The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963)
Grade: 43
"The Music Man" and "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" have much in common. They're made only a year apart, and both co-star Shirley Jones and Ron Howard. Jones' isn't Howard's mother in either film, but she is his protector. And Jones ends up with much older men in both movies.
Howard is Eddie, the son of Tom Corbett (Glenn Ford), who is a recent widower. Ford still grieves for his lost wife, but already Howard is encouraging his interest in other women. But Howard mostly has his heart set on the nurse next door (Jones). But Ford and Jones always end up quarreling, so Howard tries to get Ford to pick up the young redhead Dollye (Stella Stevens).
Dolly is good-hearted but dim-witted, so she does not meet Ford's standards. For some reason, he pawns her off on Norman (Jerry Van Dyke), who is a womanizing, sweet-talking disc jockey. Ford is Van Dyke's boss, and frequently tells him to lay off the romance talk while on the air, with Van Dyke cheerfully ignoring him.
Van Dyke and Stevens soon become married, a curious character turn for Van Dyke. But not as curious as their decision to have their honeymoon in Montana. Since their characters aren't believable anyway, its just as well they aren't heard from again.
Ford, who oddly enough has women falling all over him, meets the wealthy and glamorous Rita Behrens (Dina Merrill). Ford and Merrill are soon an item, but Howard doesn't like Merrill, probably because she is never at Ford's apartment, leaving Howard to be parented by the housekeeper and frequent visits from Jones.
Howard goes to summer camp. Ford visits him there and they have one of their father/son talks. Ford explains why you shouldn't give money to a girl, and Howard apologizes for his girlfriend being fat. But things go wrong when Ford tells Howard that he is to ask Merrill to marry him. There are tears, and soon Howard runs away from camp in an attempt to break up the marriage. Howard shows up at Jones' apartment. This leads to another argument between Ford and Jones with remarkably cruel volleys exchanged.
One has to admit that Ford is a versatile actor. He can play cool, angry, and heartbroken. When Ford confronts Howard about his running away, Ford truly looks disheveled and devastated, just as he should be.
Merrill agrees to marry Ford if Howard is shipped off to relatives or a boarding school. Ford sees the light and the romance is off, clearing the way for the inevitable reconciliation between Jones and Ford. The moral is clear, widowers should pick the wife that most suits their young children, rather than themselves.
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