A SUMMER PLACE – THEN and NOW

Summer is pretty much obeying the calendar around here. Maybe it’s not all that chilly, but the leaves are certainly falling – mostly from lack of rain! Tonight it’s Dinner and a Movie with some friends. It kind of got me thinking about movies, and summer, and that made me think of one of my favorites oldies, (Theme from) A Summer Place. The theme song was a huge slow dance hit for Percy Faith and his Orchestra back in 1959, when I was only 12.The movie starred the adorable Sandra Dee and the equally adorable (for different reasons) Troy Donahue, in one of those early generation gap movies. There’s a wealth of clips from A Summer Place on YouTube. You could practically watch the entire flick if so inclined, but I’ve selected a couple here that I think make a good sampling, for your viewing pleasure.

This first is one a montage of scenes, the longest one featuring Molly and Johnny (Sandra and Troy) discussing their rather Romeo and Juliet love life (their parents are trying to tear them apart!). You can hear the famous theme in the background at the very beginning.



I had to include the second clip because it’s just so bizarro, IMHO. This must have been pretty suggestive stuff at the time. Molly and Dad are reclining closely together, in bed, both in their jammies, having some serious face time about how frigid and sexually repressed Mom is, and how sexually free Molly thinks things should be, and the intimate details of…oh heck just go watch the clip.



All I can say is, this is definitely not the 1959 I think most of us baby boomers remember! Nor is it likely to be anything resembling "the talk" any of us got. Of course, back then I was just starting to get interested in the dance moves I saw on Bandstand, yet was still capable of dressing up Revlon dolls (early precursor of Barbie) with my girlfriends. And going to see our favorite teen idols at the movies. Well, that's enough summer and youthful reminiscing for now. I think we're having pizza tonight, and watching "Happy Feet" (animated penguins, and we all know how sexy they are...) See how things change when you grow up.

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