Rainwear in Films

1950-59

1950

Definitely not one of Hitchcock's best films - but it's still Hitchcock! It stars Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding, Richard Todd and Alastair Sim. Eve Gill (Wyman) receives a visit from her former boyfriend, Jonathan Cooper (Todd), who is on the run from the police. He explains that he was trying to cover up a murder committed by his present lover, Charlotte Inwood (Dietrich), a singing star in the twilight of her career, but has only succeeded in having suspicion fall on him. Eve sets out to uncover the truth, aided by Scotland Yard detective, Wilfred Smith (Wilding), and her father (Sim). Of course, nothing is quite as it seems.
None of the stars wear raincoats, but there is a sequence at a fete when the heavens open, and the extras wear a variety of macs. Charlotte's dresser, Nellie (Kay Walsh), dabbling in a bit of blackmail, wears a rather grubby- looking raincoat in this sequence. (Dave D)

Portrait of Clare, Lance Comfort, UK, 1950

Claudette Colbert stars as Agnes Newton Keith, whose experiences of war-time captivity by the Japanese in North Borneo this is. Sessue Hayakawa is the Camp Commander, General Suga. When the Japanese first arrive at Sandakan, there is a rainstorm, so the Westerners all don their macs. (The natives just get drenched as usual!) Claudette Colbert wears a trenchcoat (in one scene, buttoned to the neck). Florence Desmond wears a plastic mac. When we first see it, it definitely has an attached hood, but later, when she is asking the Japanese Captain for some quinine,  her mac has no hood. Since we can assume that the Japanese did not supply replacement macs to the captives, this must be a continuity slip. Sylvia Andrew as Henrietta, another prisoner, wears a shiny plastic mac with a matching headscarf. (Dave)

A Case for PC 49, Francis Searle, UK, 1950

I've got a date for this at last! Not available on video though - as far as I can find out. Said by several reliable witneses to be very interesting. They include Elvis, so I will certainly keep looking out for it myself.

LE

Father of the Bride, Vincente Minnelli, USA, 1950

Eva Erbt Das Paradies... Ein Abenteuer Im Salzkammergut, Franz Antel, Austria, 1951

aka Illicit Interlude

When Maj-Bitt Nilsson visits her lover in hospital as he dies, following an accident during their brief relationship, she is wearing a long shiny black plastic raincoat. (Rainy Brian)

Farley Granger and Peggy Dow are players in a drama about the effect that the Korean War has on a typical American family. Picture in Rainy Day Cinema.(T)

There's a scene in the middle here where the character Carrie, played by Peggy Dow, is coming out of the rain, into boyfriend Jack's garage, wearing what looks like a regular mac, with an over-sized plastic rain scarf... Fascinating! (LH)

(T and LH)

Shows a man picking up two ladies hitching a lift in the rain, both wearing rubberised taffeta capes. Shortly after, the women take their capes off in the hallway - with the rubber lining clearly seen. (James)

Peter adds: Orson Welles did the introduction. Welles was in Ireland making a feature film at the time. Shelah Richards and Helena Hughes are wearing the capes.

(James and Peter)

Early in the film Pauline Stroud comes downstairs fastening her rubberised cotton mackintosh which is tightly belted, goes through to meet her boyfriend in the next room, and then twists and turns to check the seams of her stockings in the mirror, all accompanied by the loud swishing and rustling of the mack. Shortly after she is in the cinema still with her mac on. Reminding me of many occasions when I was in the cinema with a girl who used to wear a mackintosh... (James)

Decision before Dawn, Anatole Litvak, USA, 1951

La Tratta delle Bianche, Luigi Comencini, Italy, 1952

About 23 minutes into this film there are a couple of excellently shot scenes featuring a lady wearing transparent plastic raincoat. (Rainy Brian)

Known in the USA as Girls Marked Danger. The girl in the plastic raincoat is Silvana Pampanini (a one-time Miss Italy).

Sophia Loren was also in the film - but not in a raincoat.

(Domino)

Angels in the Outfield, Clarence Brown, US, 1952

More than one sequence featuring rubberised cotton macs. (Peter L) Set in a Scottish mining village. A young mother, Meg Buchanen, is seen at the start of the film wearing a rubberlined hooded mackintosh, preparing to venture out into the rain. There she neets Wendy Noel, also wearing a rubberlined mackintosh (no hood). They walk back together to the railway station and then back into the rain.

The film has a continuity problem. In one scene Meg's mackintosh has no hood as she enters a building but once inside a hood has appeared. This happens on three occasions in the film.

Another interesting scene is at the doctors. Meg wearing her hooded mackintosh has taken her younger brother there when there's an explosion in the mine. She open the window and puts her head out. Rain can clearly be seen to drop into her rubberlined hood. I wonder what happened when she put the hood up? (Bob)

Index pic thanks to RM.

(Peter L, Bob, RM)

I believe this was one of the first films to be award the new X certificate. The female lead was a young Joan Collins and she wears a white mackintosh for a significant sequence toward the end of the film. (RM)

'James Kennedy is the most gentle thug ever to terrorise the streets of London, but Joan Collins comes closer to life as the nice girl doomed to a life of misery.' Radio Times Guide to Films.

We're not married, Edmund Goulding, US, 1952

aka Forbidden Fruit

With Françoise Arnoul and Fernandel. He is besotted with her, and she meets him as he returns home wearing a rubberised mac. The scene, unfortunately, is very short. (HGG)

Mandy, Alexander Mackendrick, UK, 1952

(Authorities differ on the release date.)

Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, Casey Adams and Jean Peters amongst others enjoy the delights of Niagara falls in the days when they hired you real rubber Mackintoshes and Wellingtons to view the falls from either the Maid of the Mist, the Scenic Tunnel under Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side or the Cave of the Winds on the American side. (It's lightweight plastic now.) (AR) (Thanks to Servitus for supplying the pic.)

Ray adds:

Superb shots of American PVC (Slickers?), yellow macs, hats AND (!) trousers for the women. Black macs and boots for the men. All the macs have a large front collar. Two or more excellent time sequences when these mackintoshes are in full view and in very wet action scenes. Strongly recommend film to all PVC and shiny mac fans.

(AR, Ray)

Nachts auf den Strassen, Rudolf Jugert, Germany, 1952

The German film of 1952 with Hildegarde Knef was called Nachts auf den Strassen, shown in French as Seule sur la Route with English subtitles. Also called The Detour and for the UK and also the USA release Nights on the Road. In 1957 a re-release in the USA was called The Mistress. The truck driver was played by Hans Albers and the "easy girl" was called Inge. It was shown in Bruxelles in 1953 at the "Cinéma de Paris". (André)

Singin' in the Rain, Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, US, 1952

Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot, Jacques Tati and Bernard Maurice and Pierre Aubert, France, 1952

M. Hulot is on holiday in a drowsy seaside. In the typical hotel where he has bed and board he creates many disasters. (Bernard)

La Provinciale , Mario Soldati, Italy, 1953

On 38 minutes we see Gina Lollobrigida wearing a transparent plastic raincoat and then half an hour later she wears a dark non-transparent plastic raincoat. Neither of them have hoods. (Rainy Brian)

La Lollo looks fantastic in plastic! The film was known in the UK as The Wayward Wife. (Domino)

aka A Warning

For around five minutes at about the 30 minute mark we see factory workers, male and female, wearing rainwear, both plastic an non-plastic. (Rainy Brian)

From Here to Eternity, Fred Zinnermann, USA, 1953

The Bad and the Beautiful, Vincente Minnelli, France, 1953

World for Ransom, Robert Aldrich, US, 1953

Somerset Maugham's story "Rain" has been filmed at least three times. In the 1953 version Rita Hayworth played the main character - a woman of dubious reputation. It seemed that her mac was intended to protect her as much from the harrassment of the sanctimonious Reverend Davidson (Jose Ferrer) as from the monsoonal weather. Picture in Rainy Day Cinema.(T)

Stars Richard Wydmark, Karl Malden and Elaine Stewart. Elaine wore a classic trench coat in two scenes. She played the part of the widow of an officer, somewhat alcoholic, in love with Richard Wydmark, a military instructor, who was very evil and sadistic with the soldiers under him. It took place during the Korean War. Elaine looked great in the trench especially at the end of the film, when she wore it belted. (André)

Brieftrager Muller, John Reinhardt, Germany, 1953

The postman played by Heinz Ruhmann and his family are all wearing grey translucent plastic raincapes. (W.K.)

Well, "Miss Muller" is not dressed in a plastic raincape but in a plastic raincoat. (MacRain)

(W.K. and MacRain)

Genevieve, Henry Cornelius, UK, 1953

A woman wears a lovely dark blue taffeta mac in one of the race crowd scenes. (Anon). Another visitor adds: What about the lovely Dinah Sheridan wearing that lovely classic riding mac, then on arriving at the very seedy guest house, flopping on to the bed, still wearing that mac?

I loved Dinah Sheridan in her double-textured mac until I turned the sound up, when the snobby and petulant character she was playing almost turned me off! The bit I loved best was in the hotel at the reception counter, when she looked so wonderfully sharp standing there, with the belt buckled tight and the collar pulled up, her hands thrust in her pockets. Like a parcel done up tight and neat and secure by one of those male shop-assistants in expensive shoe shops. It looks as though it should be so easy to look like that, but oh how difficult it is! (LE)

For several reasons Genevieve is a very fine film. I've seen it replayed several times and, amongst other joys, love to see Dinah Sheridan in her lovely riding mac.

And yet; and yet - I feel sure that when I saw the film originally in the fifties, Kay Kendal was shown, for quite a few minutes, too, in her mac - blue, single-textured.

Have I been deluding myself all these years? Or was/am I right and was the film cut for some reason?

Anyone agree with me? Better still has anyone a video of a longer (uncut) edition ? That'd be super.

(Bryan)

The Band Wagon, Vincente Minelli, USA, 1953

Directed by Vincente Minelli after The Bad and the Beautiful, The Band Wagon featured Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. It tells the story of the come-back of a star dancer played by Astaire - who was actually making his own come-back with this film. The day of the premiere on Broadway saw heavy rain and at the end Cyd Charisse wore a nice classic trench coat with epaulettes (exactly like a Burberry) . She looked great! (André)

It's a Grand Life, John E. Blakeley, UK, 1953

aka Nous les Femmes

This is a film in four parts (each being a portrait of four famous Italian actresses (or actresses living in Italy) of the time : Ingrid Bergman, Alida Valli, Isa iranda and Anna Magnani. In the part with Anna Magnani (directed by Visconti), there is at the theatre with Anna Magnani two Viennese dancers dressed with underwear and plastic raincoats. They dance in their raincoats in a short ballet called " The Rain ".

L'Ennemi Public No 1, Henri Verneuil, France and Italy, 1953

The release is sometimes listed as 1954.

With Fernandel and Zsa-Zsa Gabor.

A french movie in USA. Because of a judicial mistake, Joe (Fernandel) is confused with a crook and imprisoned. Lola (Zsa-Zsa Gabor), a gang boss, is to organize his escape. To meet Fernandel, she obtains a rendez-vous with the prison warden, pretending to be a christian charity association member. Zsa-Zsa is a femme fatale, but for an ultra serious look in the warden's office, she has full buttoned up her mackintosh and turned up the collar tight around her neck. In an other scene she is again in her mac, this time unbuttoned.

Actress Nadia Gray wears a black raincoat with a belt - satin look. With Jean Gabin. (André)

Mad About Men, Ralph Thomas, UK, 1954

Towards the end of the film as a concert is starting, Glynis Johns suddenly appears in the dressing room wearing a beautiful bright yellow rubberised taffeta mackintosh with a matching hat. She leans back against the door and stretches the rubber mac with her lovely chest. Gorgeous! Shortly after she is seen in a wheelchair. When she pushes the wheels the rippling of the yellow mackintosh across her front is spectacular, and at one point she stops and [delete, delete!] (James).

Thanks to Bryan for the pic.)

Delirio, Pierre Billon, Italy and France, 1954.

Aka Orage (France)

With Françoise Arnoul .(André)

This is my Love, Stuart Heisler, US, 1954

Linda Darnell dressed in a plastic mac. (W.K.)

aka Blackout.

As a girl faints in the hero's flat, the door opens and in comes Eleanor Summerfield wearing a black rubberised satin mackintosh, which she fills beautifully. She walks over to the bed, unbuttons the mack, and with a loud swish throws it over the chair. (Bob)

Filmclip (Ivan)

Zapasnoy Igrok, Semyon Timoshenko, Russia, 1955

aka Запасной игрок, Benchwarmer,

At the very start of this football related colour film we see two of the leads getting soaking wet in an outdoor scene and in the background there is plenty of the rainwear of the day to see. (Rainy Brian)

Un Eroe Dei Nostri Tempi, Mario Monicelli, Italy,1955

aka A Hero For Our Times.

After about 41 minutes there’s a brief scene showing a lady wearing a long dark transparent raincat as she locks up her shop for the night. (Rainy Brian)

Les Diaboliques (The Fiends), Henri-George Clouzot, France, 1955

The Man with the Golden Arm, Otto Preminger, US, 1955

Where There's a Will, Vernon Sewell, UK, 1955

Les Mauvaises Rencontres, Alexandre Astruc, France, 1955

With Anouk Aimée.

(André)

The Sign of Venus, Dino Risi, Italy, 1955

Norah Gorsen who plays Jean runs down the hill to the Highland Games carrying a green rubberised satin raincoat shouting "Come away my wee Geordie". Geordie is played by Bill Travers. (Archie Savage)

Kiss Me Deadly, Robert Aldrich, USA, 1955

The Man Who Never Was, Ronald Neame, 1955

In the middle there's a scene with a blue rubberised mac. (BC)

James adds: - as the girl walks up the stair in her blue rubberised taffeta mackintosh, it swishes and rustles so sexily. She then picks up the bottle of milk to a cacophony of swishing which brings back wonderful stimulating memories of the rubberised mack. (James)

SarahJane has very kindly supplied the vid from which I have attempted to take some stills. The sequence is an absolute classic, I can see that. But you really have to see the movie! The sequence is shot in a dark lobby, the camera is looking on from a distance and as James says half the magic is in the susurrus! I must say I've always thought of this style of mackintosh as typical of the fifties when the film was made, not the war years the film was actually about...Must think again! I love the way the mackintosh appears almost liquid in its movement. The thought that actually comes to mind is the liquid sound birds make in tropical forest! (LE)

Diane Cilento wears a rubberised satin mac as she is seen first on deck and then in a cabin during rough weather at sea. (Bob, Peter L) As she is wearing it she appears to come over faint at least twice, causing her on each occasion to fall into a different but equally welcoming sailor's arms.(LE)

The Killer Is Loose, Budd Boetticher, USA, 1956

Hollywood or Bust, Frank Tashlin, USA, 1956

D-Day, the Sixth of June, Henry Koster, US, 1956

This stars Robert Taylor, Richard Todd and Dana Wynter (who was always billed as Dagmar Wynter in her earlier British films. It would seem that her real name was Dagmar Spencer-Marcus (!) or was that a publicist's joke?) Anyone expecting an action-packed war film would be sadly disappointed. This is one of those films where a number of seemingly cohesive parts fail to come together, for no very good reason, and result in mediocrity. What it badly lacks is passion in both the romantic passages and the sole action sequence. Indeed, the greatest excitement comes when Richard Todd's character gets his go-uppance (sic - well, it's a sick joke anyway) at the end of the film.
Dana Wynter wears a stone coloured trench coat (sans epaulettes) in several of her scenes. At one point Robert Taylor makes sure her top button is fastened. (Dave D)

Robert Mitchum, Robert Wagner, Richard Egan and May Britt (who was at one time married to Sammy Davis Jnr.) are the stars of this film. Major Saville (Mitchum) is the leader of a squadron of US jet fighters in action over the Yalu River in the Korean War. Lieutenant Carl Abbott (Lee Phillips) is married to Kristina (Britt), but she has wandering eyes and they wander in Saville's direction. It's highly probable that he also has eyes for her (but since this is Robert Mitchum, whose eyes are always half-shut, who can tell?). Whatever, they becomes lovers. Lieutenant Ed Pell (Wagner) is a cocky young pilot. When Abbott is wounded and forced to bale out over enemy territory, Saville sets out to rescue him. Pell (disobeying orders) does too.
Dick Powell, a popular singer in the 30's and a good actor in the 40's, proved himself a competent director and here makes a decent film out of fairly run-of-the-mill material.
There is one scene when Kristina visits the HQ to enquire after her husband, in which she wears an off-white trench mac. This is worn lose. Immediately after, we see her return home and look out of the window with her raincoat fully buttoned and belted. (Dave D)

Miracle in the Rain,
Rudolph Mate, US, 1956

This is a real 'weepie'. Forget your handkerchief - you'll need a bucket for this one! Set in New York during the Second World War, it stars Jane Wyman as timid secretary, Ruth, who allows herself to be picked up by a garrulous soldier (Van Johnson). You have to admire his bulldozing technique. He even takes her home to dinner: her home, that is - not his! Her mother is not at all pleased. In the scene where the couple meet, Ruth wears a dark belted raincoat and the soldier a thick US army one. As they dash for the bus through the rain, a number of hooded plastic raincoats, transparent and opaque, can be glimpsed. Oh, and if you can swallow the ending on this film, it really is a miracle! (Dave D)

Brigitte Bardot plays a wilful teenager living with foster parents. When they threaten to return her to the Home, she decides to run away from them. In a two minute sequence she is seen walking from their farm to a main road to catch a bus. She is wearing a delightful blue cotton rubberised mac, tightly buttoned and belted, showing off her fabulous figure. (Anon)

Crime et Châtiment, Georges Lampin, France, 1956

Voici le temps des assassins, Julien Duvivier, 1956, France

aka Deadlier than the Male

Jean Gabin plays a part of an owner of a restaurant in the quarter of "les halles". One day he received the visit of the daughter of his former wife (played by Daniele Delorme). It was indeed a "machination" on the part of the girl and her mother to get his money to feed their drug habit. Danièle Delorme wore here a raincoat with a belt (not really a true trench coat), very simple. She was very charming and wore her raincoat well! (André)

Des Gens sans Importance, Henri Verneuil, France, 1956

Somebody Up There Likes Me, Robert Wise, US, 1956

Hollywood gloss on life of boxer Rocky Graciano. Pier Angeli plays opposite Paul Newman's Rocky, sometimes from inside a period trenchcoat.(H)

(It says 'Graciano' at the front of the film, and it says 'Graciano' in my Halliwell - though most people have only heard of 'Marciano'. ( LE)

Catgirl, Alfred Shaughnessy, UK, 1957

aka Wild Strawberries

Towards the end of this film we see an already wet couple in their raincoats sitting in a car having an intense conversation. They then get out of the car to continue to talk in the rain and briefly we see more of their rainwear. The ladies' raincoat is plastic and possibly see-through. They then get back into the car and then talk more for a few moments.(Rainy Brian)

aka Carry on Admiral

After accidentally getting dunked in the harbour a young lady is forced into a quick change of clothing and soon reappears wearing little more than a black oilskin. (Rainy Brian)

This is not a masterpiece but because of some "ingredients" it is OK to watch. The 50's, a truck driver story, the highlight Diana Dors in a trench. Appearances are much too short but they exert their appeal even so!
(André)

Pal Joey, George Sidney, US, 1957

The Wayward Bus, Victor Vicas, US, 1957

Monpti, Helmut Käutner, Germany,1957

The Long Haul, Ken Hughes, 1957, UK

This film stars Diana Dors, George Baker and Terence Morgan. Dave Mansell (Morgan) is visited by his older brother, Johnny (Baker). Egged on by his girlfiend, Calico (Dors), Dave commits a robbery at the factory where he works as a book-keeper. Surprised by the night-watchman, he panics and shoots him. Calico flirts with Johnny, but is much more interested in the money from the robbery.
Being set 'Oop North' there are plenty of raincoats in evidence, but you're not likely to get too excited by them.
Sylvia, the night-watchman's daughter (Jane Griffiths), wears a white cotton mac. Sylvia's boyfriend (Patrick Allen) and Dave are seen in their macs. Johnny, in one scene, enters a pub thoroughly drenched, after being caught in a downpour. Calico has a trenchcoat which she holds over her head whilst crossing the rooftops to visit the brothers' flat from her own, opposite. This is the only time we see it. (Domino)

aka Tri prání

The main character is seen walking in heavy rain with her partner. She wears a knee-length raincoat and a plastic rain bonnet. Later she stands in the pouring rain and gets very wet. Other people in raincoats can be seen in the background. (PE)

The Key, Carol Reed, USA, 1958

Italian beauty in British-style rainwear.

(André)

aka The Cat, also The Face of the Cat.

Sometime in the fifties there was a French film called "The Face of the Cat". This was a "true story" type of thing. It was about a French woman who worked for the Abwher in Paris during the war. In it she wears a SBR mackintosh for a lot of the time. If I remember correctly the opening shot is with the cameras panning and tilting across her mackintosh in close up. She seems to live in her SBR coat during the film! Film in b&w. (Sandy) If I remember, her name was Mathilde Carrée (Bill - who kindly supplied some of the pics.)

IMDB gives the person as Suzanne Ménessier dite Cora and the actress as Françoise Arnoul - LE

(Sandy, Bill)

Le miroir à deux faces, André Cayatte, France and Italy, 1958

Another time another place, Lewis Allen, USA, 1958

Me And The Colonel, Peter Glenville, US, 1958

En cas de malheur, Claude Autant-Lara, France, 1958.

 LOVELY PICS REMOVED: SOMEONE HAS ASSERTED COPYRIGHT

With Jean Gabin and Brigitte Bardot. Jean Gabin plays a lawyer who defends BB in a case of robbery and falls in love with her. One evening he visits her in her hotel room, she was already in bed and to open the door she slings her shiny black mac round her. This leads (inevitably) to JG making love with her. When she gets off the bed (afterwards) she still wears the mac. (HGG)

Das Totenschiff, , W.Germany and Mexico, 1959

aka Ship Of Fools

Video

(Macrain)

In this film which formed part of a series of Edgar Wallace films, made abroad, but set in England, we see a lady wearing a hooded transparent raincoat. (Clip on Rainwear Central) (Rainy Brian)

Kam Cert Nemuze, Zdenek Podskalsky, Czechoslovakia, 1959

aka When the Woman Butts In

Right at the end the lead actress wears a long semi-transparent cream coloured plastic raincoat. (Rainy Brian)

Der Frosch mit der Maske, , Harald Reinl, Denmark and West Germany, 1959

aka Face of the Frog

Plastic rainwear.

(WK)

This film stars Anthony Quayle as the Rev. Howard Phillips, a vicar in the town of Bellington, who lives with his mother (Irene Browne) and their au pair, Michelle (Liliane Brousse). Andrew Ray [eldest son of Ted Ray] plays Larry Thompson, a young trouble-maker, and Sarah Churchill [eldest daughter of Winston Churchill] plays Hester Peters, the previous vicar's daughter, who has a crush on Howard. He does not, however, have one on her. Howard speaks up for Larry's brother, Curley (a young Cliff Richard - his first film) when he is up before the Magistrates. Later, Larry's girlfriend, Mary, confesses to Howard that Larry has got her pregnant. She then sees Larry kissing Michelle, and distraught, runs in front of a car and is killed. Not knowing this, Howard confronts Larry and tells him he should face up to his responsibilities. He responds by pretending that he has been sexually assaulted by Howard. Hester, who arrives at the most inopportune moment, backs up Larry's story. A 'woman scorned' and all that.

Hester wears a swing-cut, double-breasted raincoat, Mary a light single-breasted one, Michelle wears a standard-length (for then) dark one, and Mrs. Browning is briefly seen in a plastic mac (open) towards the end of the film.

There is a very small part as the Verger for a pre-Steptoe Wilfrid Brambell. There are uncredited appearances by Wilfred Pickles as the Chairman of the Bench and Philip Lowrie (who played Elsie Tanner's son, Dennis, in the early years of 'Coronation Street') as one of Larrry's gang.

Cliff gets to sing a few bars of "Living Doll" (not to be confused with his third hit "Livin' Lovin Doll") but at a much faster tempo than in the record. Cliff initially hated the song and even tried to prevent EMI from releasing it as a single! (Dave D)

In a film more notable for Cliff Richard's acting debut we get to see a lady wearing a see-through plastic raincoat who comes to tell the vicar that his au pair has been taken from him. (Rainy Brian)

Pêcheur d'Islande, Pierre Schoendoerffer, France, 1959

A classic trench worn by the incomparable Brigitte Bardot. It gets to me...

Trench coats came back into fashion due to the success of this film - and I've seen a picture of a classic trench in Le Soir called "modele babette"
(André)

Du rififi chez les femmes, Alex Joffé, France and Italy, 1959

With Suzy Parker, Hope Lange, Joan Crawford, and "french lover" Louis Jourdan.

In many scenes Suzy Parker wears a classic trench coat, it could be a Burberry. She was absolutely great in it - as we say in french "coup de foudre", it knocked me down. She wore it belted and you will see her in the streets of Manhattan. Unfortunately she commited suicide while wearing the coat, jumping from the window. (She is a secretary wanting to be on actress and falls in love with Louis Jordan, playing the part of an impressario. He disappoints her over the audition, and also in love.) (André)

Video clip thanks to David

On the Beach, Stanley Kramer, USA, 1959

Graham Greene's story about a vacuum cleaner salesman in pre-Castro Cuba who becomes an agent for British Intelligence stars Alec Guinness as Wormold. When he is rebuked by London for not recruiting any agents, he decides to invent some. He sends London some drawings he has made of an 'atomic reactor'. The Head of Intelligence (Ralph Richardson), tells Hawthorne (Noel Coward), "When I showed the drawings to the PM, he said it reminded him of an oversized vacuum cleaner!" London sends Beatrice (Maureen O'Hara) to assist Wormold. Thereafter things start to unravel and turn decidedly sinister.

At the end of the film we see Maureen O'Hara in a classic raincoat. (Dave D)

La Nuit des Traqués, Jean Roland,France and Belgium, 1959

With Juliette Mayniel (André)

Fiona Clyne visits Travers wearing a rubberised cotton trenchcoat, and goes to sea with him in it. She wears it tightly belted (buckled). The buttons are leatherlook, it has a double front yoke, comes to the knee, is double-breasted, has wrist straps. She wears it open at the collar. (H)

WK adds: Three items of rainwear in this film. The heroine Bernadette O'Farrell wears an off-white double textured riding mac, Charlotte Mitchell, a policemans wife, puts on a single-texture rubberlined mackintosh and Fiona Clyne is seen carrying but not wearing a plastic raincoat.

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