A really sweet movie which always seems to be playing on TV and no wonder. Sure it's a little long (almost two hours) and some of it has early 60s sexism, but it has a big heart and some first rate writing: the film is full of little touches and excellent kid-dad dialogue. Ronny Howard is fantastic as Eddie and Glenn Ford supports him well as the widowed father; Ford tended to be miscast a lot around this stage of his career (eg For Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Love is a Ball) but he's completely at home here.
Stella Stevens is very funny in her support role, Jerry Van Dyke less so - these scenes aren't particularly well done. Dina Merill and Shirley Jones are ideal in their parts, sophisticated woman and girl next door respectively (though I can't look at Jones these days without thinking of her racy, sexy memoirs). But the real guts of it is Ford and Howard - their chemistry is marvellous.
Vincent Minnelli is often criticised as a director more interested in art design than emotion but this movie has real heart.
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