In this late romantic comedy in Cary Grant’s glorious career, the star scored still another box-office smash, this time opposite Sophia Loren.
Grant plays Tom Winston, a widowed father who packs himself and his spoiled kiddies off to a ramshackle houseboat. Meanwhile, Sophia Loren’s Cinzia Zaccardi, trying to break loose from her tyrannical father (Eduardo Cianelli), is hired as Grant’s housekeeper and his children’s governess.
Though Grant struggles to maintain a detached approach, he and Loren are attracted to each other and end up together, though not before complications and reversals, recriminations and mishaps.
The children learn to be polite and behave like angels, as was the norm of TV’s sit-coms at the time.
The on-screen romance between Grant and Loren in Houseboat continued into their private lives, though the Italian sex symbol opted to marry the older Italian movie mogul, Carlo Ponti.
Oscar Nominations: 2
Story and Screenplay (Original): Melville Shavelson and Jack Rose
Song: “Almost in Your Arms,” music and lyrics by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
Oscar Awards: None
Oscar Context:
The Writing Oscar went to Nedrick Young (using the pseudonym of Nathan E. Douglas, while blacklisted) and Jacob Smith for The Defiant Ones.
Frederick Lowe and Alan Jay Lerner won the Song Oscar for Gigi.
Running time: 110 minutes.
Directed by Melville Shavelson
Written by Jack Rose, Melville Shavelson
DVD: November 5, 2002
