Papai Precisa Casar

Glenn Ford did two films with director Vincente Minnelli, the incredibly bad sound remake of The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse and this very good family film about a widower and his young son trying to get on with life after the wife and mother has passed away.

The Courtship of Eddie's Father in addition to being made into a long running television series with Bill Bixby, Miyoshi Umeki, and Brandon Cruz, still holds up very well after 44 years.

What makes the film is the very real chemistry between Glenn Ford and Ron Howard who was on hiatus from the Andy Griffith show to make this film. The Courtship of Eddie's Father is about two very real individuals trying to work through the hurt that's surrounding a very big hole in their lives.

Ford plays the manager of a radio station and Jerry Van Dyke has a nice role as Ford's best friend and one of the disc jockeys. Roberta Sherwood has the part of the housekeeper who's trying to learn Spanish, the part that Miyoshi Umeki did for television. As you can imagine it was rewritten somewhat.

There are three women interested in Ford at one time or another. Shirley Jones is the best friend of the deceased, living in the apartment across the way. Dina Merrill is the society lady that she is in real life. And Stella Stevens is the beauty queen from Montana who's got some hidden talents. One guess who Ford looks like he'll wind up with in the end. Give you a hint, it's the one Ron Howard wishes it is.

After the disaster of The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, Minnelli owed Glenn Ford a good picture and he certainly delivered.

It is true the film is quite dated and no longer relevant go the times for live in now. However, for me this is what I enjoyed about this film. It's like a time capsule of the past. From the way it was shot, the dialogue and even the overall theme is a quaint reminder of where we were.

Your view of this movie will depend on whether you like Eddie or find him too precocious and pushy about his dad's romantic life. Personally, I was utterly charmed. There is a lot of chemistry between Glenn Ford and Ronnie Howard as the father and son duo, and I loved their conversations. I thought Ford's interpretation was very good. His feelings and personality come across clearly in all his scenes. However, you can expect that of a high-quality, seasoned actor. The fact that a child actor like Howard can match him is impressive.

This movie is what we could call a dramedy. It has comic elements and is a delight to watch, but it also has moments of genuine drama. On that, it differs from The Parent Trap, which also shows kids playing matchmakers for their parents but is all comedy. In The Courtship of Eddie's Father we also have serious dramatic moments, like Eddie's reaction when he finds his dead goldfish, showing that beyond his usual cheerfulness, the trauma of losing his mother is still raw. This mixture of genres might not work for some viewers, but it did for me. It gives the movie more weight and heart.

A delight to watch.

I disagree that this movie is sexist at all. In fact, I believe that the character of Tom Corbett is quite different (in a good way) from the fathers of that time. I continue to find this movie extremely entertaining (while ertainly more "fluff" than depth) and nostalgic, due in most part to Ron Howard's superb and engaging performance. The parts where Eddie tells his dad at summer camp that he is in love, and the end of the movie, where Eddie is "practicing" with this dad on what to say to the neighbor to ask her out on a date, are absolutely priceless. Watching Ron Howard in this movie makes you realize why he was sought after as a child actor.

First I need to point out that this movie isn't much like the later TV series. It stars Glenn Ford as a widower raising a young child, played by Ron Howard. While their relationship is loving and sweet, they are both looking for a new wife/mother. And Ron Howard is a little devil trying to set up Dad! I like the kid's taste, though, as he sets his sights first on Stella Stevens and then on Shirley Jones--that kid had great taste! Even though you can easily predict where the movie will end up, the acting and writing and direction are so good that you don't really mind at all. That's because it is sentimental but avoids schmaltzy, gooey over-sentimentalism that could have easily ruined this film--thanks in part to a decent use of comedy.