IMDb > The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963)
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
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The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963) More at IMDbPro »

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The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963) -- Theatrical trailer for this laugh and love sensation that spawned a TV series

Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   931 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Mark Toby (novel)
John Gay (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Courtship of Eddie's Father on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
27 March 1963 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Every boy needs a mother...even if Dad has to marry her!
Plot:
Eddie thinks it is time for his father to remarry. However, in his opinion his father's taste in women leaves much to be desired... more | add synopsis
Awards:
3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Glenn Ford: 1916 - 2006
 (From IMDb News. 31 August 2006)

Film Great Glenn Ford Dead At 90
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 31 August 2006)

User Comments:
Minnelli's Surprising Mix of Melodrama and Domestic Comedy With an Impressive Turn by Ron Howard more (18 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Glenn Ford ... Tom Corbett
Shirley Jones ... Elizabeth Marten
Stella Stevens ... Dollye Daly
Dina Merrill ... Rita Behrens
Roberta Sherwood ... Mrs. Livingston

Ron Howard ... Eddie (as Ronny Howard)
Jerry Van Dyke ... Norman Jones
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Additional Details

Runtime:
118 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Cameo: [Rance Howard]Appearing in an uncredited role (camp counselor) is Ron Howard's father. As with Clint Howard, this was one of several times Rance would be part of a production involving Ron. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Norman Jones: Wake up Manhattan. Come out of that warm, rosy dream, open those big, luscious eyes and meet a new, exciting day. I'm talking to you ravishing, delicious, madcap girls still in that warm, cozy bed. Now what you need is a nice, hot cup of coffee, Bentley Coffee of course. That rich, intoxicating aroma, that tantalizing blend that makes the senses reel and the pulses tingle.
[shouts]
Norman Jones: Look out! Don't burn those delicate, sensuous fingers. Why if anything should happen to those wild, impetuous hands, Jones would be heartbroken, Aw, did she hurt herself? Don't cry. Old Norm here will fix it.
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
The Rose And The Butterfly more

FAQ

What is with taking Eddie's temperature in his butt?
When and from what did Eddie's mom die?
What is this movie about?
more
6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful.
Minnelli's Surprising Mix of Melodrama and Domestic Comedy With an Impressive Turn by Ron Howard, 30 October 2006
7/10
Author: Ed Uyeshima from San Francisco, CA, USA

I used to love the early 1970's TV series which took its premise from this 1963 movie, so it was with some trepidation that I finally saw the original film directed by Vincente Minnelli. For such a family-oriented vehicle, his sometimes excessive film-making style shows up in subtle ways throughout the picture, and that's what primarily makes it interesting viewing now. The film starts out as an amusing domestic comedy, periodically hints toward deeper issues of grief and single parenthood, and then dives headlong into melodrama in the last half-hour. The result is pure Minnelli.

The other memorable aspect is eight-year old Ron Howard, sixth-billed and then known as Ronny, who delivers the central performance of Eddie without resorting to precociousness. More than his adult co-stars, he brings all the elements of the film together on an emotional level that resonates. Written by Tom Gay, the plot focuses on Eddie's attempts to reinvigorate the love life of his recently widowed father Tom. The likely candidate appears to be the pretty, recently divorced nurse next door, Elizabeth, but Tom and she start off on the wrong foot despite the fact that Eddie adores her. Efforts get refocused on Dolly, a vacuous, curvaceous girl they meet at the arcade, but Tom redirects her to womanizing disc jockey Norman. Tom then meets socialite Rita, whose glaring lack of a maternal instinct alienates Eddie to the point of running away.

All ends inevitably but not before some startling scenes like Eddie traumatized by the sight of his dead fish and Tom careening recklessly in his car to find Eddie (it looks like a similarly hair-raising scene on an Italian hillside road in Minnelli's "Two Weeks in Another Town"). In fact, the climactic argument between Tom and Elizabeth is surprisingly vitriolic for a family picture. Not the most charismatic of actors, Glenn Ford is solid as Tom, while a non-singing Shirley Jones plays Elizabeth with dexterity. The other performances are a bit more on the pat side - Stella Stevens lovably dim as Dolly, Jerry Van Dyke his recognizably unctuous self as Norman and Dina Merrill all slithery glamour as Rita. There are no extras with the 2004 DVD.

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Stella Stevens oddsbeater1
How did Eddie's mother die? annulla
Ron Howard perfomance claryrod
Cute movie but.... jenjen1960
question... tinkerbell05-1
Great Movie dcfemella
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