Rain or Shine

A very early Frank Capra film which was based on Broadway comedian Cooks hit musical. Unfortunately, the studio didnt want to pay extra for the songs, so the film is without the musical numbers. The plot has Peers as the inheritor of her late fathers financially floundering circus. With the help of her manager, Cook, Peers tries to salvage the big top and bring in bigger crowds. The main focus of the film is on the comic antics of Cook and his sidekicks Dave Chasen and Tom Howard, whose laughs are derived from some fairly inventive slapstick and pun-filled verbal exchanges. Two spectacular set pieces pop up in the film, one a nasty rainstorm (the special effects crew turned the water on a little high during the shooting and almost washed away the set, allowing an elephant to escape), the other a climactic burning of the big top (Capra actually set fire to the tent and filmed the scenes in one take before the whole thing burned down) giving a realistic, exciting air to the film. (jakelijan virallinen teksti)