The film is very typical of the 60's-70's comedy romance films where the handsome and rich (divorced) playboy this time starring Tony Curtis as Casino Manager Steve McCluskey shows disdain for the casino owners inferred girlfriend played by Suzanne Pleshette as night club singer Chris Lockwood. In reality Chris Lockwood is in fact not the casino owners' girlfriend but is really just his niece as always claimed of the casino owner leaving the door open for McCluskey to consider entering in to a romantic relationship with Chris Lockwood.
The story begins with a lifetime gambler who over extends his credit limit at the casino that Steve McCluskey (Tony Curtis) runs, so the gambler takes off to find some cash leaving behind his 7 year old daughter Penny Piper (Claire Wilcox) at the casino in his hotel room. Of course the gambling father intends to come right back to the casino as soon as he gets some more cash. But as circumstances would have it, he is tragically killed in an auto accident leaving the casino manager Steve McCluskey and his new night club singer Chris Lockwood (Suzanne Pleshette) to figure out a way to break the news to cute little 7 year old Penny that her deadbeat gambling dad has left his little girl all alone in the world.
What to do? Oh what to do? Why not ask Penny what she always wanted to do? So the question is posed to 7 year old Penny and she says she wants to go to Disneyland. As if McCluskey doesn't have enough to worry about with running a casino, he also has private detectives and his ex-wife's lawyer chasing him to pay up on alimony so he needs to disguise himself to leave the casino to even get to Disneyland where the classic chase around Disneyland ensues played alongside some classical musical score.
A good time is had by all at Disneyland, romance continues to bloom between McCluskey and Lockwood as they care for little Penny who is having the time of her life with her chaperone's in an effort to distract her from the sudden death of her gambling daddy. Eventually McCluskey is nabbed and ends up in court where little Penny is put on the stand and questioned as to how she was treated while in the care of McCluskey at his casino. This is where 7 year old Penny wins over her audience and the judge as she bestows all the credit for her loving care and attentiveness on casino manager McCluskey for making sure she was treated like the little angel that she is. Tears will start to flow from most women's eyes as Penny indirectly tells us how much she loves McCluskey.
Incidentally, 7 year old Penny (played by Claire Wilcox) was born in Toronto, Ontario the same Canadian city that Grade 1 director Norman Jewison is from. Ms. Wilcox went on to appear in various television series as a guest star for the next several years as a young teenager and then stopped acting completely. Her whereabouts are currently unknown? Ms. Wilcox what are you doing now? You stole the big screen from Tony Curtis and Suzanne Pleshette. I give the film a 6 out of 10 and Ms. Wilcox a perfect 10 out of 10 for her heart felt performance.
The story begins with a lifetime gambler who over extends his credit limit at the casino that Steve McCluskey (Tony Curtis) runs, so the gambler takes off to find some cash leaving behind his 7 year old daughter Penny Piper (Claire Wilcox) at the casino in his hotel room. Of course the gambling father intends to come right back to the casino as soon as he gets some more cash. But as circumstances would have it, he is tragically killed in an auto accident leaving the casino manager Steve McCluskey and his new night club singer Chris Lockwood (Suzanne Pleshette) to figure out a way to break the news to cute little 7 year old Penny that her deadbeat gambling dad has left his little girl all alone in the world.
What to do? Oh what to do? Why not ask Penny what she always wanted to do? So the question is posed to 7 year old Penny and she says she wants to go to Disneyland. As if McCluskey doesn't have enough to worry about with running a casino, he also has private detectives and his ex-wife's lawyer chasing him to pay up on alimony so he needs to disguise himself to leave the casino to even get to Disneyland where the classic chase around Disneyland ensues played alongside some classical musical score.
A good time is had by all at Disneyland, romance continues to bloom between McCluskey and Lockwood as they care for little Penny who is having the time of her life with her chaperone's in an effort to distract her from the sudden death of her gambling daddy. Eventually McCluskey is nabbed and ends up in court where little Penny is put on the stand and questioned as to how she was treated while in the care of McCluskey at his casino. This is where 7 year old Penny wins over her audience and the judge as she bestows all the credit for her loving care and attentiveness on casino manager McCluskey for making sure she was treated like the little angel that she is. Tears will start to flow from most women's eyes as Penny indirectly tells us how much she loves McCluskey.
Incidentally, 7 year old Penny (played by Claire Wilcox) was born in Toronto, Ontario the same Canadian city that Grade 1 director Norman Jewison is from. Ms. Wilcox went on to appear in various television series as a guest star for the next several years as a young teenager and then stopped acting completely. Her whereabouts are currently unknown? Ms. Wilcox what are you doing now? You stole the big screen from Tony Curtis and Suzanne Pleshette. I give the film a 6 out of 10 and Ms. Wilcox a perfect 10 out of 10 for her heart felt performance.