The Past Is Never Gone: Revisiting "Summer of '42"

The Past Is Never Gone: Revisiting “Summer of ’42”

Available on DVD and Blu-ray as part of the Warner Archive Collection, the blockbuster coming-of-age favorite Summer of ’42 remains a compelling work of nostalgia about love and times that have long gone away. Writer Herman Raucher based his long-in-gestation screenplay on his own youthful experiences, result in a film that rings true. The film follows the writer’s surrogate, Hermie (Gary Grimes) as he and best friends Oscy and Benjie idle away the titular summer of 1942 in Nantucket Island. Over the course of a few months during which Hermie completes the transition from the innocence of childhood into the complexities of adulthood, he befriends the beautiful, married Dorothy (Jennifer O’Neill). When Dorothy’s husband is called to serve in World War II, Hermie makes it his mission to get to know her better — falling in love and having his life forever changed in the process.

Hermie (Gary Grimes) and his offbeat pals Oscy and Benjie as they spend their summer vacation in a sleepy resort town. After befriending the beautiful–and married–Dorothy (Jennifer O’Neill), Hermie becomes determined to become better acquainted with her when her husband is sent to fight in World War II. Quickly, the young man leaves childhood behind as he experiences love for the first time. Jerry Houser, Oliver Conant co-star; Robert Mulligan directs.This article originally ran on MovieFanFare last December, as is being reprinted today as we say farewell to summer. The film was such a funny and romantic smash that a sequel — 1973’s Class of ’44 — was commissioned. Despite being charming in its own right, the absence of the Dorothy character left many filmgoers disenchanted, and the movie was unable to capture the runaway success of its predecessor. Thanks to the new release of Summer of ’42 on DVD and Blu-ray, once again audiences have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the film’s exploration of first love and friendship, subjects that viewers can’t help but thinking about their own experiences with. As such, Summer of ’42 is able to expand upon its noble but simple parameters as a coming-of-age tale and become that unique thing, a movie that is as transformative as it is universal.