A Summer Place

Now, who could this be?

This movie had not entered my realm of consciousness until the old man, Jasper sang the theme as an audition piece in The Simpsons.  Until today, all I knew was the theme song, which has stuck in my brain thanks to that episode: "It's the theme, from a summer place, from a summer place, it's the theme, from a suuuummer place".

The Summer Place in Question

I must say, I was a bit surprised.  All this talk about sex in a movie from 1959? I just didn't expect it to be there. And it could just be my dirty mind but there even seemed to be a few scenes that suggested things of a sexual nature that were not expanded upon in the film, like when she brushes past a rose bush and he immediately lifts her skirt to check out the scratch:


I get that it was controversial in its day but let's just say the conversations between the father and daughter seemed icky to me - telling her father the boy next door used to watch her so she deliberately undressed with the curtains open, asking him if she bounces when she walks ("in a pleasant way", he responds) and talking about her 'naughty dreams' while snuggled up on the bed.  I found these discussions a tad... uncomfortable.

Anyway, long story short; the young couple have a sailing mishap, their parents' adultery comes to light and they are forbidden to see each other again.

But of course, true love conquers all.  Their respective adulterous parents marry each other and the teens are invited to stay with them in another summer place.  This one is more my kind of place:


"Frank Lloyd Wright designed our house" she says smugly as she chauffeurs her new stepdaughter around their poky little beach cottage. Well, to be fair, she was quite matter of fact about it, but that only irritated me more.

Don't mind if I do...

And now to reveal the girl behind the hat (as if you didn't know...)

Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee!

So, anyway...

As for you, Troy Donahue...

The rest of the film involves our intrepid young duo, wrestling with 'being good' when they want to be so 'bad' and then facing the consequences of their 'love'.  In the immortal words of the understanding mother/stepmother/'harlot': "We live in a glass house - we're not throwing any stones".

I, however, am more interested in the house...and the hat - where can I get me one of those?

Insert whimsical remark about Richard Egan being turned into a statue here.

You can see more photos of the house today at dsoderblog.