A Walk in the Spring Rain (1970)

GP | 98 mins | Drama | April 1970

Director:

Guy Green

Cinematographer:

Charles Lang Jr.

Editor:

Ferris Webster

Production Designer:

Malcolm C. Bert

Production Company:

Pingree Productions
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HISTORY

An article in the 28 Jun 1969 LAT stated that writer-producer Stirling Silliphant heard about Ingrid Bergman’s interest in Rachel Maddux’s 1966 novel, A Walk in the Spring Rain, two years before he approached her to star in a screen adaptation, in late fall 1967. Bergman was then starring in the Broadway production of Eugene O’Neill’s More Stately Mansions (New York City, 31 Oct 1967). An item in the 13 Nov 1968 NYT confirmed Bergman’s involvement in the project, stating that it would be her first American film in twenty years, after Joan of Arc (1950, see entry).
       Kevin Billington was initially attached to direct, but his departure was announced in the 28 Mar 1969 DV, which cited Billington’s creative disagreement with Silliphant as the reason. Days later, an item in the 2 Apr 1969 Var reported that Guy Green would take over as director, and that shooting would begin later that month.
       Production was initially planned to take place in the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia. However, by Nov 1968, the locale was shifted to the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. The 11 Dec 1968 Var stated that headquarters were set up in Knoxville, TN, where some filming took place. The town of Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park also served as locations. Rehearsals began mid-Apr 1968, as noted in the 15 Apr 1969 DV, and principal photography followed on 21 Apr 1969.
       Production moved from Tennessee to New York City in May or early Jun 1969. Shooting was delayed one day in New York ...

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An article in the 28 Jun 1969 LAT stated that writer-producer Stirling Silliphant heard about Ingrid Bergman’s interest in Rachel Maddux’s 1966 novel, A Walk in the Spring Rain, two years before he approached her to star in a screen adaptation, in late fall 1967. Bergman was then starring in the Broadway production of Eugene O’Neill’s More Stately Mansions (New York City, 31 Oct 1967). An item in the 13 Nov 1968 NYT confirmed Bergman’s involvement in the project, stating that it would be her first American film in twenty years, after Joan of Arc (1950, see entry).
       Kevin Billington was initially attached to direct, but his departure was announced in the 28 Mar 1969 DV, which cited Billington’s creative disagreement with Silliphant as the reason. Days later, an item in the 2 Apr 1969 Var reported that Guy Green would take over as director, and that shooting would begin later that month.
       Production was initially planned to take place in the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia. However, by Nov 1968, the locale was shifted to the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. The 11 Dec 1968 Var stated that headquarters were set up in Knoxville, TN, where some filming took place. The town of Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park also served as locations. Rehearsals began mid-Apr 1968, as noted in the 15 Apr 1969 DV, and principal photography followed on 21 Apr 1969.
       Production moved from Tennessee to New York City in May or early Jun 1969. Shooting was delayed one day in New York when thieves stole $250,000 worth of equipment from a garage where it was being stored overnight. Replacement gear was brought in from Los Angeles, CA. The 12 Jun 1969 NYT indicated that some shooting was done in Hollywood, CA.
       The world premiere was held on 9 Apr 1970 in Knoxville, where the picture was screened as “an opening social event” for the Knoxville Dogwood Arts Festival, as stated in a 15 Apr 1970 Var article. Theatrical release was scheduled to take place the week of 14 Apr 1970 “in selected locations across the southeast and elsewhere.” Critical reception was largely negative, and the film proved to be a commercial failure.
       A Walk in the Spring Rain marked Katherine Crawford’s feature motion picture acting debut. Pete Kellett was listed as a cast member in the 22 Apr 1969 DV, and Ernest King served as casting director, according to the 29 Apr 1969 DV.
       A book titled Fiction Into Film: A Walk in the Spring Rain was published in 1970 by the University of Tennessee Press. It included Maddux’s novel, Silliphant’s screenplay, and commentary by Neil D. Isaacs “on the fashioning of the script and various stages of production,” according to the 1 Oct 1969 Var.

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GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS
PERSONAL & COMPANY INDEX CREDITS
HISTORY CREDITS
CREDIT TYPE
CREDIT
Personal note credit:
SOURCE CITATIONS
SOURCE
DATE
PAGE
Daily Variety
17 Jan 1968
p. 1, 15
Daily Variety
16 May 1968
p. 3
Daily Variety
13 Nov 1968
p. 1
Daily Variety
28 Mar 1969
p. 1
Daily Variety
15 Apr 1969
p. 2
Daily Variety
22 Apr 1969
p. 4
Daily Variety
29 Apr 1969
p. 2
Daily Variety
12 Jun 1969
p. 1
Daily Variety
15 Jul 1969
p. 2
Daily Variety
8 Apr 1970
p. 10, 16
Los Angeles Times
24 Mar 1968
Section D, p. 19, 53
Los Angeles Times
9 Jan 1969
Section G, p. 13
Los Angeles Times
26 Apr 1969
Section B, p. 7
Los Angeles Times
28 Jun 1969
Section A, p. 6
Los Angeles Times
26 Oct 1969
Section V, p. 19
Los Angeles Times
3 May 1970
Section C, p. 58
Los Angeles Times
7 May 1970
Section G, p. 22
Los Angeles Times
20 Nov 1970
Section H, p. 1
New York Times
13 Nov 1968
---
New York Times
8 Jun 1969
Section D, p. 8, 12
New York Times
12 Jun 1969
---
New York Times
18 Jun 1970
---
Variety
15 Nov 1967
p. 6
Variety
3 Jan 1968
p. 32
Variety
11 Dec 1968
p. 24
Variety
29 Jan 1969
p. 30
Variety
2 Apr 1969
p. 24
Variety
23 Apr 1969
p. 26
Variety
18 Jun 1969
p. 5
Variety
17 Sep 1969
p. 6
Variety
1 Oct 1969
p. 75
Variety
8 Apr 1970
p. 26
Variety
15 Apr 1970
p. 5
CAST
PRODUCTION CREDITS
NAME
PARENT COMPANY
PRODUCTION COMPANY
PRODUCTION TEXT
A Stirling Silliphant-Guy Green Production
DISTRIBUTION COMPANY
NAME
CREDITED AS
CREDIT
DIRECTORS
Dir
Asst dir
Asst dir
PRODUCER
WRITER
PHOTOGRAPHY
Charles Lang
Dir of photog
ART DIRECTOR
Art dir
FILM EDITOR
Film ed
SET DECORATOR
Set dec
COSTUMES
Miss Bergman's ward
MUSIC
VISUAL EFFECTS
Spec eff
MAKEUP
Miss Bergman's makeup
Makeup supv
Hairstyles
SOURCES
LITERARY
Based on the novel A Walk in the Spring Rain by Rachel Maddux (New York, 1966).
LITERARY SOURCE AUTHOR
SONGS
"A Walk in the Spring Rain," music and lyrics by Elmer Bernstein and Don Black, sung by Michael Dees; "Shenandoah," traditional, sung by Janet Nelson.
PERFORMED BY
SONGWRITER/COMPOSER
DETAILS
Release Date:
April 1970
Premiere Information:
World premiere in Knoxville, Tennessee: 9 Apr 1970; Los Angeles opening: 6 May 1970
Production Date:
21 Apr--mid Jun 1969
Copyright Info
Claimant
Date
Copyright Number
Pingree Productions
1 April 1970
LP37908
Physical Properties:
Sound
Color
Eastman Color
Widescreen/ratio
Panavision
Duration(in mins):
98
MPAA Rating:
GP
Country:
United States
Language:
English
PCA No:
22256
SYNOPSIS

Professor Roger Meredith and his wife, Libby, journey to rural Tennessee, where Roger hopes to spend his sabbatical writing a law text. Arriving on a snowy winter night, the middle-aged couple stops for the key to their rented house at the home of farmer-mechanic Will Cade, Cade's loquacious wife, and their profligate son, Boy. The earthy Will is attracted to the reserved Libby and courts her, offering blunt compliments and a gift of baby goats. The romance, however, is aborted by Will's and Libby's respective progeny. The Merediths' daughter, Ellen, arrives unexpectedly, announcing her acceptance by Harvard Law School and demanding that Libby return to care for grandson Bucky. Shortly after Libby's refusal, she is molested by drunken Boy Cade but rescued by Will, who accidentally kills his son. The disillusioned Merediths return to the city, Libby having abandoned her romantic hopes, Roger his literary ...

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Professor Roger Meredith and his wife, Libby, journey to rural Tennessee, where Roger hopes to spend his sabbatical writing a law text. Arriving on a snowy winter night, the middle-aged couple stops for the key to their rented house at the home of farmer-mechanic Will Cade, Cade's loquacious wife, and their profligate son, Boy. The earthy Will is attracted to the reserved Libby and courts her, offering blunt compliments and a gift of baby goats. The romance, however, is aborted by Will's and Libby's respective progeny. The Merediths' daughter, Ellen, arrives unexpectedly, announcing her acceptance by Harvard Law School and demanding that Libby return to care for grandson Bucky. Shortly after Libby's refusal, she is molested by drunken Boy Cade but rescued by Will, who accidentally kills his son. The disillusioned Merediths return to the city, Libby having abandoned her romantic hopes, Roger his literary ambitions.

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Legend
Viewed by AFI
Partially Viewed
Offscreen Credit
Name Occurs Before Title
AFI Life Achievement Award

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