Father Goose 1964

     The setting of this film is during WWII in the South Sea.  Walter Eckland is spying on Japanese planes flying over Matalava Island.  Catherine Frenau is a French schoolmistress and she arrives on the island with her seven students.  Everyone starts to get very worried when the Japanese planes begin to fire on the island.  Then the Japanese come onto the island using rafts from a ship.

     This is interesting because the characters played by Grant and Caron are complete opposites.  Grant is scruffy with a beard and he likes to drink.  Caron is neat, polite, courteous, well spoken and she doesn’t drink.  Surprisingly, they get into a slapping contest as a result of their dislike of each other!!  Caron also doesn’t want her students to witness this type of behavior.  There is a dangerous possibility that the Japanese will discover them on the island.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

118 min, Adventure directed by Ralph Nelson with Cary Grant, Leslie Caron, Trevor Howard, Jack Good, Sharyl Locke, Pip Sparke, Verina Greenlaw, Stephanie and Jennifer Berrington, Laurell and Nicole Felsette.

Note:  Imdb 7.4 out of 10, 79% critic 86% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 865 reviews, TCM average review 4.64* out of 5*, Letterboxd 3*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica and Stage 19, Universal Studios, Universal City California.  Cary Grant said that this role was the one most like his real personality.  He kept in touch with most of the students in the film as they grew up and had their own families.  Grant was offered the role of Henry Higgins in May Fair Lady of 1964 but he turned it down to star in this film.  He wanted Audrey Hepburn to play Catherine but she was committed to My Fair Lady.  Eights weeks of production were in Hollywood and four weeks on location at a Jamaican coconut plantation.