How Do I Love Thee

Plot

Tom Waltz, a college professor, finds out that Stanley, his father, is in Lourdes, France. He quickly catches a flight there over his wife Marions objections.

Stanley is a furniture mover, happily married to Elsie but tempted by Lena, an artist. No actual affair takes place, but Lena does give him a poem as a parting gift that Stanley later enters in a contest. He wins a $10,000 prize and donates the money to Toms department at the university. Tom is rewarded with a promotion over his rival, Littlefield.

Trouble develops when the "original" poem is exposed as being one of Elizabeth Barrett Brownings sonnets. Littlefield gets the job and Toms reputation is sullied. Stanley prays for divine intervention and Littlefield promptly dies. Stanley flies to Lourdes to atone and pray for forgiveness, but is relieved when Tom informs him that Littlefields death occurred before his request for help from above.

Cast

Jeffrey Orloff as student walking wearing tke shirt

Reception

How Do I Love Thee? premiered in Los Angeles on October 1, 1970. It was a box office failure and recorded an overall loss of $2,425,000. It earned rentals of $150,000 in North America and $125,000 in other countries.