Clouds reduce the amount of available light. A polarizer reduces the amount of light that gets through the lens to the film. The effect is cumulative. Besides, a polarizer will have little, if any, of the effect it is designed to provide when it is overcast. Use a UV(0), a skylight, or no filter on a cloudy day. If you want to warm up the color a bit, put an 81A over your lens.
However, if you have some blue sky mixed with clouds, the polarizer will bring the sky to life.
The polarizer filter can be a very important tool.
PP&I a few months back had a very good article on how to use it. There is a lot more to it then just putting the darn thing on a lens and adjusting the filter to remove the reflections.
All photograhers should study the physics behind the principle just once, ... then you can forget it because you will remember enough to know how to get the most out of a polarizing filter.
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