The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963, Vincente Minnelli)

If seeing a child try to sabotage his father’s happiness is you idea of charming family entertainment, then this film is for you. Little Ron Howard plays a precocious kid who is determined to find his widower dad Glenn Ford, a wife. Howard has three women to choose from: maternal nurse Shirley Jones, ditsy redheaded Stella Stevens and sophisticated Dina Merrill. But the kid, being a manipulative and self-centered creature, throws a hissy fit when his father goes after the woman he likes the least. I found the whole thing rather contrived, and  irritating. It is also a bit meandering. Vincente Minnelli’s direction lacks the oomph factor. The best thing about the film is Stevens’s irresistibly (and very funny) performance. Later, a popular TV series.

~ by gelpi2008 on Tuesday, July 15, 2008.