Houseboat (1958)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

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:

Widower | Maid | Love | Father Daughter Relationship | Cleaning Woman

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 19

6:00 PM

TCM

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!

Cary Grant / Sophia Loren - WOW!

Houseboat has very clearly survived the test of time and is today a pleasure to watch.

Everything that could go wrong in this movie, fortunately goes right and the result is a funny, family comedy. A gem.

Cary Grant plays a lawyer, who's about to finalize his divorce when his wife dies in an automobile accident. To prevent his three children, to whom he's had very few contact in the last years, to be separated, by their aunt and grandfather, he decides to take them to his small house in Washington, but by a series of circumstances ends up living in a houseboat in the country, that will change him forever. Sophia Loren is Cinzia a spoiled rebel girl, who lives in the shadow of her father, a famous maestro. To escape her dull live she poses as a poor italian girl, abandoned by her fiancée in order to go to work as a house keeper for Cary. What comes next, everybody knows. Love.

The story is not completely original, but it works. The script is very funny, the dialogue interesting and well written. Even if it might follow a formula, it still accomplishes what the audience asks, and maybe more. Behind all the comedy and laughs, there is undoubtedly the purpose to give a better image of what being a father is, the problems that occur when raising children, and how to solve them without violence. We all know what violence can do, the traumas it causes and how it haunts a person all through her live. If all the parents followed Cinzia´s advice and tried to understand their children instead of beating them, maybe the world would be a better place.

The direction is not perfect, but Melville Shavelson delivers a nice solid performance, with some bright moments. The best part of `Houseboat' is the cast. Cary Grant… well what can be said? Its not his talent, but more his personality that captivates us. Who wouldn't like to be Cary Grant? In here he follows other great performances, bringing us a true gentleman, polite, smart and funny. He puts his heart in his work, and is as always a pleasure to watch.

Sophia Loren. The diva, the symbol, the woman. Her beauty, in a wild, sexy way, lights up the screen. Every frame is a masterpiece. The movie is worth for her alone. All the rest is bonus.

Its also interesting to see Cary and Sophia act together knowing they were involved romantically in real life and how it ended. Priceless.

The children are sweet, and work hard to do their job the best they can.

Houseboat is sweet, light, and recommended to anyone who needs to focus on the beautiful things of life. It's sure to make you feel good.