Sam Leaps Into:
Billy Beaumont, a traveling huckster who claims to have the power to make it rain.
Objective:
Bring some rain to his drought stricken hometown. Save his brother's marriage.
Date:
9-7-53
Location:
Clover Bend, Texas
Memorable Quote:
I don't know who's running this show. I don't know why I was chosen. I bounce around from place to place. I do everything I'm supposed to do. At least the best way I can. But I don't know how to do this one. I mean, You gotta help me. I figure you owe me...for a couple times anyway. You make it rain. You hear me? You make it rain! ~Sam
I don't know who's running this show. I don't know why I was chosen. I bounce around from place to place. I do everything I'm supposed to do. At least the best way I can. But I don't know how to do this one. I mean, You gotta help me. I figure you owe me...for a couple times anyway. You make it rain. You hear me? You make it rain! ~Sam
Highlight:
The scene where Sam is in a field asking God to make it rain (see memorable quote) while some phenomenal revival-style blues plays in the background. One of my favorite moments from the entire series.
The scene where Sam is in a field asking God to make it rain (see memorable quote) while some phenomenal revival-style blues plays in the background. One of my favorite moments from the entire series.
Lowlight:
I'm never a fan of friends or brothers fighting (see my Hellfire post for more detail as to why).
Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:
- Billy's brother Ralph is played by Patrick Massett who played an equally grumpy, sour character in The Americanization of Machiko. At the end we finally get to see him smile for the first time in two episodes. Great performance by him and by Carl Payne (Sam's assistant).
- I like Al's reference to the future "Cholesterol Control Act."
- Some parallels to the end of Thou Shalt Not where Sam also staged a fight and let his jealous brother get some shots in order to let him score some points with his wife.
- Right before it rains at the end, you can hear thunder in the background.
- Ralph sure was transformed quickly -- not only is he back on good terms with Billy by the end but he's inviting him to stay at his house! Seems like a risky move considering his wife's prior feelings for Billy.
Final Analysis:
I'm a big fan of this one. Fantastic Americana setting of an early 50's small Texas town, and a monumental challenge for Sam to overcome in finding a way to make it rain. Throw in the goosebump producing speech to God (the music was so good that I remembered the tune exactly from when I was a kid even though I remembered almost nothing else from the episode), and we're looking at a classic. Ranking it at a lofty 8 out of 60.
Not much to say about this one other than it didn't do much for me. I liked the idea and agree that the challenge Sam was presented with was a tall order, but I just couldn't get into the story and thought the episode was colossally slow and repetitive. The conflict with the brother that you disliked was actually one of the only times in the episode I got interested, crazy as it was that the mother was letting them beat each other senseless because "it had been a long time coming". And the fact that rain emerged because of voodoo and changed history wasn't a satisfying ending. Sorry....not for me. I'll rank it between "Blind Faith" and "Shock Theater".
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