In the quiet suburb of Hummingbird Hill, lawyer Harry King, [Richard Haydn], and his wife Tacey King, [Maureen O'Hara], juggle the chaos of three lively boys—Larry, Tony, and baby Roddy—while trying to keep a steady nanny. After yet another dismissal, Tacey hires Lynn Belvedere, [Clifton Webb], sight unseen, only to discover that Belvedere is a man with an astonishing array of skills who frankly declares he detests children. Despite the initial misgivings, the Kings grant him a trial period, and Belvedere quickly wins over the boys with his calm competence and quiet, almost mysterious confidence. Harry’s patience wears thin as Belvedere’s cool, condescending demeanor grates on him, yet the children adore their new guardian.
Before Harry leaves on a business trip, Tacey agrees to stay overnight at the home of their friends, fellow lawyer Bill Philby, [John Russell], and his wife Edna Philby, [Louise Allbritton], hoping to keep a lid on the local gossip. But a sick child compels Tacey to return home, and nosy neighbor Clarence Appleton notices the lights and starts to pry, spreading insinuations that Belvedere and Tacey share something more than a nanny–child bond. The rumors eventually reach Harry’s boss, Horatio J. Hammond, and though Harry denies any impropriety, the town’s reputation begins to hang in the balance. The pressure strains the marriage, and Harry begins to wonder if Belvedere should leave, though his wife and children plead for Belvedere to stay.
The suspense thickens when Tacey and Edna attend a late-night lecture together, then stop for a bite where Belvedere happens to be on a day off. He invites Tacey to dance, and the pair are seen cheek-to-cheek by Appleton and his mother, rekindling whispers across the town. This time, Harry’s tolerance snaps. Feeling betrayed, Tacey takes their youngest child and flees to her parents’ home in Fort Worth, Texas.
> a screaming satire on suburban manners and morals
In the days that follow, Belvedere reveals a startling truth: over the past weeks he has secretly researched and written a pointed account of the goings-on in Hummingbird Hill. The manuscript is published as a national bestseller, sending shockwaves through the community and forcing everyone to confront their own pretenses. Tacey rushes home to reconcile with Harry, but the firm’s reputation is already frayed. Hammond fires both Harry and Bill and then moves to sue Belvedere, who, amused by the publicity, hires the pair to defend him. The case takes an unexpected turn when Belvedere points to the informant behind the rumors: Clarence Appleton. Appleton flees as Hammond and others close in, and Belvedere’s fame continues to grow as the remarkable book becomes the first volume of what will become a trilogy, ensuring that the satire endures long after the immediate scandal has cooled.
