How Do I Love Thee?

Tom Waltz (Rick Lenz, Cactus Flower) is flying to France to see his hospitalized father (Jackie Gleason, Papa’s Delicate Condition). While aboard the jet, Tom recalls many scenes from his past. Specifically, the time his father generously donated a $10,000 gift to Tom’s philosophy department from money he won through a poetry contest. The winning poem was given to him by artist named Lena (Shelley Winters, Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?) with whom he has an unconsummated affair – not knowing the poem was actually the sonnet “How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Michael Gordon (Pillow Talk) directed this comedy of regrets and errors based on a book by Peter De Vries (Pete ‘n’ Tillie) and co-starring Maureen O’Hara (Miracle on 34th Street) as Tom’s mom and beautiful Rosemary Forsyth (What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?) as his wife.