Father Goose

In what would be his second-to-last film appearance, screen legend Cary Grant is paired with the enchanting Leslie Caron in Father Goose, and the battle of the sexes has never been as funny or as romantic.

When boozy beachcomber Walter Eckland (Grant) is blackmailed into service as a lookout by the Allied Forces during World War II, little does he realize that his idyllic island getaway will soon become a haven for seven schoolgirls and their prim and proper teacher. Rescued by Eckland from a nearby island following an enemy attack, Catherine Freneau (Caron) and her seven mischievous charges will turn the life of the grumpy, whiskey-soaked Eckland on its ear. Adding to the fun is Trevor Howard as Commander Frank Houghton, the proverbial thorn in Eckland’s side.  
 
Father Goose, directed by Ralph Nelson from an Academy Award winning screenplay by Peter Stone and Frank Tarloff based on a story by S.H. Barnett, was photographed by Academy Award winner Charles Lang Jr. and features a score by Cy Coleman, which includes the Father Goose theme song, “Pass Me By.”

BONUS FEATURES:

• New restoration from 4K scan of original camera negative
• Audio commentary by film historian David Del Valle
• “Unfinished Business: Cary Grant’s Search for Fatherhood and His Oscar” – with Marc Eliot, author of Cary Grant: A Biography
• “My Father” – Ted Nelson discusses director Ralph Nelson
• Archival newsreel footage featuring Leslie Caron
• Essay by Village Voice critic Bilge Ebiri

Cary Grant and Tony Curtis, two of cinema’s most celebrated stars, provide the comedic pivot point in director Blake Edwards’ Operation Petticoat. It’s hijinks on the high seas when revered Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman (Grant) and the somewhat unethical Lt. JG Nicholas Holden (Curtis) team to upright the USS Sea Tiger, a flagging submarine that’s seen better days. With some dubious maneuvering (and scavenged parts), things begin to look up for the old war horse until the ship and its crew are forced out to sea by a surprise attack. Limping along and barely held together with its borrowed parts, the Sea Tiger gets some unexpected company when five stranded Army nurses are brought aboard. The game gals will prove that necessity is indeed the mother of invention, initiating a series of renovations to make life aboard the Sea Tiger livable — with the exception of the sub’s accidental pink paint job. Not only is the ship now an eyesore, but a target for both the Japanese and American forces.

Adding to the fun, both fore and aft, are a talented cast of supporting players that include Joan O’Brien, Dina Merrill, Gene Evans, Dick Sargent, Arthur O’Connell, Gavin MacLeod, Madlyn Rhue and Marion Ross. Operation Petticoat’s Academy Award nominated screenplay was written for the screen by Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin (suggested by a story by Paul King and Joseph Stone) and photographed by the great Russell Harlan.

BONUS FEATURES:

• New High-Definition digital restoration
• Audio commentary by critic Adrian Martin
• “That’s What Everybody Says About Me” – with Jennifer Edwards and actress Lesley Ann Warren
• “The Brave Crew of the Petticoat” – with actors Gavin MacLeod and Marion Ross
• “The Captain and His Double: Cary Grant’s Struggle of the Self” – with Marc Eliot, author of Cary Grant: A Biography
• Universal Newsreel footage of Cary Grant and the opening of Operation Petticoat at the Radio City Music Hall
• Archival footage of the submarine USS Balao, which doubled as the USS Sea Tiger in Operation Petticoat
• Essay by critic Chris Fujiwara