It’s getting close to summertime, when the living is
easy, according to the old song. Among the warm weather activities many of
us will indulge in, movies make the list. If your town still has a
drive-in theater, that’s even better. There have been a lot of films that use summer
as a backdrop, and many of them rely on standby tropes like summer camp or
vacations. Romance usually plays a big part, too. Here are a few good ones, in
no special order. How many of these have you seen?
“The Parent Trap” (1961) – This Disney production has Hayley
Mills playing a dual role as teenage twins who were separated early in life
when their parents divorced. They meet at a summer camp for
girls, and plot to get their parents back together by switching places when
camp is over. Yeah, I know—too cute, right? Just accept the premise and roll
with it. Along the way, enjoy watching Brian Keith and Maureen O’Hara as the
clueless parents. This was remade in 1998 with Lindsay Lohan, in her film
debut.
“Gidget” (1959) – “Hey, gang—surf’s up!” This is the original
beach party flick, starring Sandra Dee, Cliff Robertson, and James Darren. It’s
about a teenager's introduction to the California surf scene and her romance
with a young surfer who teaches her how to hang ten, among other things. In
addition to inspiring a television series, the film is credited as being a big
factor in the mainstreaming of surfing culture. It also popularized the nickname
Big Kahuna, for Chief (Robertson’s character, a professional surfer and beach
bum the kids look up to).
“A Summer Place” (1959) -- This romantic drama is a
prime example of the steamy soap operas that were popular in the ‘50s.
Infidelity, pre-marital sex, bigotry, class snobbery, alcoholism, teen
pregnancy out of wedlock—there are enough vices here for two movies. The plot,
for those who care, concerns a man and woman who are reunited 20 years after a summer romance at an island resort. Both of their
marriages are in serious trouble, and the flame is re-ignited. They must then
deal with the passionate love affair that’s developing between their own
teenage children. It stars Richard Egan and Dorothy McGuire as the middle-aged
lovers, and Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue as their respective children. Percy
Faith’s recording of “Theme from A Summer Place” spent nine weeks at number one
on the Billboard singles chart. You might not have seen the movie, but you’ve
probably heard the song.
“Summer School” (1987) -- This Carl Reiner-directed
comedy stars a pre-“NCIS” Mark Harmon as a high school gym teacher who is
forced to teach a remedial English class during the summer break. He’s a former
pro athlete who lucked into a Phys-Ed job, but doesn’t have a clue about how to
teach or motivate a class of underachievers. The film co-stars Kirstie Alley
and Courtney Thorne-Smith. If you’ve seen “The Breakfast Club” or “Welcome
Back, Kotter,” the group of misfits Harmon is assigned to teach won’t provide
too many surprises, but they seem like a fun bunch.
“Summer Rental” (1985) – Here we have another Carl
Reiner creation, this time starring John Candy, Richard Crenna and Rip Torn. Candy
is an overworked air traffic controller who takes his family to the resort town
of Citrus Cove, Florida, where he clashes with local big shot Crenna. There are
a lot of good sight gags and enough quirky characters to make up for the
one-joke plot. Candy is great to watch as the put-upon family man who finally
gets pushed to the limit. And speaking of which…
“The Great Outdoors” (1988)– This vacation romp pairs
John Candy with Dan Aykroyd. Candy once again plays a harried family guy who is
looking forward to their annual summer getaway at a Wisconsin lake. A dark
cloud appears in the form of Aykroyd as the brother-in-law from hell, who seems
to exist only to make Candy’s life miserable. There are some very funny bits, and
the comic timing between Candy and Aykroyd is just right.
“National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983)—The first and
still the best of the series, this features the Griswold clan on a cross-country
summer road trip to enjoy some quality family time. At least, that’s what Chevy
Chase has in mind until they’re actually on the road to Wally World amusement
park. Along the way, they take a side trip to visit his mentally-vacant cousin
Eddie (Randy Quaid). The whole thing is one mishap after another, with some
hilarious gags. Chase’s meltdown toward the end is classic. Like all of the “Vacation”
films, you’ll see things that will make you think “Been there, done that.”
“Meatballs” (1979) – This Canadian comedy, about a
ragtag group of teenagers at a second-rate summer camp, is noted for being Bill
Murray's first starring role, and for launching the directing career of Ivan Reitman.
The two would team up again for “Stripes” (1981) and “Ghostbusters” (1984).
Murray is a camp counselor, whose personality will remind you of his lounge
lizard character on Saturday Night Live. There really isn’t much to the plot,
elements of which were reprised the following year in “Caddyshack” (“The slobs
versus the snobs”), but it’s all very funny.
“Jaws” (1975) -- “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Summer
had traditionally been the dumping ground for low-budget drive-in flicks until
this one broke box office records and became the must-see movie of the year. A
quaint New England island is terrorized over the busy July 4th holiday
by a huge shark with an equally large appetite. Director Steven Spielberg
supplied plenty of suspense, thrills and adventure, and the cast plays it
beautifully. Legend has it that the line about needing a bigger boat was
ad-libbed by star Roy Scheider, and it became a popular catchphrase.
“American Graffiti” (1973) – The marketing campaign for
this coming-of-age movie posed the question “Where were you in ’62?” That’s
considered to be the end of the ‘50s American rock-and-roll era, before the
British Invasion. The story takes place on the last night in town for a couple
of recent high school grads who are leaving for college the next day. Or will
they? Cruising, drag races, sock hops, make-out sessions by the lake, carhops
on roller skates, and oldies from car radios announced by Wolfman Jack make
this a nostalgic reminder of innocent times. Director/writer George Lucas
(“Star Wars”) based the story on his own experiences. The cast includes Ron
Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, and a little-known actor
named Harrison Ford. Look for the film debut of Suzanne Somers as the blonde in
the T-Bird who catches Dreyfuss’s attention.
2 comments:
Great list, Tim. A few months back I caught Jaws on Tubi. The scene where Scheider, the town sheriff, is on the boat when the shark shows itself is priceless. And very good acting. Talk about a stunned expression on Scheider's face. When he said, 'You're gonna need a bigger boat,' I said, 'No kidding.' Great movie. :)
Thank you, Tina. Hard to believe it's been 50 years since Jaws scared everyone out of the water.
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