It tells the story of a widowed college professor who feels dominated by his aging father, yet still has regrets about his plan to leave him behind when he remarries and moves to California.

It stars Melvyn Douglas, Gene Hackman, Dorothy Stickney, Estelle Parsons, and Elizabeth Hubbard.

The film was produced and directed by Gilbert Cates, and Robert Anderson adapted the screenplay from his 1968 Broadway play.

She explains to Gene that Tom's failing memory and health will require constant care either in a nursing home or with live-in assistance.

Tom's love for his son comes shining through in their conversation and he asks about a tune that Gene used to sing for him as a boy.

Applauded by critics and viewers, the film (and play) predicted the coming of the sandwich generation, in this case, grown children and other family members helping their elderly parents who are up in age.

I've suggested something of what it's about, but almost nothing about the way the writing, the direction, and the performances come together to create one of the most unforgettably human films I can remember.

"[2] Vincent Canby, in his review for The New York Times, was far less complimentary, writing "(The film) does the human spirit a disservice in the way it pleads for sympathy for people who are small and flat, like comic strip characters, without sweetness, without imagination, without any suspected reserves of emotion.