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The Courtship of Eddie's Father

Play trailer Poster for The Courtship of Eddie's Father Released Mar 6, 1963 1h 57m Kids & Family Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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67% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Realizing that he needs a mother -- and his widower father, Tom (Glenn Ford), needs a wife -- precocious Eddie Corbett (Ron Howard) is determined to get his dad remarried. While Tom dates numerous women, including the uptight aristocrat Rita Behrens (Dina Merrill), nobody seems to be a good fit for Eddie or his father. Soon it becomes apparent that Tom's ideal match may be closer than he thought, as he begins to develop feelings for his lovely neighbor, Elizabeth Marten (Shirley Jones).
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The Courtship of Eddie's Father

Critics Reviews

View All (6) Critics Reviews
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Excellent seriocomedy. Rated: 3.5/4 Jun 17, 2023 Full Review Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine Astonishingly, this time the net product is an agreeable entertainment, nimbly sidestepping most of the pitfalls in its path. Oct 7, 2019 Full Review Michael E. Grost Classic Film and Television Strange film about family tragedy masquerading as a comedy, the film does have some impressive sequences. Aug 8, 2008 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com One of Minnellli's weakest (or is it modest?) serio comedies, dealing with the adjustment problems of a recent widower (Glenn Ford) and his young son (played by child actor-future director Ron Howard). Rated: C Jul 12, 2007 Full Review Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) Enjoyable family comedy. Rated: 4/5 Aug 27, 2003 Full Review Josh Gilchrist Billings Outpost (Montana) Rated: 4/5 Jul 29, 2003 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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CodyZamboni An amusing comedy with undercurrents of sadness , as a widower, Glenn Ford, and his young son try to move on in life. Movie's main charm is young Ron Howard, trying to fix up his dad with other women, especially next door neighbor, Shirley Jones. Movie's poignancy comes with how Ron copes with the loss of his mom. To the movie's credit, it doesnt paint Ford as Mr Perfect, he is a real jerk sometimes, especially to Shirley. And I like that the movie doesn't provide easy happy answers or plot resolutions, only hope. Shirley Jones is so appealing and stunningly beautiful. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/31/23 Full Review Steve D Completely adorable and heartfelt. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Ron Howard's youthful innocence at the time during his days on Mayberry steals the show in a unique rom-com from an emotionally fragile, common angle but also adapted not too far apart from how Andy Griffith approaches things with Glenn Ford substituting nicely. (B) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member I saw this was gonna be on one of the classic movie channels, so I decided after 52 years, it was time to set the DVR. Ron was great, as I expected, but John Ford not so much. Not only was the chemistry all but non-existent, what was there was just awkward. Less disturbing than Ford's shitty performance, but still painful, was the odd pacing and completely unaddressed jumps in time and plot. Ehh, it was OK, and certainly fun to see Opie out of Mayberry and a young Shirley Jones, who's always good, but I was expecting more from a classic I'd never seen. Bleh. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member good gr8 cast rom-com Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member A very cute movie with the young Ron Howard as the precious Eddie who tries to get his father to marry the attractive next door neighbor. The way it makes light of a heavy issue of adjusting to life without a mother (or wife) was a bit odd, but the performances and understanding of it's lead characters were charming enough. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Courtship of Eddie's Father

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Movie Info

Synopsis Realizing that he needs a mother -- and his widower father, Tom (Glenn Ford), needs a wife -- precocious Eddie Corbett (Ron Howard) is determined to get his dad remarried. While Tom dates numerous women, including the uptight aristocrat Rita Behrens (Dina Merrill), nobody seems to be a good fit for Eddie or his father. Soon it becomes apparent that Tom's ideal match may be closer than he thought, as he begins to develop feelings for his lovely neighbor, Elizabeth Marten (Shirley Jones).
Director
Vincente Minnelli
Producer
Joe Pasternak
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Venice Productions
Genre
Kids & Family, Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 6, 1963, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 18, 2008
Runtime
1h 57m
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