1980s TV Movie - Planet w/Non-Stop Rain

January 1, 2009 7:58 PM

TV Movie ID: A sci-fi-ish TV movie from the 1980s which mostly featured children living on a planet where it never stopped raining.

I don't recall much of the storyline, but I seem to remember that one of the main characters was a girl who I think had grown up on Earth and knew what sunshine was like. (The rest of the kids knew nothing but eternal rain.) She was treated like a pariah and, for a while, locked in some sort of closet or store-room by some of the other kids. Of course, during her confinement, the rain briefly stopped, allowing everyone a short moment to experience the outdoors in the sun. By the time she was let out, the rain naturally had started up again.

posted by DavidNYC to media & arts (11 answers total)

Ray Bradbury, All Summer in a Day (learned from MeFi a couple of months ago).
posted by JimN2TAW at 8:04 PM on January 1, 2009

All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury.
posted by Rudy Gerner at 8:04 PM on January 1, 2009

Indeed! Didn't realize it was originally a Bradbury short story. (And I swear I ran a site search before asking this question, since it was my very first! But I guess I just couldn't come up with the right combination of terms.) Thanks so much.
posted by DavidNYC at 8:09 PM on January 1, 2009

For future reference, and for interest, this is probably the most-asked Ask Metafilter question of all time.
posted by koeselitz at 8:11 PM on January 1, 2009

But I'm not sniping, honest; I'm not finding it through site search easily, either. I just think it's interesting - this question happens about once every two months or so and has for years. It's just one of those striking movies that you see when you're a kid and remember deeply, I think.
posted by koeselitz at 8:13 PM on January 1, 2009

Sorry link
posted by koeselitz at 8:18 PM on January 1, 2009

Really? Wow. Beginner's luck, then, I guess. :) But I think there must be something to it, because despite having seen this only once at least two decades ago, it appears that I remembered all the salient details of the story accurately. That surprised me - I figured for sure I'd get some things wrong.

Also, I don't know if this is a browser problem I'm having, but your link doesn't seem to be working (at least for me).
posted by DavidNYC at 8:19 PM on January 1, 2009

Ha, this really is fascinating. There are at least 16 separate hits for "All Summer in a Day" on MeFi. Interestingly, some people remember it as a movie they saw, others as a story they read (and of course both are right). Remarkable that both versions should be so affecting.
posted by DavidNYC at 8:28 PM on January 1, 2009

What is equally interesting is how both the short film and the story seem to resonate with people.

Imagine:
-only seeing the sun once in a lifetime (how precious!).
-missing that opportunity (powerlessness).
-causing someone to miss that opportunity (the heartlessness).
-living with the knowledge of having done that (shame).
-missing the sole chance to experience the sun (insanity).
-a life without sun. (horror)

Ah, Bradbury. Once upon a time, dandelion wine.
posted by humannaire at 9:32 PM on January 1, 2009

Related: The Long Rain, one of the three segments of The Illustrated Man (1969), starring Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom.
posted by lukemeister at 9:34 PM on January 1, 2009

"For future reference, and for interest, this is probably the most-asked Ask Metafilter question of all time."

I thought the most-asked question was some variation of "should I eat it?"
posted by Jacqueline at 10:20 PM on January 1, 2009