''The Sins of Rachel Cade'' is a 1961 drama film directed by Gordon Douglas and starring

Angie Dickinson Angeline Dickinson (née Brown; born September 30, 1931) is an American actress. She began her career on television, appearing in many anthology series during the 1950s, before gaining her breakthrough role in ''Gun the Man Down'' (1956) wit ...

in the title role as well as Peter Finch and Roger Moore.

Plot

During World War II, Protestant medical missionary Rachel comes to the village of Dibela in the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

. Widowed military administrator Colonel Derode is initially skeptical about her work, but eventually is romantically attracted to Rachel. One of her patients is Paul Wilton, an American doctor with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

(RAF). She makes love with Paul the night before he is to leave, and becomes pregnant.

Cast

as Rachel Cade * Peter Finch as Colonel Henry Derode * Roger Moore as Paul Wilton *

Errol John Errol John (20 December 1924 – 10 July 1988) was a Trinidad and Tobago actor and playwright who emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1951. Biography Early years in Trinidad John was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on 20 December 1924, the ...

as Kulu *

Woody Strode Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode (July 25, 1914 – December 31, 1994) was an American athlete and actor. He was a decathlete and football star who was one of the first Black American players in the National Football League in the postwar era. Aft ...

as Muwango *

Juano Hernández Juano G. "Juano" Hernández (July 19, 1896 – July 17, 1970) was a Puerto Rican stage and film actor who was a pioneer in the African American film industry. He made his silent picture debut in ''The Life of General Villa'', and talking pi ...

as Kalanumu *

Frederick O'Neal Frederick O'Neal (August 27, 1905 – August 25, 1992) was an American actor, theater producer and television director. He founded the American Negro Theater, the British Negro Theatre, and was the first African-American president of the Actors ...

as Buderga *

Mary Wickes Mary Wickes (born Mary Isabella Wickenhauser; June 13, 1910 – October 22, 1995) was an American actress. She often played supporting roles as prim, professional women, secretaries, nurses, nuns, therapists, teachers and housekeepers, who made ...

as Marie Grieux *

Scatman Crothers Benjamin Sherman Crothers (May 23, 1910 – November 22, 1986), known professionally as Scatman Crothers, was an American actor and musician. He is known for playing Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show '' Chico and the Man'', and Dick Hal ...

as Musinga *

Rafer Johnson Rafer Lewis Johnson (August 18, 1934 – December 2, 2020) was an American decathlon, decathlete and film actor. He was the 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, having won silver in 1956. He had previously won a gold in the 1955 Pan Amer ...

as Kosongo * Charles Wood as Mzimba * Douglas Spencer as Doctor Bikel

Background

The film is loosely based on the 1956 novel by Charles Mercer, ''Rachel Cade'', published by G. P. Putnam's Sons. Film rights were bought prior to publication by

William Dozier William McElroy Dozier (; February 13, 1908 – April 23, 1991) was an American film and television producer, writer and actor. He is best known for two television series, ''Batman'' and ''The Green Hornet''. Early life Dozier was born in Omaha, ...

who was head of production at RKO. In September 1956 he announced that Stanley Rubin would produce and the film would be made in Africa with John Wayne. It would be part of a five-picture slate from Rubin worth $12 million starting with ''The Girl Most Likely''. Katharine Hepburn was announced as a possible star. Then Dozier offered the lead to Deborah Kerr.

Stirling Silliphant Stirling Dale Silliphant (January 16, 1918 – April 26, 1996) was an American screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his screenplay for '' In the Heat of the Night'', for which he won an Academy Award in 1967, and for creating ...

signed to write the script. In October Dozier said the film would be one of fifteen RKO would make the following year, others including ''Stage Struck'', ''Bangkok'', ''Ten Days in August'', ''Three Empty Rooms'', ''Affair in Portifino'', ''Sex and Miss McAdoo'', ''Pakistan'', ''Galveston'', ''On My Honor'', ''The Naked and the Dead'', ''Cash MCad'', ''Far Alert'', ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' and ''Curtain Going Up''. RKO wound up as a company – most of the fifteen films listed were not made. Film rights went to Warner Bros who in November 1958 announced they would make the film. In March 1959 Edward Anhalt was assigned to write the script and Henry Blanke was to produce. Blanke had also produced '' The Nun's Story'' (1959), starring Audrey Hepburn. ''The Sins of Rachel Cade'' had some familiarities to that story particularly with the lead character: a religious female working to help during wartime. Also, Peter Finch plays an atheistic authority figure in both films. In June Warners announced that

Carroll Baker Carroll Baker (born May 28, 1931) is an American former actress. After studying under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, Baker began performing on Broadway in 1954. From there, she was recruited by director Elia Kazan to play the lead in t ...

would star and Gordon Douglas would direct. Peter Finch was announced as the male star. However Baker refused to make the movie and Warners gave the lead to Angie Dickinson, who had just made ''Rio Bravo'' and ''The Bramble Bush'' for the studio. In August Peter Finch arrived in Hollywood for filming, which began August 27. He called his role "a good, rather cynical part with some excellent dialogue." Rafer Johnson signed in September. Roger Moore's casting was announced in October – he was then making ''The Alaskans'' for Warner Bros.

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sins Of Rachel Cade, The 1961 films Warner Bros. films 1961 drama films American drama films Films set in the 1940s Films set in Belgian Congo Films set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Films based on American novels Films directed by Gordon Douglas Films scored by Max Steiner Films with screenplays by Edward Anhalt 1960s English-language films 1960s American films