Everytime Glen Ford and Shirley Jones had a scene together, they would argue!!!
They were supposed to be THE ideal match??? Hmmmmmm....
I thought the same thing! It would be interesting to see if the book was like that as well. Maybe the arguing was just the tension of being attracted to one another but feeling that it was wrong to feel that way due to the fact that Shirley Jones had been Glenn Ford's deceased wife's "best friend."
shareSPOILER
well I think that made it obvious that she was the one he was going to end up with, (OF COURSE, NOT THE RITZY pretty lady with the nasty dog that he thought he really loved.)
it was just too easy.
kind of a simple story if you look at it that way.
but perhaps true to life, so, acceptable
[deleted]
I think its a really cute movie but Eddie's father is also such a jerk! Poor Eddie is upset because he is with this mean lady and he gets yelled at.
My mom said that dad in the "Courtship of Eddie's Father" tv show, the father and son were like best friends and the dad was a lot nicer.
Amen to that, follie-girl: Eddie's father was insufferable in this film.
That said, I have to be honest and confess that I've never, ever seen Glenn Ford play an attractive character. Part of it has to do with the leading men that were deemed desirable in that era, certainly, and maybe he was drawn to those roles personally. But, my goodness, he's always such a lacerating meanie.
This film was especially bad in that regard, but it's only by degrees that he's any different elsewhere, imho.
[deleted]
Respectfully, I think you are missing the point. Eddie's father is emotionally a raw nerve, and Shirley's character is still feeling the effects of her divorce. They are both on edge about things, and no doubt feel an attraction to each other as well. Sometimes our best romantic partners are those who we come together with from a difficult start. That itself IS romantic. The two characters have a great scene towards the end when he basically says the 'truths' they both have been dealing with. To those later who are writing about the 'meanie' character of Ford, all I can say is, watch it again with realistic eyes. I don't think there is anything mean about this character, only real. Have you missed the tremendous scene early on when Eddie runs into his father's arms and Dad desperately clings to him, tears in his eyes, love overflowing. This is a meanie?
share[deleted]
They were attracted to each other. It was passion. There's a thin line between love and hate. They may have been trying to hold back because they both loved his wife and may have felt guilty if they began something, at least very soon.
shareI can relate to Glenn and Shirley's characters. When I returned from overseas, my wife packed up and left me with my 4 year old daughter and 3 year old son. I say MY because we didn't see her for 2 years then got divorced.
Glenn's character lost his wife who was the keeper of his home and child. As seen throughout the movie, he was lost on how to handle this problem. Even dating he tried to revert back to he was before his wife and son were in the picture. He didn't know how to be a single father with the added bonus of everyone giving him advice. He was lost, dazed and confused...
Shirley's character was rejected by another person. No matter what, that is what divorce is. Every time she tried to help, she felt like she was being rejected again by Eddie's father.
They were supposed to be THE ideal match???
First of all -- they didn't argue in every scene they had together.
Secondly, the movie depicts their evolving relationship -- and the steps that it took to get them to their final scene.
And in 2 hours, it's hard to match a screenplay to a book. The TV show, that of course came after the movie was made, had a lot more time to develop the relationship between Eddie and his dad. the point is, that the movie was about the father's "courtship" with not only his son, in discovering how to be a single father, but also, with whomever he was dating. The TV show spent more time on the parent-child relationship.
That's always the scenario, couple argue and can't get along then find out they're actually in love with one another.
share