Brilliant and touching

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Blistering performances.

Widowed lawyer Cary Grant hires Sophia Loren to take care of his three kids and moves them all onto a houseboat. He believes Sophia to be a maid but, in fact, she's the daughter of a famous Italian conductor. Comedy and romance ensues. Cary does well with a character that's not really likable at first. He has great chemistry with Sophia, who pretty much owns the picture. She's sexy, funny, and charming. The three kids are played by Paul Peterson (of Donna Reed Show fame), Charles Herbert (13 Ghosts, among others), and Mimi Gibson (this is probably her best role). They're all good, particularly Herbert. Love his scenes with Sophia. Harry Guardino is a treat as the guy who sells Cary the houseboat after destroying their other house. Cary's then-wife Betsy Drake was originally set to star. Their marriage was on the rocks at the time, and he was having an affair with Sophia, so she wound up with the part. It worked out best for us as it would have been a far different movie with Drake, who had a pretty bland screen presence. It's a pleasant, enjoyable mix of romantic and family comedy. Nothing unpredictable or deep but good fun.

Cary Grant plays Tom Winters, a widower and a father to three kids, David (Paul Petersen), Elizabeth (Mimi Gibson) and Robert (Charles Herbert).Tom gets unexpected help from the Italian Cinzia (Sophia Loren).Soon they find themselves from a lousy Houseboat.Melville Shavelson's Houseboat (1958) was nominated for two Oscars.It is a very nice romantic comedy for the whole family.Cary Grant and Sophia Loren make a great team in it.All the child actors are wonderful.Martha Hyer plays Carolyn Gibson.Harry Guardino is Angelo Donatello.Werner Klemperer is Harold Messner.Kathleen Freeman is seen there as Laundromat gossip.The movie is funny in many places, like when Robert plays the harmonica at the concert.And the song with a bing, bang, bong is very amusing.

I agree with "WRONG WIFE" post. A train hits their new home-in-tow and instead of a collision the viewer just sees some (fake) lumber thrown onto their car. The other stupid stunt is that Cary Grant is dressed in a dapper white tuxedo and walks along the gangway to the houseboat for the first time. It breaks under his weight. He sinks, but the shot is above the water so we just see his silly "woops I am sinking" expression. We don't see him sink into the water. In the very next scene he is completely clean and dry-wearing the same white tux. The houseboat itself is equally artificial. It looks a mess at first. But with a little paint, and some Hollywood magic dust, all of a sudden it appears to be a typical, cozy, middle class home. Equally puzzling is the scene where the houseboat drifts off at high tide and anchors onto the edge of an island. The guy they bought the houseboat from cruises up to it in his speedboat. Cary Grant is stranded, late for work. The guy shrugs and tells Grant that he will need to wait till high tide to get the houseboat towed back, before he can get to his job. Why didn't the guy just give him a ride to shore on his speedboat? I also agree the kids were annoying and shallow and not worthy of Sophia's attention.

This is a very cute and inconsequential family film starring Cary Grant and the very young Sophia Loren. While it is not a movie that will change your life or make a huge impression, it's still an awful lot of fun. Cary is a widower who lives on a houseboat with his kids. The trouble is that he needs a combination housekeeper and mom for the kids, so he goes about trying to hire one. He picks Ms. Loren and after a while everyone in the family succumbs to her very ample charms. Considering she was a great housekeeper (though she couldn't cook), loved the kids and was built like,....Sophia Loren, it certainly isn't surprising that by the end of the film Cary has also recognized her as prime wife material. Predictable,...yes. But who cares, as it's a lot of fun and yet another nice outing from Grant. Plus, the romance that predictably develops between them and the way the film ends is highly entertaining. While I give this movie only a 7, it is well worth seeing--deep no--but lots of fun. About the only serious negative is the REALLY annoying song that Loren sings throughout the movie. But, once again, being Sophia Loren, most audiences of the day probably weren't there to hear her singing.