Doc Delaney and his wife, Lola (Burt Lancaster and Shirley Booth), are a lonely middle-aged couple. Lola suffered a miscarriage shortly after their shotgun wedding, yet they remain married, either out of habit or out of guilt. The years have not been kind to the Delaneys. Lola, once a stunning and vibrant beauty, is now a fat, lazy and slovenly woman. When she is not loafing around the house, she is mourning the loss of her beloved puppy, Little Sheba. Doc is convinced that the dog is gone for good, but Lola clings to the hope that Little Sheba might return one day. Doc, who blew his chances at becoming a real medical doctor, is now a recovering alcoholic with a fledgling chiropractic practice. He faithfully attends A.A. meetings, performs community service but he is still unhappy. To earn extra spending money, Lola decides to rent out a bedroom to a university student. Doc is vehemently opposed to this idea. Due to his recovery, he does not want anybody around. Even though Lola assures him that “lots of people rent out rooms”, Doc feels that having a boarder would be beneath the Delaneys. That is until he meets the lovely Marie Buckholder (Terry Moore). Attractive, youthful and full of bubbling enthusiasm, Marie is everything Lola once was. The beautiful young co-ed captivates Doc and he insists that she move in right away. Instead of moving into the vacant bedroom that Lola has prepared, Doc allows Marie to take over Lola's spacious sewing room. Marie plans to use the space as a sort of studio since she is studying art. Marie, with her vivacity and collection of lilac-scented bath products, brings much needed light and cheer into the dark and gloomy life of the Delaneys. However, a dark cloud named Turk Fisher (Richard Jaeckel) slowly threatens the idyllic interlude. Marie has a “young man back home”, but that does not stop her from shamelessly flirting with and teasing Turk, much to his frustration. The young lovers begin using the Delaneys living room as the setting for their passion play. Lola, who is vicariously reliving her youth through Marie, looks forward to spying on Marie and Turk making love. Doc, threatened and jealous by the promising young stud, is outraged that his wife would allow and encourage such indecent behavior. The Delaneys relationship deteriorates as Marie and Turk awaken buried feelings within the aging couple.
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The review of this Movie prepared by Tara Dugan
