Planned as a vehicle for Cary Grant and his third wife actress-writer Betsy Drake, 1958’s Houseboat was to be their third film together after 1948’s Every Girl Should Be Married and 1952’s Room for One More. However, by the time the film was made, Grant was infatuated by Sophia Loren. He had Drake replaced with Loren. Adding insult to injury, Drake’s screenplay was completely reworked by Jack Rose and Melville Shavelson (who also directed) and her name was taken off the credits. Surprisingly, the reworked script was nominated for Best Original Story and Screenplay at the Oscars.
A light ‘family values’ comedy, Grant plays Tom Winters, a widowed businessman who’s been a largely absentee father to David (Paul Petersen), Elizabeth (Mimi Gibson), and Robert (Charles Herbert). Offended by his in-laws plans to raise the children, Tom determines to get to know them and be a full-time parent. No matter that the children would rather go live with their Aunt Carolyn (Martha Hyer)in the country. Tom moves them into his tiny Washington D.C apartment. Tom is having a rough time, when Cinzia (Loren), the daughter of a famous Italian symphony conductor (Eduardo Ciannelli), stumbles into their lives. Tom knows nothing of her background, she pretends to be a penniless immigrant. The children love her. He hires her as a nanny, no matter she doesn’t cook or clean.
When the apartment proves untenable, the family ends up living in a dilapidated houseboat. Out from under her father’s thumb, Cinzia helps make the houseboat a home, as the family reconnects. Cinzia and Tom begin to fall for one another, but the newly divorced Carolyn loves Tom too…
Grant’s easy charm is pleasant enough and Loren shows a surprising aptitude for light comedy. She’s given a drippy song to sing but she makes the most of it. Admittedly, Grant has been funnier in past roles, but the technicolor world portrayed here is hard to resist. The chemistry between the two is questionable, Grant was 54 (and he looks it), and Loren was 24. Grant also never really connects with the kids the way he had on other films such as Room for One More. More problematic is the film’s direction. One minute they are filming on location, and the next minute on a soundstage. Lamps, no matter how powerful, can never reproduce the look of natural sunlight.
In a career lasting more than thirty years, Grant never made a bad film per se, often elevating so-so material as he does here. There are some funny lines. When Grant tells his friend that he’s hiring Loren for the children, his friend replies, “Adopt me!” Houseboat is hardly Cary Grant’s best film (or for that matter Sophia Loren’s) but it’s a breezy way to spend 110 minutes.
Kino Lorber’s recent Blu-ray release features a superb high-definition transfer. Shot in VistaVision, the bright colors pop with realism, whether it’s the cityscapes of Washington D.C., or the farmland of Virginia. Blacks are deep and inky. There are no apparent scratches or other blemishes.
The DTS-HD Master audio track serves this film well. Offering clean, clear and concise dialogue, and a nice mix of the Oscar nominated Best Song “Almost in Your Arms,” sung by Sam Cooke.
English SDH subtitles are available.
The following extras are included:
- NEW! Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Writer Julie Kirgo and Writer/Filmmaker Peter Hankoff
- Two Theatrical Trailers