Themes: Mischievous Children, Wedding Bells, Fathers and Sons
Main Cast: Glenn Ford, Shirley Jones, Ronny Howard, Stella Stevens, Dina Merrill, Roberta Sherwood
Release Year: 1962
Country: US
Run Time: 117 minutes
Plot
Vincente Minnelli takes another of his occasional dips into situation comedy (i.e. The Long Long Trailer) in The Courtship of Eddie's Father. Ron Howard is the precocious Eddie, who wants to see his recently widowed father, Tom Corbett (Glenn Ford), get married again. He even has the lucky bride picked out -- their attractive neighbor Elizabeth Marten (Shirley Jones), a young divorcee. When his father's interest isn't whetted, he strikes up a friendship with Dollye Daly (Stella Stevens), a shy, beauty contest winner. But, much to Eddie's disappointment, Dollye falls in love with Tom's friend Norman Jones (Jerry van Dyke). When Tom meets stylish fashion consultant Rita Behrens (Dina Merrill) and announces their plans to marry, Eddie -- who disapproves of the match -- runs away from summer camp and hides out in Elizabeth's apartment. Tom breaks off his engagement to Rita and tries to find Eddie. Arriving at Elizabeth's apartment, Tom confronts Elizabeth and decides to try to get to know her a little better. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
The old adage that warns actors about appearing with children or dogs is especially applicable to The Courtship of Eddie's Father. Ron Howard manages to steal just about every scene he's in from the cast of talented adults. Managing to be adorable without being cloying, smart-mouthed without being irritating, Howard makes Eddie the kind of kid that unfortunately seems to exist only in movies. The rest of the cast has to struggle a bit to make as good an impression, largely because they're working from a script that, while certainly workable, is largely uninspired. Still, there's enough there for Glenn Ford to latch onto and run with, allowing him to show off both his warm and chilly sides, and Shirley Jones gets to do her tough-and-tender routine, which she does with aplomb. There's appropriate support from Dina Merrill, Stella Stevens, and Jerry Van Dyke, and Vincente Minnelli has directed efficiently and professionally, although he at times seems more interested in his careful balance and modulation of color in every scene than in slightly tougher things (such as blending the film's dramatic and comedic moments). Still, that attention to visual detail pays off; few films that are basically nothing more than extended sitcoms ever look so good. While not a classic, Courtship nevertheless is a reasonably entertaining little picture. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
George W. Davis - Art Director, Urie McCleary - Art Director, Helen Rose - Costume Designer, Lynn H. Guthrie - First Assistant Director, Vincente Minnelli - Director, John Gay - Director, Adrienne Fazan - Editor, George Stoll - Composer (Music Score), Stella Unger - Songwriter, Milton Krasner - Cinematographer, Joe Pasternak - Producer, Keogh Gleason - Set Designer, Henry W. Grace - Set Designer, Robert R. Hoag - Special Effects, John Gay - Screenwriter, Victor Young - Featured Music, Mark Toby - Book Author
Young Eddie Corbett (Ron Howard) tries his best to be a matchmaker for his widowed father Tom (Glenn Ford). At first sexy Dollye Daly (Stella Stevens) seems promising, but she ends up falling in love with and marrying Tom's friend and radio colleague Norman Jones (Jerry Van Dyke).
Tom becomes attracted to a sophisticated socialite, Rita Behrens (Dina Merrill). They begin considering marriage, but she does not know how to deal with Eddie (nor does she particularly want to learn), and in the end, Tom chooses his son over her.
Through all this, the Corbetts are supported by their housekeeper Mrs. Livingston (Roberta Sherwood) and the Corbetts' divorced next-door neighbor, Elizabeth Marten (Shirley Jones). It takes a crisis for Tom to realize what has been under his nose all the time.
