Sadie Thompson

film by Walsh [1928]

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July 21, 2026

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The 1928 film Sadie Thompson is an adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's short story "Rain". The film stars Gloria Swanson as Sadie Thompson, a prostitute in the South Seas whose presence leads to the downfall of a fanatical missionary. Swanson received her first Academy Award nomination for her role in this film. The story has been adapted into film multiple times, including Rain (1932) and Miss Sadie Thompson (1953).12

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- Raoul Walsh
  Early work
  ) Nearly as famous was Sadie Thompson (1928), for which Walsh wrote the screenplay based on W. Somerset Maugham’s story “Rain” and in which he also starred as the rowdy Sgt. Tim O’Hara, opposite Gloria Swanson in the title role. Walsh was also going to direct and act in In…
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  ) Nearly as famous was Sadie Thompson (1928), for which Walsh wrote the screenplay based on W. Somerset Maugham’s story “Rain” and in which he also starred as the rowdy Sgt. Tim O’Hara, opposite Gloria Swanson in the title role. Walsh was also going to direct and act in In…
  Read More