Product: Houseboat [VHS] (1958)
Rating: 5.0
An Excellent Romantic Comedy
Director Melville Shavelson is known for directing some successful romantic comedies involving families; two divorced adults and their offspring's. He takes credit for not only Houseboat, but also for "Yours, Mine and Ours," casting some successful stars of the day. This family drama casts Cary Grant as Tom Winters, a widower trying to raise three children alone away from his work at Washington D.C. to country side closer to relatives of his former wife. His young children love the younger sister of their mother but Tom is not too thrilled about dating her. Instead he meets a young Italian named Cinzia (Sophia Loren) who is a socialite trying to get away from her overprotective father. Initially there is no romance between the two, and in addition, his kids are less than thrilled when she is hired to work as nanny. Things get rocky but soon all ends well when they feel that they need each other. Parts of this movie were filmed on the Potomac River and Piscataway Creek at Fort Washington marina. This is an excellent family movie, which I recommend very highly.