Widowed lawyer Cary Grant hires Sophia Loren to take care of his three kids and moves them all onto a houseboat. He believes Sophia to be a maid but, in fact, she's the daughter of a famous Italian conductor. Comedy and romance ensues. Cary does well with a character that's not really likable at first. He has great chemistry with Sophia, who pretty much owns the picture. She's sexy, funny, and charming. The three kids are played by Paul Peterson (of Donna Reed Show fame), Charles Herbert (13 Ghosts, among others), and Mimi Gibson (this is probably her best role). They're all good, particularly Herbert. Love his scenes with Sophia. Harry Guardino is a treat as the guy who sells Cary the houseboat after destroying their other house. Cary's then-wife Betsy Drake was originally set to star. Their marriage was on the rocks at the time, and he was having an affair with Sophia, so she wound up with the part. It worked out best for us as it would have been a far different movie with Drake, who had a pretty bland screen presence. It's a pleasant, enjoyable mix of romantic and family comedy. Nothing unpredictable or deep but good fun.

I agree with "WRONG WIFE" post. A train hits their new home-in-tow and instead of a collision the viewer just sees some (fake) lumber thrown onto their car. The other stupid stunt is that Cary Grant is dressed in a dapper white tuxedo and walks along the gangway to the houseboat for the first time. It breaks under his weight. He sinks, but the shot is above the water so we just see his silly "woops I am sinking" expression. We don't see him sink into the water. In the very next scene he is completely clean and dry-wearing the same white tux. The houseboat itself is equally artificial. It looks a mess at first. But with a little paint, and some Hollywood magic dust, all of a sudden it appears to be a typical, cozy, middle class home. Equally puzzling is the scene where the houseboat drifts off at high tide and anchors onto the edge of an island. The guy they bought the houseboat from cruises up to it in his speedboat. Cary Grant is stranded, late for work. The guy shrugs and tells Grant that he will need to wait till high tide to get the houseboat towed back, before he can get to his job. Why didn't the guy just give him a ride to shore on his speedboat? I also agree the kids were annoying and shallow and not worthy of Sophia's attention.

Cary Grant, prominent diplomat and widower, is trying to get acquainted again with his three kids, Paul Petersen, Mimi Gibson, and Charles Herbert. He's also got a sister-in-law, Martha Hyer, crushing out on him big time.But after the youngest kid, Herbert, wanders away after a concert, he meets Sophia Loren who is also running away from her conductor father, Eduardo Ciannelli. They are soul mates Herbert and Loren and before long she's moved in on the Grant family.Which is forced by circumstance I won't reveal to live on a houseboat in the woods in Maryland. The Houseboat and its many problems lend itself to a whole lot of physical problems and one rather dramatic one, when one of the kids nearly drowns. Cary gets a lot of good mileage out of the comedy.This was Cary and Sophia's second film together and it was one big improvement on the overblown Pride and the Passion. No doubt that the two of them were still involved from The Pride and the Passion lends a lot of truth in the scenes Grant and Loren play together.Also look for a nice performance by Harry Guardino who's the one who is responsible for the group being on the Houseboat.Houseboat is a nice family comedy and hasn't aged a bit from the Fifties when it was made.

"Houseboat" is set in Washington, DC and nearby Virginia, including the houseboat on the Potomac. Tom Winters (Cary Grant) works for the government, his divorced wife was recently killed in a car wreck, and the grandparents were set to get custody of the three young children, papers already to be signed by Tom. But Tom would have none of that, instead took them to his hotel apartment in DC. Getting a nanny sure would be nice, plus a bigger place.Enters Cinzia (Sophia Loren), well educated daughter traveling with her famous conductor father, Tom's young son wanders away after the concert and ends up spending the evening with Cinzia. When she brings him home, both dirty, Tom thinks this "peasant" might make a good nanny. Never mind that she was also gorgeous.The houseboat becomes the gimmick to set up the dynamics of the story. While a cottage is being moved for them, sold by Tom's sister in law (Martha Hyer), it stalls on the tracks and gets destroyed by the train. The truck driver just happens to have a houseboat on the Potomac to rent them. But it is dilapidated, the roof leaks, and a host of problems crop up to keep the comedy flowing. In addition, Hyer is divorcing her husband and has had an eye for Tom since she was 4, and wanted him now.Cary Grant and Sophia Loren are an odd pairing, and was no doubt done to capitalize on their popularity. Grant was over 50, and was to make only a few more movies. Loren was 23 and while she was a seasoned actress in foreign films, was still relatively new to American cinema. Still, we the audience believe they can become romantically involved.It was nice to see a young Paul Petersen as Tom's son, David. I remember Petersen mostly for his 8-year stint on the old Donna Reed TV show, playing one of her sons. He is a real brat in "Houseboat."SPOILERS: In the end all gets sorted, Tom has to reject Hyer's proposal, he isn't in love with her. Cinzia at first leaves to return home, but then comes back and she and Tom are married, and the kids are happy. They also leave the houseboat.