Eddie Corbett (Ronny Howard) lives with his father Tom (Glenn Ford) in Manhattan as they try to recover from his mother's recent death. There is the next door neighbor friend Elizabeth Marten (Shirley Jones). The father and son encounter Dollye Daly (Stella Stevens) at a fair. She ends up marrying Tom's co-worker friend Norman Jones (Jerry Van Dyke). Tom starts dating snotty socialite Rita Behrens (Dina Merrill).
There are some overly dramatic acting early on. I can excuse the over the top crying from little Ronny Howard but the adults go too far. When they dial it up to eleven so early, the actors have nowhere else to go. It would be better for little Ronny to break down during the climax allowing her to come in and save the family. The problem with the initial breakup is that the separation keeps them from building any chemistry. As for the Dollye and Norman relationship, I don't really care that much about it unless they can make it funnier. It's a waste of screen time. I still like the premise and the actors. This is a functional family story. Mostly, I find the father son struggles intriguing. I like the conflict.
There are some overly dramatic acting early on. I can excuse the over the top crying from little Ronny Howard but the adults go too far. When they dial it up to eleven so early, the actors have nowhere else to go. It would be better for little Ronny to break down during the climax allowing her to come in and save the family. The problem with the initial breakup is that the separation keeps them from building any chemistry. As for the Dollye and Norman relationship, I don't really care that much about it unless they can make it funnier. It's a waste of screen time. I still like the premise and the actors. This is a functional family story. Mostly, I find the father son struggles intriguing. I like the conflict.