Charley is a surgeon who's recently lost his wife. He embarks on a tragicomic romantic quest with woman after woman until he meets up with Ann, a singular woman closer to his own age, who im... Read allCharley is a surgeon who's recently lost his wife. He embarks on a tragicomic romantic quest with woman after woman until he meets up with Ann, a singular woman closer to his own age, who immediately and unexpectedly captures his heart.Charley is a surgeon who's recently lost his wife. He embarks on a tragicomic romantic quest with woman after woman until he meets up with Ann, a singular woman closer to his own age, who immediately and unexpectedly captures his heart.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Dr. Sloan
- (as William J. Fiore)
- Michael Atkinson
- (as Charlie Matthau)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe George Harrison "Beatles" song "Something (In The Way She Moves)" which is heard in the theatrical and original home videocassette releases of this movie has been removed from its LaserDisc and DVD releases.
- Quotes
Dr. Willoughby: [At burial service] Throughout history, all great innovators were never really appreciated until they were dead. Your dead now Harry... an' we appreciate it!
- Alternate versionsThe original LaserDisc release (on the MCA VideoDisc label) had an instrumental interlude in place of the Beatles' song "Something".
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter (1982)
- SoundtracksSunny Side of the Street
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields (uncredited)
Music by Jimmy McHugh (uncredited)
[Performed by] Frankie Laine
courtesy Springboard International Records
Jackson is divorced, opinionated and clever--everything the young women Matthau has been seeing aren't. Their first real date is like watching a comfortable couple, and ends in a truly funny bit of physical comedy ('keeping one foot on the floor'as was required in old films they're discussing). Since Jackson's ex was a serial cheater, she makes it clear she isn't interested in being just one of his many, and they agree on a two week 'trial' exclusive relationship. There is a montage of 'togetherness scenes' that seems a little too pat in the film, but the witty dialogue returns as the pair hits a snag: Matthau may be the only one who can convince a wealthy young woman (Candy Azzara) not to file a hefty lawsuit after her rich old hubby dies in surgery. Matthau has two decisions of conscience to make--is he ready for a real commitment to Jackson, and will he stand up to Carney?
This really was a delight to watch--Matthau and Jackson had great funny chemistry, and Carney is terrific as the doctor who teeters between wacky (he orders breakfast for patients be served at 5am, and lunch at 9) and sounding perfectly lucid while explaining why he wants to keep his position of power. We get to see Matthau in a dress (and it isn't a pretty sight), and his son, Charlie, as Jackson's teenager. This used to make the rounds on network TV a great deal, but it seems lost to the ages these days. It's on DVD but will likely never make it to Blu.
- AlsExGal
- Sep 11, 2020
- How long is House Calls?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $28,460,702
- Gross worldwide
- $28,460,702
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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