‘Houseboat’ : A romantic comedy

'Houseboat', a 1958 romantic comedy directed by Melville Shavelson will be screened at 6 pm on January 16 at American Centre. Colombo-3.

Starring Cary Grant, Sophia Loren, Martha Hyer, Paul Petersen, Charles Herbert and Mimi Gibson in the stellar cast, the film was nominated for two Oscar Awards: one for Best Original Song for "Almost in Your Arms (Love Song from Houseboat)", and the other for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen and aslo Harry Guardino was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globe Award.

Grant plays a widowed father who packs himself and his spoiled kiddies off to a ramshackle houseboat. Enter Sophia Loren, who is attempting to break loose from her tyrannical father's iron grip. She hires on as Grant's housekeeper and his children's governess.

Though Grant struggles valiantly to maintain a "hands off" policy, he and Loren are billing and cooing by fadeout time--but not before plenty of reversals, recriminations and sitcom-style mishaps.