During his summer vacation on Nantucket Island in 1942, a youth eagerly awaiting his first sexual encounter finds himself developing an innocent love for a young woman awaiting news on her soldier husband's fate in WWII.
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Title: Summer of '42 (1971)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Jennifer O'Neill | ... | ||
| Gary Grimes | ... | ||
| Jerry Houser | ... | ||
 |
Oliver Conant | ... | |
|
|
Katherine Allentuck | ... | |
|
|
Christopher Norris | ... | |
|
|
Lou Frizzell | ... | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (68) »
Storyline
Silent as a painting, the movie shows us day-dreamer Hermie and his friends Oscy and Benjie spending the summer of '42 on an US island with their parents - rather unaffected by WWII. While Oscy's main worries are the when and how of getting laid, Hermie honestly falls in love with the older Dorothy, who's married to an army pilot. When her husband returns to the front, Hermie shyly approaches her. Written by Bob Dawson <dawsonb@lfs.loral.com>
Plot Keywords:
island | summer vacation | famous score | unrequited love | buying condom |Taglines:
In everyone's life there's a "Summer of '42" See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
9 April 1971 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Verano del 42 See more »Box Office
Budget:
$1,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Narrator: [voice-over] When I was 15 and my family came to the island for the summer, there weren't as many houses or people as they are now. The geography of the island and the singularity of the sea were far more noticeable then. And if a guy wasn't to die of loneliness, this family made certain that other families from his neighborhood contributed other kids to the island. Present with me in the summer of '42 were Oscy, my best friend. And Benji, my next best friend. We called ourselves ...
See more »
(The Summer Knows)
Composed by Michel Legrand
Played several times throughout the film
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Michel Legrand's Theme from "Summer of '42" was released as a single in the spring of 1971 on a 45 rpm record, Warner Brothers 7486. The B-side was Summer Song, from the movie Picasso Summer. See more »Goofs
When Dorothy drops her grocery bags in front of the store, we see a 1970s blue Rice Krispies box among the items that fall out. In 1942 Rice Krispies were housed in a white box. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Narrator: [voice-over] When I was 15 and my family came to the island for the summer, there weren't as many houses or people as they are now. The geography of the island and the singularity of the sea were far more noticeable then. And if a guy wasn't to die of loneliness, this family made certain that other families from his neighborhood contributed other kids to the island. Present with me in the summer of '42 were Oscy, my best friend. And Benji, my next best friend. We called ourselves ...
See more »
Soundtracks
Theme from Summer of '42(The Summer Knows)
Composed by Michel Legrand
Played several times throughout the film
See more »
This is truly a wonderful film and a classic. It has everything: romance, comedy, sadness and the reminiscence of puberty and coming of age. The dialog between Hermie and his two teenage buddies wile exploring their emerging sexuality is a wonderful and hilarious, i.e., "Do you think I'm in love with Vera Michaels. I hope I'm not in love with her. I hate her." Who couldn't relate to those things in our youth.
Jennifer O'Neill, as Hermie's crush Dorothy, is gorgeous and well suited for her role. The scenes between her and Hermie go from funny and clever to sad and wondrous. One can only guess the emotions going on inside Dorothy's head when she finds out her husband has been killed in the war. I always felt she just wanted to experience closeness with someone during that time and Hermie just happened to be nearby. She also knew he cared about her and it was important for her to be needed . . . by someone.
A glorious film and one I can watch tons of times and discover something different each time. Highly recommended.
P.S. Michele LeGrand's musical score is beautiful. Just another plus for the movie.