Cary Grant Needs A New Maid — ‘Houseboat’ Reviewed

Before the United Kingdolls were singing “bing bang bong” on Drag Race UK, Sophia Loren was singing the same lyric in Melville Shavelson‘s Houseboat, a romantic comedy with a surprisingly dark edge. Could Leland have been aware of the Livingston and Evans song when he wrote the chorus to “UK Hun?” Before knocking the possibility off, it should be known that, while Livingston and Evans don’t have the name recognition of a Rodgers and Hammerstein, their work is ubiquitous. Film historian/writer Julie Kirgo and writer/filmmaker Peter Hankoff go over some of their credits in their commentary and we’re talking “Que Sera, Sera,” the theme song to Bonanza, and the theme song to Mr. Ed.

Regardless of whether Houseboat was on Leland’s radar or not, Loren is awfully charming singing her “Bing! Bang! Bong!” — even though apparently it’s the only song her character knows because the film makes her reprise it to the point that they almost ruin it.

Houseboat is about an absentee father (Cary Grant) who suddenly has to take care of his kids when his wife (who he was in the process of divorcing) dies in a car accident. Technically, his wife’s family are prepared to take care of the children, but Grant is determined to refuse their offer … until he spends one night with the trio and then it’s maybe the guest house at his in-laws’ would be a good idea after all…

Loren’s Cinzia comes in when Grant loses track of his youngest (Charles Herbert) at a concert where Cinzia’s father (an irritatingly hammy Eduardo Ciannelli) is acting as the conductor. Because Cinzia has some dirt on her face when they first meet, the kids and Grant assume she’ll jump at the chance to work for them as their maid. Never does it cross their minds that she might not have any experience cooking or cleaning for people (*cough cough* racist). Still, she wants to get out from under her father’s thumb, so she accepts the job. Let the family hijinks ensue!

The reason they go from moving into a guest house to a houseboat is pure movie contrivance. While Houseboat seems lightweight at first, though, that’s only because the adults in this film seem to have forgotten a woman just died or are acting deliberately obtuse about it and the fact that these children are grieving, however inconvenient that might be. In truth, the film addresses their trauma more than viewers might expect, but also not enough. So it’s this weird middle ground of not ignoring the elephant in the room, but also being fairly cold about it. There are quite a few tonal juxtapositions, like when Grant’s youngest announces he hates everyone, but then the film breaks into the opening titles, which feature children’s drawings that promise a sweet, carefree good time.

At one point, Cinzia and Tom leave the kids unsupervised without telling them, and while the film draws attention to the fact that Cinzia had promised David (Paul Peterson) she would go fishing with him, it completely ignores the fact that they’re being irresponsible. It’s all rather strange and that’s without getting into Harry Guardino‘s role as the town everyman (think Kirk on Gilmore Girls — it makes no sense but he’s entertaining). Still, that weirdness sets Houseboat apart from other comedies. It’s less superficial, sometimes brutally honest, and it’s not afraid to paint out when its main characters are being snobs (which is often).

Listening to Kirgo and Hankoff’s commentary is like listening to two friends banter back and forth. That looseness sometimes means they get sidetracked and forget to finish their thoughts, but there’s also a lot of information being imparted. For instance, it sounds like Grant’s then-wife, Betsy Drake, got a really raw deal. Not only did she get no credit for writing the original short story and screenplay, but she was replaced on the film by the person her husband wanted to make his next wife (Loren’s part was originally intended for her).

Kirgo and Hankoff also provide some background on the child actors and point out that while Sam Cooke would’ve likely never been allowed to perform at the country club dance in the ’50s (racism strikes again), it’s his voice that can be heard singing “Almost In Your Arms.”

Houseboat is available on Blu-ray starting January 28th from Kino Lorber.