In this film you have a man who has done his best to get away from the world, but is not succeeding. The film opens with the title character, Walter (Cary Grant), as an expat American who seems to have two hobbies, drinking and enjoying his boat. This is spite of the live fire that is going on around him and the Japanese war in the Pacific. He also has a casual way with the property of the Royal Navy as represented by the local commander, Houghton (Trevor Howard). Known to Houghton, he is not arrested but is enlisted somewhat against his will as an observer on an island to watch for enemy Japanese activity. While he is being dropped off the commander accidentally on purpose damages his boat so he ends up stuck there on the island.
He tows the damaged boat to a lagoon in his dinghy and puts up camouflage so it won't be spotted from the air, but the larger boat is not seaworthy any more and ends up partially sunk in the lagoon. So he settles down to life as a Royal Navy enemy spotter.
At this juncture he is sent to investigate a distress call from a nearby island in his dinghy.
There he discovers that the observer for that island has been killed and what is more that a group of seven schoolgirls and their guardian a fortyish schoolteacher (Leslie Caron) have been stranded on the island. Exactly why or how I don't remember, They are the children of diplomatic personnel. but agree to go with him back to his island. It becomes clear they can barely fit in his little boat but they do and they make it back to his island.
When they do, the stage is set for Walter to develop, albeit reluctantly, fatherly and protective instincts that for him up till then he had little use.
It is a cute tale that follows a rather predictable course but I was not overly bothered by that. The little girls are adorable and the interaction between Grant and Caron is entertaining. It is a story that is part Gilligan's Island and part African Queen. The villainous and threatening Japanese serve to move the story along. I enjoyed the film.
