounced from dead end jobs one after another boards with Murray and wife Eva Marie Saint.

Because of his addiction Murray has been paying less and less attention to his wife and Eva Marie and Tony are finding a mutual attraction. On stage this played out in real life as Shelley Winters had the wife's part on stage. Franciosa and Winters wound up marrying.

A Hatful Of Rain was proof of further cracking of the Code because until The Man With The Golden Arm came out two years earlier, drug addiction was a forbidden subject unless it was covered in something like Reefer Madness. The post World War II film To The Ends Of The Earth that starred Dick Powell as a federal narcotics cop covered the law enforcement part of the story and other films followed that one. But addiction itself was forbidden. As Philip Marlowe in Murder My Sweet, Powell was also shot up with what was called 'hop' at the time, but I can't think of another film where the subject was broached.

In between A Hatful Of Rain and The Man With The Golden Arm was also Monkey On My Back, the true story of former welterweight champion Barney Ross who like Murray got addicted during recovery in a military hospital.

Although Don Murray does a fine acting job as John Pope, personally I would have much preferred to see Ben Gazzara who originated the part on Broadway. The film was shot on location in New York City and Gazzara is so much more an urban type than Murray.

The only recognition A Hatful Of Rain received from the Motion Picture Academy was Anthony Franciosa's nomination for Best Actor. He's always been a favorite of mine, he's never bad in anything he does. But sad to say that Tony ran up against The Bridge On The River Kwai. Usually a big budget film like that will always buck a small feature like A Hatful Of Rain. And Alec Guinness was not going to be denied that year.

A Hatful Of Rain though has stood the test of time. It could easily be done again today with the protagonist being a veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan. We may yet see that, but believe me this film will more than do until then.

For all you people who liked the film A Hatful of Rain you must get a copy of the play and read that also..It is brilliant. I taught the play for many years in my 12 grade English class. After we read it I would show the film. That film still holds up in many ways. I have noticed that that film plays often on Fox Movie Channel. Chance are you can catch it there if it is still not available to rent or purchase on DVD. All the actors in the film are perfect for their parts. Anthony Franciosa, Don Murray, Eva Marie Saint and Lloyd Nolan play their parts to perfection. Lloyd Nolan is VERY GOOD. His love for one son over the other over is played to the hilt. My students were most impressed with his performance. So will you.

Intense and harrowing family drama typical of 50's style New York film-making. At the time, Hollywood was caught up in the double-whammy of TV competition and Cold War scare, so programming from the West Coast tended to emphasize big screen spectacle and politically safe subject matter. On the other hand, films from New York City, such as On the Waterfront and Edge of the City, emphasized small screen black & white, with urban settings and grittier subject matter.

Here it's drug addiction among a white-collar family ensconced in a Manhattan apartment. Hooked because of a war wound, Johnny (Don Murray) has a loving wife Celia (Eva Marie Saint), a loyal brother Polo (Anthony Franciosa), and an arrogantly insensitive father (Lloyd Nolan). There's real tension between husband and wife because Johnny is fearful of confessing his secret addiction. As a result, Celia feels neglected by his drug-created absences, while Johnny keeps losing jobs, and Polo ends up paying for his brother's habit. When Dad comes from Florida to collect promised money from Polo that he now doesn't have, events begin spiraling out of control.

Needless to say, acting here is front and center stage. The cast comes through beautifully, especially Franciosa as the intensely conflicted Polo who's attracted to his brother's wife while providing Johnny the needed support. And it doesn't help that Dad has always favored Johnny even as Polo must keep that same brother's ruinous secret. Poor Polo, the stress may appear to be on Johnny and his addiction, but it's really Polo who's emotionally torn.

This is not a movie for the depressed. Nearly all the scenes take place in the couple's rather drab apartment, except for a few street shots of Johnny trapped by Manhattan's towering impersonality. This is urban despair 50's style, when drugs and addiction were considered a strictly urban problem related to unwholesome types that thrived there. The darker skinned drug-pusher Mother (Henry Silva)) conforms to a popular stereotype of the time, along with his be-bopping confederate Apple (Bill Hickey), another popular stereotype. And when Mother says it's only business after threatening Johnny, we get a different perspective on the rise of post-war commercialism. (Why the lugubrious name "Mother" for a low-life drug dealer? My guess is that it characterizes in ironic fashion the dependent relation addicts have with their supplier.)

The image that stays with me is a strung-out Johnny, hunkered down in his coat, drifting alone on the streets of Manhattan. It's a grim existential moment, especially for that upbeat decade. Anyway, the movie remains a dramatic powerhouse that still packs a wallop. And even that bane of 50's films, the required happy ending, is finessed in suitably ambiguous fashion.

This is one of the first movies I saw about addiction and it is one of the best I have seen. Don Murray was fantastic as a addict and his brother played the part of the family saver well to. I have searched to get a print of this movie without success. this shows the seedy side of addiction. It also showed the impact a family member who is addicted to something has on his family in this case his wife thought there was another woman. There was the strong family feeling from this movie and the father was a overbearing perfectionist that really loved his family but had trouble showing it to both brothers which hurt the other brother big-time.