A widower, his three young children, and a bombshell nanny get to know each other better when circumstances have them living together aboard a badly neglected houseboat.
Build up your Halloween Watchlist with our list of the most popular horror titles on Netflix in October.
Related News
-
Icon, Italian Style! AFI's Sophia Loren Tribute
15 November 2014 | CinemaRetro -
Oscar-nominated actress Martha Hyer dies at 89
10 June 2014 | EW.com - Inside Movies -
Sophia Loren Interviewed by Billy Crystal at Academy Tribute: "I Am Never Content."
11 May 2011 | Thompson on Hollywood
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Houseboat (1958)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited 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 | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
Tom Winters, a widower, is trying to understand and raise three precocious children alone. He gets a little unexpected help from Cinzia, when the children decide she is be the new maid. She is actually an Italian socialite who is trying to get away from her overprotective father. Written by Brian W Martz <B.Martz@Genie.com>
Taglines:
It All Happens Happily on a Heaven of a Houseboat! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
Tom Winters: Yes, Sir. You, Sir.
Robert Winters: No, sir. Not I, Sir.
Tom Winters: Who then, sir?
[Same exact exchange occurs later but between David and Tom]
See more »
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played when Cinzia is dancing with Robert
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Near the beginning of the movie, Martha Hyer who plays aunt Carolyn, calls Cary Grant 'Mother Goose'. Six years later Cary Grant would play Walter Ekland in the movie 'Father Goose'. See more »Goofs
The water does not move in any shot in the galley or other room in which there is a view out the windows. See more »Quotes
Robert Winters: Who, Sir? Me, Sir?Tom Winters: Yes, Sir. You, Sir.
Robert Winters: No, sir. Not I, Sir.
Tom Winters: Who then, sir?
[Same exact exchange occurs later but between David and Tom]
See more »
Soundtracks
That's Amore(uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played when Cinzia is dancing with Robert
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
19 November 1958 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Houseboat See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1Contribute to This Page
Looking for some great streaming picks? Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist.
'Houseboat' is a throwback to the kind of sweet, happy comedies Cary Grant did in the late '40s-early 50s, and it foreshadows the domestic comedies James Stewart and Henry Fonda would do in the sixties. Granted, there is more romance (and with Sophia Loren as the objection of affection, Cary has it all OVER Jimmy and Hank!) but ultimately, it scores as a terrific family movie, as Loren, playing an inept but adorable housekeeper/nanny, wins the affection of widower Grant's kids, and awakens in him a more complete love than he was experiencing with his society girlfriend (played effectively by the beautiful Martha Hyer).
Living in a rundown houseboat to save on expenses, Grant and his family's lives had become a boring routine, until the arrival of Hurricane Loren, with her Italian philosophy, her singing, and her unmistakable femininity and sex appeal (which introduces oldest son Paul Peterson to the joys of puberty, and to daughter Mimi Gibson and younger son Charles Herbert a mother-figure they both needed). Grant is at first oblivious to her charms, but she is hard to ignore for long! The question then becomes, when will Cary 'wake up', and realize everything he needs is right on the houseboat?
Filmed after Grant and Loren's whirlwind affair during the filming of 'The Pride and the Passion', the film was a bittersweet experience for both stars, particularly shooting the wedding scene, as Grant still desperately wanted to marry Loren, but she had already decided to remain with longtime love Carlo Ponti. Viewers aware of the 'behind-the-scenes' story will appreciate the performances of the two leads even more!
After you watch 'Houseboat', catch the flipside of this story in Grant's later 'Father Goose', as a drunken reprobate with a boat who must deal with governess Leslie Caron and her charges! The two films make a fascinating double-feature, and showcases Cary Grant's amazing versatility!
Seen either way, 'Houseboat' is a delight!