Goosey Goosey Gander

Film: Father Goose
Certificate: U
Duration: 112 mins
Year of Release: 1964
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Director(s): Ralph Nelson
Writer(s): S.H. Barnett, Peter Stone, Frank Tarloff
Cast: Cary Grant, Leslie Caron, Trevor Howard, Jack Good, Sharyl Locke, Pip Sparke, Verina Greenlaw, Stephanie Berrington, Jennifer Berrington, Laurelle Felsette, Nicole Felsette


With WWII going on around him, loner Walter Eckland is forced into becoming a Japanese plane spotter amongst the South Pacific islands in return for food and more importantly alcohol. Having begrudgingly agreed to take on the mission he finds his solitary life completely turned upside down by the arrival of a French school teacher and her class to his island after becoming stranded.

With the plethora of new films hitting the big screens and DVDs every week it is quite easy to forget the films from yester year, ones which are not known for being classics but are equally good. One of my favourites which fits into this category is "Father Goose" a film from 1964 which was sadly Cary Grant's penultimate film outing. Why I like it so much is that despite being set during WWII it is a light hearted, clean, romantic comedy with a very entertaining storyline and has an even more entertaining array of performances.

As already mentioned, although "Father Goose" is set during WWII it is by no means a war movie; it is basically a comedy which focuses on the relationships between the characters, most significantly that of Walter Eckland and the French teacher, but also the interactions between Eckland and all the other characters. Where the film really works for me is the progression as the storyline is built up quite literally brick by brick. It starts off with the curmudgeonly Eckland being forced into a job he doesn't want by old friend Commander Houghton, magnificently played by Trevor Howard. This opening sets up the scene beautifully with Eckland and Houghton trying to out wit each other. Once the scene is set it adds the next brick with the introduction of the teacher, Catherine Freneau, and the school children which adds to Eckland's misery. This element of the story is really the main focus and the interactions at this point are so funny that it is at times hard to stop yourself from laughing, especially when Eckland finds himself losing out to Freneau and the school children. The film then adds a further brick and changes direction slightly, but in doing so still manages to maintain the same level of humour right up until the credits roll.

A huge part of the reason why I like "Father Goose" so much is that it is good, clean comedy with out the need for sexual innuendo, or bodily noises to make you laugh. Of course body noises and sexual innuendo were not part of movie making back in the 60s but films like "Father Goose" show that a film can still be entertaining without these. In some ways I find "Father Goose" more hilarious than many modern films as the comedy comes from the interactions between the characters. Watching Eckland become even grumpier after being kicked out of his home by Freneau is just brilliant as it is full of perfect comedy timing. But equally the banter between Eckland and Houghton constantly makes you smile as the dialogue is brilliant and the delivery is exceptional.

I won't deny that a huge part of the reason why I like "Father Goose" is the casting of Cary Grant in the lead role, one of my favourite actors from that era and before. In some ways Grant plays against type, being the unkept loner rather than the dashing bachelor he usually played, but he still manages to bring so much charm to the character that despite his grumpiness you can't but help liking him. Whilst Grant is quite rightly the star of the film, he is matched by equally good performances from Trevor Howard as Commander Houghton and Leslie Caron as Catherine Freneau. Howard plays your typical stiff upper lip British naval officer, but seems to have a strong friendship with Eckland and you get a real sense that Howard and Grant were friends off of camera as well as there scenes together seem so natural. The role of the French school teacher could be have written with Leslie Caron in mind, she is perfect as the bossy, argumentative teacher and like with Howard, the verbal sparring between Grant and herself feels so realistic. Add to this a small group of school girls who are a joy to watch as they make Eckland's life a misery and the performances are in all a joy to watch.

Of course this is not a film which will be to everyone's liking and some will find it a bit slow at times, but for the most I would say it is a joy to watch. If you are looking for a good old fashioned comedy which revolves around clean humour, rather than toilet gags then I would completely recommend "Father Goose". Plus if you want to introduce a younger audience to the comedies of yester year then I would say this would be a good starting block. Whilst it is not Cary grant's best performance it is still top notch and a joy to watch, especially on a lazy afternoon.