Soldier in the Rain (1963)

This bittersweet comedy/drama is based on a novel by William Goldman.The fairy tale like story revolves around two contemporary army buddies, played vigorously by Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen. Gleason is Master Sergeant Maxwell Slaughter, the smooth operator, who supply Sergeant Eustis Clay (Steve McQueen) idolizes and hopes will join him as a civilian in a private business enterprise.Clay endeavors to be a player in the military, just like Slaughter, but it seems as though Clay still has a lot to learn from his mentor.The two powerhouse leads are vibrantly supported by Tuesday Weld who holds her own as a shrill dizzy blonde teenager named Bobby Jo Pepperdine.Tony Bill is perfectly bumbling as Private First Class Jerry Meltzer, McQueen's screwball sidekick. Full of characters on the edge, who are pushed into rapid fire verbal skirmishes, director Ralph Nelson hits the comic moments hard without sacrificing the story's emotional depth. Watch for a classic McQueen 'jump-kick' in the final scenes.