The Rainmaker is a 1956 film which tells the story of a middle-aged woman, suffering from unrequited love for the local town sheriff, who falls for a con man who comes to town with the promise that he can make it rain. It stars Burt Lancaster, Katharine Hepburn, Wendell Corey, Lloyd Bridges and Earl Holliman.
The movie was adapted by N. Richard Nash from his play. It was directed by Joseph Anthony .
It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Katharine Hepburn) and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. Earl Holliman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.
The Rainmaker was remade as Der Regenmacher in 1980 for German television. This version was directed by Ludwig Cremer and stars Rolf Becker , Cornelia Froboess and Götz George.
It was also made for American television in 1982, directed by John Frankenheimer and starring James Cromwell, Tommy Lee Jones, William Katt and Tuesday Weld.
The Rainmaker is also a 1995 novel by John Grisham that was made into a 1997 motion picture starring Matt Damon and Danny DeVito.