Plot

Bubbly, middle-aged Evie Jackson has been single and alone for quite some time. When she attends a postmasters' convention at a New York City hotel, she meets rakish greeting card salesman Harry Mork and falls in love.

Single and alone, Evie Jackson (Geraldine Page) arrives in New York City for the annual Postmasters' convention. Staying at her hotel is a womanizing salesman newly promoted to his marketing department and trying to adjust to having become engaged. When his path crosses Evie's, she wonders if this is finally the man for her, while her ways just seem to annoy him. At least to start with.—Jeremy Perkins {J-26}

Harry Mork (Glenn Ford) of Altoona, Pennsylvania and Evie Jackson (Geraldine Page) of Avalon, Pennsylvania are staying at the New Amsterdam Hotel in New York City. Harry, who works for a greeting card company, has just been promoted to a marketing position in the New York City corporate office from his long time job as a travelling salesman, and will soon look for permanent accommodations in the city. In middle age, Harry sought out this more stable job to lead a more stable life. So instead of a different girl in every city, he will soon be married to Phyllis (Dame Angela Lansbury), also of Altoona. Harry will have an instant family in Phyllis' early teen son Patrick (Michael Anderson, Jr.), who Harry has not yet met, as Patrick is attending boarding school in New England. As usual, Evie is attending the annual Postmasters' Convention, which this year, is being held at this hotel. Within this setting, Evie likes to portray herself as being important, leaving herself messages at the front desk and having herself paged. Most of the conventioneers, with the exception of the more elderly judgmental women, use the opportunity to have the stereotypical convention experience, meaning leaving thoughts of spouses and children at home to cut loose with the other conventioneers. She had in past years whooped it up with the married male conventioneers, but now, in middle age, is more interested in settling down in a real relationship. A situation related indirectly to Phyllis follows Harry to the hotel which makes Harry question his decision to settle down with an instant family. As such, Harry decides to return, at least temporarily, to his old lifestyle with loose women who just want to have fun. In this mindset, Harry, after some other female companionship, does eventually encounter Evie at the hotel, she who is interested in him until she learns that he is "married". When Phyllis arrives in New York City to join Harry in their new life, Harry, based partly on the time he spends with Evie over the course of their stay at the hotel, may get a better picture of what both he and Phyllis want in their futures.—Huggo