Monster of the Day #3092

Updated on August 24, 2020 By Ken Begg 15 Comments

GalaxyJane mentioned she’d recently watched The Devil’s Rain, and it’s on Amazon Prime, so why not? She thought it was a bit pokey at times despite it’s short running time, but liked the amazing cast. (Of course, you have to be of a certain age to go, “Oooh, Eddie Albert!”) She also mentioned Ernest Borgnine wearing make-up, which I didn’t remember at all. Nor could I find a picture like that, so here’s a normal picture of Borgnine I found.

Pin It



Related Posts

  • God, does he look young there. Too bad he lost his horns before filming started for Escape From New York. I heard that was the whole reason Carpenter cast him.

  • Gamera977

    I remember Borgine commenting on some weird things happening on set that put him off doing any more of these Satanic type films. He didn’t elaborate on what the things were though. I’d love to see a documentary on this like the one done on the ’90s ‘The Island of Doctor Moreau’.

  • zombiewhacker

    Ernest Borgnine, William Shatner, Eddie Albert, Tom Skerritt, Keenan Wynn, Ida Lupino, John Travolta, and pictured above (apparently) Morgul as the Friendly Drelb.

  • This image still makes me giggle hysterically.

  • Eric Hinkle

    Poor Ernest Borgnine. My dad loved him in McHale’s Navy. At least he hammed it up in classic style in this film; heck, I enjoyed watching him in it.

  • Eric Hinkle

    How did such a low-budget piece of schlock like this get (and waste) so many decent actors in it?

  • The Devil made them do it?

  • Ken_Begg

    I don’t know, that guy had an amazing career. And let’s admit it, schlock fans remember these guys far, far longer than nearly anyone else. I’m sure there are more people now who have seen him in Devil’s Rain than his Oscar-winning turn in Marty.

  • zombiewhacker

    Keep in mind, several of these actors were struggling at the time, Shatner in particular (the Star Trek revival was still years away). On the other hand, Skerritt’s career had only started warming up, so he could be hired cheaply enough, and Travolta was brand new.

    lt’s also probable that budget expenses were kept down by shooting the busier actors’ scenes all at once (whenever possible), then sending them straight home with a quick paycheck. Eddie Albert’s time on set was probably limited to a week or two. Keenan Wynn’s scenes were likely all shot in one day.

    I’m assuming Ernest Borgnine did not come as cheaply, given that he had more screentime than the other veteran actors involved and, as evinced above, had to endure long stretches in the makeup chair.

  • zombiewhacker

    Doing a quick tally over at IMDB, I calculated that Borgnine got one hundred and twenty-three acting roles AFTER the making of The Devil’s Rain. This included regular roles on two TV series, a cameo in the McHale’s Navy remake, and a shot on The Simpsons. Incredible.

  • Eric Hinkle

    I’m glad to hear that he got steady work after this,

  • Eric Hinkle

    Hollywood sure keeps Old Scratch busy, doesn’t it?

  • The overwhelming majority of Albert’s scenes (basically right up until the big climax) take place away from any of the main cast except Skeritt and don’t take place on the big ghost town lot, which reinforces that thought.

    Supposedly the reason that Shatner wasn’t in more of the film was because he had to fly to New York in the middle of the shoot for a big Star Trek convention.

    Between this and Food of the Gods, you have to wonder if Ida Lupino just liked doing this sort of stuff.

  • Eric Hinkle

    I’ve also read that the film was backed with Mafia money, and that Borgnine and the other big-name actors that appeared in it never got paid.

  • Eric Hinkle

    Actually according to him, Borgnine never got paid for this movie. Apparently it was backed by Mafia money.