IMDb > Houseboat (1958)

Houseboat (1958) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   2,779 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 63% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Melville Shavelson
Writers:
Melville Shavelson (writer) and
Jack Rose (writer)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Houseboat on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 November 1958 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance more
Plot:
Tom Winston, a widower, is trying to understand and raise three precocious children alone. He gets a little unexpected help from Cinzia... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations more
User Comments:
Cozy romp with some surprising emotional resonance more (26 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited 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)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
110 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Italian
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Cary Grant initially accepted his role in Houseboat (1958) because he was dating Sophia Loren, whom he was madly in love with. After she married someone else, Grant, heartbroken, wanted to back out. He couldn't, but the director made sure the production was a smooth one. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When driving in the open convertible there is no wind in their faces, hair or clothes. more
Quotes:
Robert Winters: That's you Sir.
Tom: Who Sir? Me Sir?
Robert Winters: Yes Sir, you Sir.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Olivia Newton-John (#7.20)" (1982) more
Soundtrack:
Love Song from Houseboat (Almost in Your Arms) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
14 out of 17 people found the following comment useful.
Cozy romp with some surprising emotional resonance, 31 December 2004
7/10
Author: moonspinner55 from redlands, ca

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 ****

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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
The song that Sophia sings smileyjenny
Houseboat condition hawkeye_74
Background Song in HOUSEBOAT MSCOTLASS
Where is it now? krp1956-1
anyone else think cinzia looked older than 22? gbennie
Not very good dvbar1
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