Father Goose (1964)

Father Goose

When scrolling through the reviews of 1964’s Father Goose, I was somewhat shocked at the relatively poor reviews of the movie. Could it be that these reviews ended Cary Grant’s career prematurely? Although contemporary reviews are kinder towards the movie, I was still surprised at the initial reaction. Admittedly this movie is far from Grant’s best role, but he still remains charming as ever. This movie is a pleasant romantic comedy that achieves on being funny, heartwarming, charming, and just a general crowdpleaser. The movie also earns points for casting Grant against type, but more on that later. Although the film did not garnish major attention come awards season, screenwriters Peter Stone and Frank Tarloff received an Oscar for their screenplay. The screenplay leans towards the sentimental and heart-warming side while playing up to the talents of Cary Grant.

Directed by Ralph Nelson, Cary Grant plays Walter Eckland-a loner with the appetite for plenty of booze. He lives in the South Pacific and has a habit of island-hopping with his boat as he mainly keeps to himself. He also happens to be in prime Japanese area during World War 2. That allows Walter’s friend, Navy Commander Frank Houghton (Trevor Howard) to coerce him to go to one of the islands to watch for and report enemy Japanese ships or planes. His payment is one whiskey bottle per enemy vehicle. After spending weeks on the island in boredom, he relishes the opportunity to go on a rescue mission for his replacement on a nearby island. After close calls with the Japanese, he lands on the island to see that is replacement is dead and a schoolteacher Catherine (Leslie Caron) and her seven students are stranded on the island. Walter brings them back to his island where the two different personalities clash with each other.

This is Cary Grant’s penultimate movie, and Grant later recalled that this movie was one that he cherished working on despite less than stellar reviews. I liked this Grant role because he played against type. He usually is the suave guy who dresses well and acts like a gentleman. Here he acts uncouth, is a loner, and suffers from alcoholism. The one thing he hasn’t lost, even in his sixties, is his charm. That brings us to Leslie Caron, who is excellent as the schoolteacher. She is some thirty years his junior, and generally I would be disgusted with these two different ages as romantic leads. That said, Cary Grant truly makes it work because of his impeccable charm. Just watch that famous snakebite scene where Grant has to suck the snake’s poison from Caron’s blood. That scene says it all. Finally, I liked Trevor Howard’s performance. It gives him a chance to embellish in comedy.

If you are a Cary Grant fan, Father Goose is one you should see. While a different role for him, his well-known charm is still there. The acting is tremendous and the chemistry is believable despite the age difference. I liked director Ralph Nelson’s choice to not have professional child actors playing the seven schoolchildren. On the whole, I was happy what I saw. Who doesn’t want to watch Cary Grant alone on an island with a schoolteacher and children as they try to avoid the Japanese and mess everyone’s life up.

My Grade: B+