Houseboat (1958)

Director:

Melville Shavelson

Writers:

Melville Shavelson (writer) and
Jack Rose (writer)

Release Date:

19 November 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance

Plot:

Tom Winston, a widower, is trying to understand and raise three precocious children alone. He gets a little unexpected help from Cinzia...

Plot Keywords:

Gentleman | Love | Diva | Male Female Relationship | Cleaning Woman

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Cary Grant	...	Tom Winters
Sophia Loren	...	Cinzia Zaccardi
Martha Hyer	...	Carolyn Gibson
Harry Guardino	...	Angelo Donatello
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Arturo Zaccardi
Murray Hamilton	...	Capt. Alan Wilson
Mimi Gibson	...	Elizabeth Winters
Paul Petersen	...	David Winters
Charles Herbert	...	Robert Winters
Madge Kennedy	...	Mrs. Farnsworth
John Litel	...	Mr. William Farnsworth
Werner Klemperer	...	Harold Messner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peggy Connelly	...	Elizabeth Wilson (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Unrated | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Fort Washington, Maryland, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Original screenplay was written by Betsy Drake, Cary Grant's wife. Grant originally wanted it to star her but his extra-marital affair with Sophia Loren complicated the project. Drake's script was drastically re-written by two other writers to accommodate Loren and bears little resemblance to Drake's concept.

Quotes:

Justice of the Peace: That's you Sir.
Tom: Who Sir? Me Sir?
Justice of the Peace: Yes Sir, you Sir.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Edith Head: The Paramount Years (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

Bing! Bang! Bong!

Cozy romp with some surprising emotional resonance

At first glance, "Houseboat" looks like the worst type of sitcom: stern father gets saddled with his estranged children, later hiring a governess who is really a runaway from high society. Saccharin-prone viewers might bail early, but give it time. Cary Grant plays the dad with an amusing mixture of concern, consternation and suspicion; he enjoys a good time, but he goads his kids into being more than what he sees, and when his son pushes back it seems an exceptionally realistic reaction. As for Sophia Loren, basking in her movie-star close-ups, she takes a cartoonish character (which is written like a cynical refugee from "Roman Holiday") and gives the lady a big heart. Her bonding with the children (and with Grant) is a treat, and while I wasn't quite convinced it would all work out happily, I was genuinely entertained. A surprising jewel. *** from ****