Lola Delaney (Shirley Booth, in her movie debut) and her recovering alcoholic chiropractor husband, Doc (Burt Lancaster), didn’t have a great start to their relationship.
An unexpected pregnancy led him to drop out of medical school, followed by a miscarriage and news that Lola wouldn’t be able to bear children.
Doc is bitter that he had to drop out of college, and so couldn’t become a “real doctor”. His solution for years was to hit the bottle. Frumpy Lola is depressed about the distance between her and her husband, as well as her lost dog, Sheba.
But when college student Marie Buckholder (Terry Moore) moves into their spare bedroom, it shakes up their marriage and lives.
Doc feels passion for the first time in 20 years, but Marie already has two suitors her own age: Turk (Richard Jaeckel) and Bruce (Walter Kelley). Meanwhile, Lola – unaware of Doc’s emotions – becomes as interested in Marie’s future as if she were her own daughter.
Shirley Booth – who had played the role of the glum and lonely Lola in the Broadway stage version – won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal in the film.
Hank “Doc” Delaney
Burt Lancaster Lola Delaney
Shirley Booth Marie Buckholder
Terry Moore Turk Fisher
Richard Jaeckel Ed Anderson
Philip Ober Elmo Chester
Edwin Max Mrs Coffman
Lisa Golm Bruce Cunningham
Walter Kelley
Director
Daniel Mann
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An unexpected pregnancy led him to drop out of medical school, followed by a miscarriage and news that Lola wouldn’t be able to bear children.
Shirley Booth – who had played the role of the glum and lonely Lola in the Broadway stage version – won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal in the film.
Turk Fisher
