While this film is hardly at risk of being called the greatest movie ever made, it's also not bad...a decent film.
If I have one complaint about the film it's the role played by one of my favorite character actors -- Karl Malden. Playing the "bad" father shouldn't have meant that it had to be over the top, and Malden really goes over the top here. It's a shame; he was normally a very fine actor. I'm guessing the blame lies with the director and/or screenwriters who apparently didn't understand that most people -- unless they're bipolar -- have a rather even demeanor most of the time.
Probably the best acting in the film is by veteran character actor Dean Jagger. His presence is a blessing in any movie, and certainly in this film.
The lead -- Troy Donahue -- whose talent was about as shallow as a summer stream -- actually does fairly well here. Other than a handsome face and blonde hair, there certainly wasn't much to the skinny, almost puny (though tall) actor. While not a memorable performance by any stretch of the imagination (were any of his roles?), he plays the part satisfactorily.
This was Claudette Colbert's final big screen appearance, and she is always a welcome presence in virtually any film. What a shame she walked away from movies. What a wonderful, wonderful actress.
The plot here is quite good, and production values were high, and much of it filmed on location. It's a longer-than-average movie, but it still ended rather abruptly (and predictably). Recommended, with reservations.
