OMG I did not know that! R.I.P. Hermie. Your story touched me deeply. Strange too because I just rewatched the movie a week ago. First time was in 1980 on tv when I was 15. I could watch the opening and closing scenes of this movie all day long.
@@reesebn38 Wow, I did not know that Herman died last December right after Christmas. I also LOVE the opening and closing scenes of this movie and could also watch them over and over, though I felt the ending was rushed. It would have been nicer to see Hermie a bit longer on the porch while he was reading the letter. Anyhow, this is one of my all-time favorite movies and I LOVE the theme music which adds to the magic of this movie. Makes me feel like being 18 all over again back in the fall of 1971. 😎
This is a beautiful movie. I consider myself tremendously lucky. For me, it was the summer of 1977. I was 16 in a high-school medical training program. My emergency medical training mentor was Penny. She was 30, an EMT with a nursing background. We made a very special connection. We eventually became EMT/Paramedic partners working on the ambulance together for many years (decades). In fact, we worked the vast majority of our EMS careers together. We were a great team on and off duty, building a successful life together. Suffering and sacrificing together, but with a fair amount of happiness as well. I knew Penny for 43 great years. We lived together for 30 years, married 15 of them (I was her second husband). Due to the type of work we did , we were not spared all the senseless tragedies. However, we had each other to overcome adversity. Unfortunately, Penny passed away suddenly in May of 2020. I can tell you they don't women like Penny any more. I love and miss you, my wonderful wife. But life goes on.
WOW, what a powerful story and thanks for sharing, Rick! But how sad that your dear Penny passed on and my condolences to you. Thank God you have the memories of her to forever cherish and she lives on in your heart. 😇
Rick, I just read this. As cliche' as it seems, the line "it's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all" DO SO ring true! Works with pet loss, too!! 💯💯 Sigh.
There was no internet to search and stalk some. No social media. No uploading of videoed private to sex to share with the masses to shame a scorned lover. No sharky vile comments on tweet. No shit. Kinda missed those simpler days.
I was 21 when the movie came out. I saw it at a drive-in with a friendly, smiling girl who lived in my apartment building. When I first saw it, I got nostalgic for the middle teenage years of my life. Now I watch the movie and have those same feelings, but I also become sentimental for that first time watching the movie in 1972. The girl, my old '65 Pontiac LeMans, and Summer of '42 at a drive-in theater.
GREAT memories and thanks for sharing! I was 18 and had just graduated from high school when I saw this beloved movie in 1971 at an indoor theater in San Jose, CA. with a high school classmate of mine on our first date. She LOVED the movie, too! This movie was at the theater for almost ONE year since it was that popular. I fell in love with the movie and music the first time I saw it and it still gives me goosebumps and cherished memories even today of a much more innocent time back then that I will always miss AND when Hollywood made GREAT movies!
@@Keyboardhugo It is a movie that is well worth watching. It was one of the BIGGEST hits of 1971 and Michel Legrand won an Oscar for the soundtrack. The performances of Jennifer O'Neill and Gary Grimes were especially touching, esp. near the end of the movie.
I saw this when it first came out. I had just graduated from high school. I could identify with the pathetic awkwardness of Hermie, the approach-avoidance towards sex and embarrassing fumbling as Hermie tried to impress Dorothy. I teared up then as Hermie read Dorothy's letter. And I still do whenever I see see this sequence. Yesterday, I reread the novel and found myself tearing up again. Herman Raucher's words and Robert Mulligan's voice over as the adult Hermie are emotionally powerful. Michel Legrand's score is the cherry on top of beautiful film.
Did anyone else watch this at age 13 on the TV late show on a cold midwest Saturday night, and stare at that empty beach house with the waves in the background, and just feel sheer emptiness and utter melancholy? Or was it just me? 40 some years later it still wrecks me.
At the time the movie came out I was just coming out of a relationship with an older woman. I was 17. I was heartbroken that this woman realized that it wasn't a proper thing to be in with me. I still had another year of high scool to complete. The movie just reopened a wounded heart. Everytime I watch that movie I relate to what I had once experieced in my life and will never forget or regret.
@@fredcampbell9237 WOW, I can only imagine what you experienced at such a young age and how you felt at that time..........and will always feel for the rest of your life. Thanks for sharing a part of your story. I hope that you DO get some good feelings from this movie after what happened to you.
first saw the film in '71. turned 64 a few weeks back. first time i realized i was getting old. it was difficult to leave that film from my mind. may be it was the hemp!
When casting for the role of Dorothy, Warner Bros. declined to audition any actresses younger than the age of 30; Jennifer O'Neill's agent, who had developed a fondness for the script, convinced the studio to audition his client, who was only 22 at the time. O'Neill auditioned for the role, albeit hesitantly, not wanting to perform any nude scenes. O'Neill got the role and Mulligan agreed to find a way to make the film work without blatant nudity.
Sometimes in an ever complex world where it’s easy to get lost in our own self impotence a visit back to the summer of 42 is all we need to reconnect with reality and the deep emotional bond we need to ground us during life’s journey.
@@railwaystationmaster Thanks for sharing your very touching thoughts. I saw this movie when I was 18 in 1971 with my date and she LOVED this movie, too! Since then, I have always had a "deep emotional bond" with this beloved movie that still touches my heart today at the age of 68.
An absolute Masterpiece . that's Director Robert Mulligan narrating. This ending gets to me, every time. I cannot explain just why, but it does, every time. ----MJL, 77 y/o
@michaellazzeri2069: GREAT comments and thanks for sharing! One of the BEST movies of my lifetime and I am now 71. I took my first date with a girl to see it and we both LOVED it back in 1971 after we graduated from high school. Check out the 50th Anniversary Reunion Video on UA-cam with the stars of the movie other than Gary Grimes who decided to not be with the others and he was really missed. He was AWESOME as "Hermie" and for some reason, I saw a lot of myself in him back then when I was 18, though I never had a relationship with an older woman like he did.
It happens almost every one’s life. We meet. Like each other very much. Then, get separated and never see each other again. But the image in our minds is never erased.
***** Hello! Incredibly touching movie... So tender story and a perfect music match. Have you ever watched Doctor Zhivago, English Patient and A Man and a Woman? They are really romantic movies. If you want, there are others that I can tell you later. ;-)
Hi Ana, I love the sensitivities in this movie. This was a true story. It's more than just a coming of age story, so much more. I saw Dr. Zhivago, beautiful, sad, wonderful movie. I haven't seen the other two you mentioned. If ever you want to watch a tender touching story, assuming you haven't seen it already, The Bridges of Madison County. Directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars as leading man with Meryl Streep.
+stormatsunup Hey! Thanks for your reply! I really love this kind of movie and so who loves it too! I've planning for a long time to watch "The Bridges of Madison County"! I'll try to watch this week and so I can tell you my impressions (although I my very sure that it is a wonderful movie, due to your very good taste)!
This was a very powerful film, especially for its time. Jennifer O'Neill was 23, Gary Grimes was 16, and even though the scenes involved only kissing and their lying in bed side by side, that was still rather bold. In any event, despite being the middle aged man that I now am, I always choke up whenever I hear the musical theme and watch the conclusion. A shame that neither of these two performers achieved greater stardom, they were both excellent.
I agree with everything you said about these two wonderful actors and the movie. Both made some movies after "Summer of '42" but those movies could NOT compare to their roles in this memorable and nostalgic movie. I also LOVED the ending and the poignant final words, scenery and music but I felt it was rushed, especially with Hermie on the porch reading the letter. That scene faded away much too fast in my opinion but it still was a lovely ending to a touching movie like you said. (The sequel, "Class of '44," was a HUGE disappointment and Jennifer was not in that one and Oliver barely had a role in the film.)
I was a prepubescent child when I saw this on TV but I fully understood the story and its implications. Looking back after watching it again as an adult many years later it amazes me how universal this story is. No matter what generation you're from, we all were young once and feared getting older and finding and losing love when it wasn't expected. This movie will always mean that to me.
"And in a very "special way" I lost Hermie, forever". Hermie appeared to be more mature than his friends. And I always thought that he probably never shared that special experience with them. He kept it in his heart. Forever ...
I also felt his pain but in a MUCH different way about losing one's innocence forever in this life. I felt like that in 1967 after graduating from 8 years at a private grammar school that was like a family to me in so many ways. It was even more special when I had my FIRST crush in my life with the new girl in school in the 8th grade. Like Hermie, it ended in such a bittersweet way but it was also so innocent and unforgettable.
and so do I and at 76 years old now and all of the many memories, some bad as well as good............well then..........I'll leave it at that , beautiful movie....
I never felt that this was a melancholy ending. It seemed real to me, in a film sort of way. They could never be together again. But to have your 1st sexual encounter with a beautiful woman who tragically needed affection... compared to fumbling with a high school girl in the back seat of your dad's station wagon hoping your parents didn't look out the front window, would be a deeper memory.
This ending brings me to tears--& at 71 y/o, you'd think I'd long be past them, but NO---this is one film that does it to me, every time. -----------------WolfSky9
0:53-2:24 - *Dorothy:* _[voiceover]_ Dear Hermie, I must go home now. I'm sure you'll understand. There's much I have to do. I won't try and explain what happened last night, because I know that in time, you'll find a proper way in which to remember it. What I _will_ do is remember you. And I pray that you be spared all senseless tragedies. I wish you good things, Hermie. _Only_ good things. Always, Dorothy. *Herman Raucher:* _[narrating]_ I was never to see her again. Nor was I ever to learn what became of her. We were different then. Kids were different. It took us longer to understand the things we felt. Life is made up of small comings and goings. And for everything we take with us, there is something that we leave behind. In the Summer of '42, we raided the Coast Guard station four times, we saw five movies, and had nine days of rain. Benji broke his watch, Oscy gave up the harmonica, and in a very special way, I lost Hermie. Forever. - When you get laid, all innocence is gone.
the sex wasnt the purpose of Hermie being there that night, he was just trying to comfort Dorothy because she had just gotten the telegram telling her that her husband had been killed, the dancing and hugging they did led to him MAKING LOVE to her that night,,not just having sex, he loved her and cared about her, this wasnt Porkys or THE Last american virgin.this. was decent,Herman Raucher wrote that book based on his life, im class of 1973 when young people still had real feelings for others past excited body parts and if you cant understand it ,then pl;ease dont watch it and then make those ignorant comments, i saw the film once but have read the book many times, worth the read. and watch.
Base on a the true story of Herman Raucher, he even used the real names of his friends and Dorothy he actuality heard from her right after the movies came out in 71.
New York Times, 2000: The success of the movie also prompted a wave of letters from women saying they were the real Dorothy. One, however, seemed genuine to Mr. Raucher. ''It had the same handwriting as in the note she left me, which was in one of the last scenes of the movie. It was postmarked Ohio, with no address. I think that really was from Dorothy. She said she was worried about me.'' It was the last Mr. Raucher heard from the woman. ''She wrote that the ghosts of that time were better left alone.''
I saw this movie on tv in the 70's when I was around "Hermie's" age, but it was relevant for me then. I never forgot it. But It really hit me when in the early years of youtube I decided to look it up to visit it again. I then was pulled back into my youth and rediscovered that time of my life when love was new and coming of age could be painful. The theme song always brings me back to that innocent time like nothing else. Bitter-sweet.
I have never understood why this ending brings me to tears, but it always does. Always. ---And, was there EVER a woman more beautiful than the glorious Jennifer O'Neill ???? ---------------WolfSky9, almost 71 y/o
One of my all-time favorite movies that I saw in 1971 with my first date. She also LOVED the movie. And so I share how you feel about this movie since it still touches my heart 50 years later. But "The Trouble With Angels" from 1966 is the movie that is most closest to my heart.
Watching this ending scene for the nth time...... and, as always, bursting into tears....... I know why..... but shall I ever really understand why?.........
So much of this - except for the Dorothy part - resonates with my own 'Summer of 42' ( it was 1969) that it has the power to bring me to tears even now.
Love this movie so much, saw it again on TCM a few days ago....I still have my paperback book that I bought when I was 17....such a wonderful, funny, moving true story....wouldn't it be nice if everyone had a summer of '42 ~~
When casting for the role of Dorothy, Warner Bros. declined to audition any actresses younger than the age of 30; Jennifer O'Neill's agent, who had developed a fondness for the script, convinced the studio to audition his client, who was only 22 at the time. O'Neill auditioned for the role, albeit hesitantly, not wanting to perform any nude scenes. O'Neill got the role and Mulligan agreed to find a way to make the film work without blatant nudity.
Jennifer still looks LOVELY today! Did you ever see her Cosmopolitan magazine cover from 1972? OMG, it was VERY sexy but still tasteful. Did you see the UA-cam video of her and some of the movie cast from last year? It is worth viewing. (Sadly missing was the reclusive Gary Grimes.)
When casting for the role of Dorothy, Warner Bros. declined to audition any actresses younger than the age of 30; Jennifer O'Neill's agent, who had developed a fondness for the script, convinced the studio to audition his client, who was only 22 at the time. O'Neill auditioned for the role, albeit hesitantly, not wanting to perform any nude scenes. O'Neill got the role and Robert Mulligan agreed to find a way to make the film work without blatant nudity.
I will never ever forget that ending...It still haunts me today...Powerful and unforgettable. .I first saw it at 13 yrs old...Fell in love with Jennifer just like many other boys did...Such a true natural beauty..This is one of those movies that sticks with you for a lifetime..
Also the best thing about this movie is that it's a true story this really did happen hermie was the author of the book..and he narrated the end of the movie
Where I lived in San Jose, CA. at the time, it was at a theater for almost ONE year since it was that popular!!! It is one of my all-time favorite movies and was one of the most popular movies of 1971. I also LOVE it like you do.
i saw this again last week for the first time in many years, I guess having endured heart ache, loss, and the twists and turns of adulthood myself , the movies impact on me was triple and powerful
I hear you loud and clear, Mike, and I feel the same at almost the age of 70! This movie is one of the two most emotionally touching movies of my lifetime (along with "The Trouble With Angels").
this movie reminds me of a girl that i had met in 72 ,I've never married ,i guess meeting Carol was my "summer of 42",we were the same age ,she is my only regret ,
When casting for the role of Dorothy, Warner Bros. declined to audition any actresses younger than the age of 30; Jennifer O'Neill's agent, who had developed a fondness for the script, convinced the studio to audition his client, who was only 22 at the time. O'Neill auditioned for the role, albeit hesitantly, not wanting to perform any nude scenes. O'Neill got the role and Mulligan agreed to find a way to make the film work without blatant nudity. Though set on the east coast, Summer of '42 was filmed in Northern California, largely in Fort Bragg and Mendocino. Shooting took place over eight weeks, during which O'Neill was sequestered from the three boys cast as "The Terrible Trio," in order to ensure that they did not become close and ruin the sense of awkwardness and distance that their characters felt towards Dorothy. Production ran smoothly, finishing on schedule.
I grew up in those wonderful innocent times. Then after the 1950' something changed. Something deep in the human Soul. And it has never been the same since. I use to think it was my perception of things. Now I think it really was a universal change !!
Innocent? She committed the crime of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Today, she would be charged with statutory rape. Why is it beautiful when it's a young boy with a grown woman but horrible when it's a young girl with a grown man?
A poignant movie about a friendship between a teenager and a young, military wife who became a War Widow. She was one of the 10's of thousands of women who became widows during WWII
I’ve seen thousands of movies but Summer of ‘42 is singular to me because I can remember every facet of having gone to see it. I was in the Air Force at Kessler AFB, MS. Bored I walked down a side street past a porn shop to the movie theater and left like Hermie changed. Now I’ve watched it perhaps 20 times and I still get that same feeling. It’s quite a movie.
Morris, thanks for sharing your nostalgic thoughts. This movie is one of my all-time favorites and I took my first date to see it in San Jose, CA. back in 1971. She loved it as much as I did. Yes, indeed, it is quite a special movie in so many ways with the acting, nostalgia, lovely scenery and the gorgeous soundtrack. Truly unforgettable for me when I was just 18 and had just graduated from high school. (There is a wonderful UA-cam 50th Anniversary Reunion Video with Jennifer, Jerry and Oliver that came out last year. It is really special to see but sadly, Gary decided to not be a part of it. Still worth viewing.)
@@clairelivefreeordie2551 The book was written after the film was made but before it's release. The studio didn't think the film was that good so they wanted to generate some advance publicity. The book became a best seller which in turn made the film very successful. The difference between the book and the film is the book is much more raw. The film is sweet and heartwarming/heartbreaking. I'm not going to give away any spoilers. You would have to read the book to understand my meaning. I highly recommend the book.
miss my youth have to admit, all the school friends are long gone and have never seen any of them through the years. Good memories though......................onward we go...............(great movie also, a CLASSIC as far as I am concerned)
I think your experience is the rule not the exception - three years after graduating high school 2 of friends were dead and like you very rarely have I seen any of my school friends
I'm choked up now with tears in my eyes as I was when I saw it as a youngster about his age. It has touched generations of us and will always be remembered.
Love, so elusive to those who want to grab it, seize it, make it their own. Yet, it is never distant from any of us, always allowing itself to be seen close by. Sometimes by serendipity we touch love or it touches us, and those sublime feelings last but fleeting moments. It leaves, but not before leaving its memory. And that we hold on to forever.
He was different forever. I know this or sure because this exact same thing happened to me. But in my case I met her again 50 years later and the feelings were still the same. It's an incredible story.
@@tx7128 We most definitely fell in love in an instant and yes, she still feels that love to this day. It makes one wonder would would have got married later as our age difference was only about 10 years. Not to be!! :(
I was 23 when I saw this this movie. Cried my eyes out. Something about being an older teen - the 'coming of age' genre. It's universal. Plus it's a beautifully done movie with a perfect score.
I was too young in the seventies to appreciate such a poignant and stirring movie. When I see it here it reminds me of someone I loved that was never meant to be. I listen to the theme and remember that Saturday leaving her as the rain fell softly as my train rolled out of sight. It was a turning point for me because I felt loves joy and its sorrow. This person will never know what a valuable lesson I learned in my youth. I was forever changed afterwards, just as Hermie. I left that piece of myself behind never to return. It still makes me misty sometimes.
some info on the writer: Herman Raucher Born April 13,1928- He was actually 14 yrs old when this occurred. Married Mary Martinet (dancer)1960-2002 (her death) Graduated from NYU (in the movie class of '44, Hermie goes to the U. of Connecticut. He has two daughters. Benjie was killed in WW2 and Oscy was killed in Korea. It is of course a great movie as everyone has commented. Next year will be the 50th anniversary and I hope they show on big screen again.
Actually I’m thinking Hermie was 16 in the summer 1942 . Bernie was born in 1928 and would be 91 today in 2021. Dorothy was 28 and was born in 1914. She would be well over 100 but most likely passed on. Hermie and his friends were too young for World War 2 but may have gone to Korea where they could have been killed? Hermie and his friends were 16 I presume going into 11th grade junior year in high school that summer on 1942
Yes but the movie ended much too quickly for me. I wish the scene with Hermie reading the letter on the porch would have lasted longer than what it did, for example.
Good film with a realistic and somewhat phylosophical ending. Some things pass in our lives buy they cannot last. But they do change us from what we were before them and what we become after they have pased. Once we have had sex with any woman we are no longer boys but men. Many of our childhood fantasies vanish and we begin to reflect and think in a different way. And as the narrator says in life we take some things with us, our experiences, but have to leave others behind.
I wonder if Dorothy knows that for the rest of her Life she will hold a very special part in Hermie's Heart because she was his "First." I think it's that way for everyone.
I really loved this Movie. I was only Six when it first came out and I wasn't even old enough to know what Hermie was buying when he bought Condoms. I had no idea how hard they were to buy back in the day. Yet don't you notice Jerry Houser was such a "Jerk" in future Projects. On Maude he played an irresponsible Nephew who wanted to shirk his responsibilities when he got his Girlfriend Pregnant and then In A Very Brady Christmas, then The Bradys, he can't seem to keep a job. He wasn't a very good Friend to Hermie either, even questioning him about his Sexuality.
laminage I always remember him as the gas station attendant that Chevy Chase robs in "Seems Like Old Times". It was such a bit part compared to this. Eventually, he provided his voice for the Disney movie club phone service when my kids used to be a member of that. I knew it was his voice right away. Very distinctive.
I was never a Fan of Chevy Chase's Movies but he was great with Paul Simon's Video "You Can Call Me Al". Jerry also lent his voice to a Voiceover for MGM when it celebrated it's 50th Anniversary doing a Trailer for American Graffitti. He also did a short lived series called "We'll Get By" with Paul Sorvino and Willie Aames.
Looking back, this Movie and Catcher & The Rye By JD Salinger was one of the best Coming Of Age Books out there as well as The Novel Version of The Lords Of Flatbush by Leonore Fleischer at least for the 1950's, & 1970's. If they ever did a Book about JD's Muse I would have loved for Rooney Mara to play her.
LOVED this movie but this ending was much too short and seemed rushed. The porch scene with Hermie reading the letter faded away much too soon but alas, it still was a beautiful ending with LOVELY music. I also LOVED the narrator's final words. After 50 years, it all still gives me goosebumps.
He claims he heard from her after the movie .She wrote to him , he had many letters from ladies claiming to be her , but one letter was genuine , she mentioned things only the two of them would have known . She was concerned over the years, that she may have messed him up , she was happy that he turned into a well adjusted adult .
@@Jay-vr9ir Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I also heard about his story like you said, though I did not know about the fake letters that he got. Not sure why those women would do that cruel and insensitive thing to him when they knew they were not the REAL Dorothy. This movie will always touch my heart in so many ways.
@@DougCeleste There are some weird folks out there Doug, but don't discount those women who might actually believe they were the real Dorothy. Kind of like those who confess to crimes they read about but didn't commit. There's also the possibility there were women who were moved by Herman's final speech about wondering what happened to Dorothy and maybe they thought they were doing Mr. Raucher a favor by writing him. Who knows LOL?
@@ohger1 Not sure why any of these women wasted their time and pretended to be Dorothy when they knew that Herman would know who the REAL Dorothy is and know that their letters were fakes. Maybe they thought it was funny to do that and wanted to play a prank on Herman's feelings about what happened but that is cruel and not funny at all. Anyhow, the first part of your first sentence summed it all up very well.
Most movies should only be watched for their entertainment value, they're not something to learn life lessons from...this movie is one of the rare exceptions to that rule.
The narration for Hermie as an adult was voiced by none other than director Robert Mulligan himself. I once asked author Herman Raucher about this. Raucher told me that Mulligan tried to audition several actors for the narration, but none of them could do it the way he wanted. Mulligan then recorded a track of his own to try to demonstrate to the auditioning actors how it should be done... and eventually, decided to use it. It's the only time Mulligan ever narrated one of his own movies, but it works beautifully here.
My brother and sisters used to talk about this movie when I was a little kid. I finally got the chance to see it on TCM just a while ago. What a special and moving picture!
+William Thomaz De Aquino I don't watch anything new except Investigation Discovery, and true crime stories get sickening after a while. I'm so desperate to watch something older that I sat through Valley of the Dolls last night! LOL I prefer movies like this one.
Have you watched " TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD " ?? That was classic watched 7 times or I made the wife watch " THE AFRICAN QUEEN " ....magic story many elements
It is amazing sometimes how our imagination around people in movies can affect our lives, Jennifer O'Neill in this movie, Julie Christie in Doctor Zhivago , Katharine Ross in the Graduate were actually major contributors in the story of my own life!
continue to have a crush on each. for the same films except, for katharine Ross. prefer her in 'Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid' i'm taking your woman' ...'you can have her'
This movie has a rare "double nostalgia" effect on me. I saw it at a drive-in theater when it first came out. I was about 22. There was a scene in the movie where the three boys were nervously studying a stolen sex manual. I recalled with a smile having done the same thing when I was 14 or 15. Then, many years later, I saw the movie again and I recalled watching it at age 22 and how I had had a nostalgic response then to that "sex manual" scene in the movie. That recollection, in turn, made me nostalgic for that moment decades earlier, when I was in that drive-in theater when I was 22. As for the actual plot of the movie. Apparently the original thought of Herman Raucher (Hermie) was to write a nice remembrance for his pal Oscar "Oscy" Seltzer who was a medic killed in the Korean War. Apparently the plot with Dorothy kind of took over and that's the general direction the story went. As for Dorothy, Raucher believes that he actual heard from her soon after the movie came out. He is basing it on the fact that this one particular woman who contacted him knew things specific to their relationship that only the real Dorothy would know. She remarried, had kids and as of the early 1970s, was living a happy life. For the record, there actually was no sex between Hermie and Dorothy. The movie strongly suggests that there was but according to Raucher, Hollywood believed an evening featuring just some gentle words and a comforting embrace lacked sufficient heat for top box office success.
"For the record, there actually was no sex between Hermie and Dorothy. The movie strongly suggests that there was but according to Raucher [ there wasn't ]". The Movie does more than strongly suggest. It very discreetly and respectfully emphasizes that intimate scene. And sex does not always include intercourse. But it is strongly suggestive in the words of Dorothy's good-bye letter to Hermie. "I won't try to explain what happened last night, because I know in time, you'll find a proper way in which to remember it". But I can respect Raucher for protecting Dorothy's dignity.
knowing a little about history makes this movie even more poignant and powerful 1942 was the worst year of the war - Germany had conquered Europe; Japan controlled the Pacific - these boys were cocooned on this island but what faced them in the future could have been tragic
They were too young to fight in WW2 but old enough for Korea. I think in a free years around 1945 America went into a few happy years where the baby boomers were born and suburbia and Television sprang up
I read the novel first then saw the movie when I was a teenager...both changed my view on the world. In the novel an adult Hermie says that "whenever the world as punched him around too much he takes out Dorothy's note and reads it again". I do the very same thing with the book and the movie.
LOVE this movie which is one of my all-time favorites! I saw it in 1971 with my date and she LOVED it, also! I just wish the ending would have lasted a bit longer. It seemed too rushed after Hermie found the letter on the porch and the scene faded away much sooner than what I had expected. Anyhow, this is a movie that I will always cherish for the acting, scenery, nostalgia AND Michel's LOVELY music!
Recently visited Mendocino and the film locations are still there except Dorothy 's house 🏡 is gone. Coincidentally, James dean's " east of eden " was filmed in the same area too. I think 💭 most people can identify with the movie 🎥 summer of 42 because we all have had lost loves...
But as the old saying goes" better to have loved then to have never loved at all👈👍😎the sequel had its moments and actor john candy in it - but never equaled the first one in my 📚. Maybe because the beautiful Jennifer O'Neil wasn't in it .. "summer of 42 " was like catching lightning in a bottle!👏👏👏🙌
@@go-goakins1489 The sequel was a MAJOR bomb at the box office and was a HUGE disappointment for nearly all fans of the original like me. The magic was gone without Jennifer and the LOVELY music of Michel Legrand.
![Summer of '42 (1971) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5c119LHL-pY/mqdefault.jpg)
![Summer of '42 (1971) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]](/img/tr.png)
Herman Raucher died on Dec. 28, 2023! R.I.P. Hermie.
OMG I did not know that! R.I.P. Hermie. Your story touched me deeply. Strange too because I just rewatched the movie a week ago. First time was in 1980 on tv when I was 15. I could watch the opening and closing scenes of this movie all day long.
@@reesebn38 Wow, I did not know that Herman died last December right after Christmas. I also LOVE the opening and closing scenes of this movie and could also watch them over and over, though I felt the ending was rushed. It would have been nicer to see Hermie a bit longer on the porch while he was reading the letter. Anyhow, this is one of my all-time favorite movies and I LOVE the theme music which adds to the magic of this movie. Makes me feel like being 18 all over again back in the fall of 1971. 😎
This is a beautiful movie. I consider myself tremendously lucky.
For me, it was the summer of 1977. I was 16 in a high-school medical training program. My emergency medical training mentor was Penny. She was 30, an EMT with a nursing background. We made a very special connection.
We eventually became EMT/Paramedic partners working on the ambulance together for many years (decades). In fact, we worked the vast majority of our EMS careers together. We were a great team on and off duty, building a successful life together. Suffering and sacrificing together, but with a fair amount of happiness as well.
I knew Penny for 43 great years. We lived together for 30 years, married 15 of them (I was her second husband).
Due to the type of work we did , we were not spared all the senseless tragedies. However, we had each other to overcome adversity.
Unfortunately, Penny passed away suddenly in May of 2020. I can tell you they don't women like Penny any more. I love and miss you, my wonderful wife.
But life goes on.
WOW, what a powerful story and thanks for sharing, Rick! But how sad that your dear Penny passed on and my condolences to you. Thank God you have the memories of her to forever cherish and she lives on in your heart. 😇
amen
@@rickholland6695 Wow! Powerful story indeed! She lives in you brother and guides you always.
Rick, I just read this. As cliche' as it seems, the line "it's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all" DO SO ring true! Works with pet loss, too!! 💯💯 Sigh.
There was no internet to search and stalk some. No social media. No uploading of videoed private to sex to share with the masses to shame a scorned lover. No sharky vile comments on tweet. No shit. Kinda missed those simpler days.
Great comment and so true.
Me too
I was 21 when the movie came out. I saw it at a drive-in with a friendly, smiling girl who lived in my apartment building. When I first saw it, I got nostalgic for the middle teenage years of my life. Now I watch the movie and have those same feelings, but I also become sentimental for that first time watching the movie in 1972. The girl, my old '65 Pontiac LeMans, and Summer of '42 at a drive-in theater.
GREAT memories and thanks for sharing! I was 18 and had just graduated from high school when I saw this beloved movie in 1971 at an indoor theater in San Jose, CA. with a high school classmate of mine on our first date. She LOVED the movie, too! This movie was at the theater for almost ONE year since it was that popular. I fell in love with the movie and music the first time I saw it and it still gives me goosebumps and cherished memories even today of a much more innocent time back then that I will always miss AND when Hollywood made GREAT movies!
I understand completely. I was a sophomore in college. It touched me, even then somehow.
I‘ve never seen this Movie, but I just get sentimental if I hear this Music. 😪
@@Keyboardhugo It is a movie that is well worth watching. It was one of the BIGGEST hits of 1971 and Michel Legrand won an Oscar for the soundtrack. The performances of Jennifer O'Neill and Gary Grimes were especially touching, esp. near the end of the movie.
I saw this when it first came out. I had just graduated from high school. I could identify with the pathetic awkwardness of Hermie, the approach-avoidance towards sex and embarrassing fumbling as Hermie tried to impress Dorothy. I teared up then as Hermie read Dorothy's letter. And I still do whenever I see see this sequence.
Yesterday, I reread the novel and found myself tearing up again. Herman Raucher's words and Robert Mulligan's voice over as the adult Hermie are emotionally powerful. Michel Legrand's score is the cherry on top of beautiful film.
Did anyone else watch this at age 13 on the TV late show on a cold midwest Saturday night, and stare at that empty beach house with the waves in the background, and just feel sheer emptiness and utter melancholy?
Or was it just me? 40 some years later it still wrecks me.
this film breaks me in two everytime, but I wouldn’t have it any other way !
At the time the movie came out I was just coming out of a relationship with an older woman. I was 17. I was heartbroken that this woman realized that it wasn't a proper thing to be in with me. I still had another year of high scool to complete.
The movie just reopened a wounded heart. Everytime I watch that movie I relate to what I had once experieced in my life and will never forget or regret.
I saw it on the TV Late Show too.. I loved that movie..
@@fredcampbell9237 WOW, I can only imagine what you experienced at such a young age and how you felt at that time..........and will always feel for the rest of your life. Thanks for sharing a part of your story. I hope that you DO get some good feelings from this movie after what happened to you.
first saw the film in '71. turned 64 a few weeks back. first time i realized i was getting old. it was difficult to leave that film from my mind. may be it was the hemp!
This is one of the best coming of age movies ever made. Probably the very best.
And the Wonder Years
When I saw this movie I thought Jennifer O'Neill was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Still do.
When casting for the role of Dorothy, Warner Bros. declined to audition any actresses younger than the age of 30; Jennifer O'Neill's agent, who had developed a fondness for the script, convinced the studio to audition his client, who was only 22 at the time. O'Neill auditioned for the role, albeit hesitantly, not wanting to perform any nude scenes. O'Neill got the role and Mulligan agreed to find a way to make the film work without blatant nudity.
@@jwelch5742 she was in the film for only 7 mins.
She was so sweet in this movie
I don’t think the film could have the same impact on people without the music of Michal Legrand
I wish you good things…only good things.
Such a lovely sentiment.
That is beautiful
"Life is made up of small comings and goings. And for everything we take with us, there is something that we leave behind."
Sometimes in an ever complex world where it’s easy to get lost in our own self impotence a visit back to the summer of 42
is all we need to reconnect with reality and the deep emotional bond we need to ground us during life’s journey.
@@railwaystationmaster Thanks for sharing your very touching thoughts. I saw this movie when I was 18 in 1971 with my date and she LOVED this movie, too! Since then, I have always had a "deep emotional bond" with this beloved movie that still touches my heart today at the age of 68.
An absolute Masterpiece . that's Director Robert Mulligan narrating. This ending gets to me, every time. I cannot explain just why, but it does, every time. ----MJL, 77 y/o
Scenes like that still stand up.
I hear you, Michael. It's just like the tagline says - in everyone's life there's a summer of 42.
@michaellazzeri2069: GREAT comments and thanks for sharing! One of the BEST movies of my lifetime and I am now 71. I took my first date with a girl to see it and we both LOVED it back in 1971 after we graduated from high school. Check out the 50th Anniversary Reunion Video on UA-cam with the stars of the movie other than Gary Grimes who decided to not be with the others and he was really missed. He was AWESOME as "Hermie" and for some reason, I saw a lot of myself in him back then when I was 18, though I never had a relationship with an older woman like he did.
It happens almost every one’s life.
We meet. Like each other very much.
Then, get separated and never see
each other again. But the image in
our minds is never erased.
Well said,my first was special,and in memory.1974
Magnificent movie and even more magnificent music. Compare this to the unspeakable dross inflicted on us today.
What a masterpiece! The movie and soundtrack!
***** Hello! Incredibly touching movie... So tender story and a perfect music match.
Have you ever watched Doctor Zhivago, English Patient and A Man and a Woman? They are really romantic movies. If you want, there are others that I can tell you later.
;-)
Hi Ana, I love the sensitivities in this movie. This was a true story. It's more than just a coming of age story, so much more. I saw Dr. Zhivago, beautiful, sad, wonderful movie. I haven't seen the other two you mentioned. If ever you want to watch a tender touching story, assuming you haven't seen it already, The Bridges of Madison County. Directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars as leading man with Meryl Streep.
+stormatsunup Hey! Thanks for your reply! I really love this kind of movie and so who loves it too!
I've planning for a long time to watch "The Bridges of Madison County"! I'll try to watch this week and so I can tell you my impressions (although I my very sure that it is a wonderful movie, due to your very good taste)!
You're Welcome. Let me know what you think about it. I can only say, star-crossed lovers will be in that emotional moment of these two characters.
This was a very powerful film, especially for its time. Jennifer O'Neill was 23, Gary Grimes was 16, and even though the scenes involved only kissing and their lying in bed side by side, that was still rather bold. In any event, despite being the middle aged man that I now am, I always choke up whenever I hear the musical theme and watch the conclusion. A shame that neither of these two performers achieved greater stardom, they were both excellent.
I agree with everything you said about these two wonderful actors and the movie. Both made some movies after "Summer of '42" but those movies could NOT compare to their roles in this memorable and nostalgic movie. I also LOVED the ending and the poignant final words, scenery and music but I felt it was rushed, especially with Hermie on the porch reading the letter. That scene faded away much too fast in my opinion but it still was a lovely ending to a touching movie like you said. (The sequel, "Class of '44," was a HUGE disappointment and Jennifer was not in that one and Oliver barely had a role in the film.)
I was a prepubescent child when I saw this on TV but I fully understood the story and its implications. Looking back after watching it again as an adult many years later it amazes me how universal this story is. No matter what generation you're from, we all were young once and feared getting older and finding and losing love when it wasn't expected. This movie will always mean that to me.
when he talks about losing Hermie forever
I feel his pain
"And in a very "special way" I lost Hermie, forever".
Hermie appeared to be more mature than his friends. And I always thought that he probably never shared that special experience with them. He kept it in his heart. Forever ...
I also felt his pain but in a MUCH different way about losing one's innocence forever in this life. I felt like that in 1967 after graduating from 8 years at a private grammar school that was like a family to me in so many ways. It was even more special when I had my FIRST crush in my life with the new girl in school in the 8th grade. Like Hermie, it ended in such a bittersweet way but it was also so innocent and unforgettable.
and so do I and at 76 years old now and all of the many memories, some bad as well as good............well then..........I'll leave it at that , beautiful movie....
This score makes me cry instantly.
hi jenny I am the brother you didn't know you had I tear up instantly
I can watch this movie a million times and never cease to be brought to tears. Such a beautiful moment in time.
That s my summer movie and it s always a beautiful moment everytimeI start it ! And thanks to Michel Legrand for that awsome music!
Never shall I forget this splendid movie... oh, how I cried watching ..
I never felt that this was a melancholy ending. It seemed real to me, in a film sort of way. They could never be together again. But to have your 1st sexual encounter with a beautiful woman who tragically needed affection... compared to fumbling with a high school girl in the back seat of your dad's station wagon hoping your parents didn't look out the front window, would be a deeper memory.
One of my favorite movies growing up in the 70's...one of my favorite movies now...
This ending brings me to tears--& at 71 y/o, you'd think I'd long be past them, but NO---this is one film that does it to me, every time. -----------------WolfSky9
i'm 78 and it brings tears to my eyes everytime I watch it
I always cry on this ending. Love this movie.
This was a beautiful movie that I saw 50 plus years ago. I will remember it for a very long time because I was heart broken at the end.
0:53-2:24 - *Dorothy:* _[voiceover]_ Dear Hermie, I must go home now. I'm sure you'll understand. There's much I have to do. I won't try and explain what happened last night, because I know that in time, you'll find a proper way in which to remember it. What I _will_ do is remember you. And I pray that you be spared all senseless tragedies. I wish you good things, Hermie. _Only_ good things. Always, Dorothy.
*Herman Raucher:* _[narrating]_ I was never to see her again. Nor was I ever to learn what became of her. We were different then. Kids were different. It took us longer to understand the things we felt. Life is made up of small comings and goings. And for everything we take with us, there is something that we leave behind. In the Summer of '42, we raided the Coast Guard station four times, we saw five movies, and had nine days of rain. Benji broke his watch, Oscy gave up the harmonica, and in a very special way, I lost Hermie. Forever. - When you get laid, all innocence is gone.
Actually the voice you hear is of the director Robert Mulligan
@@stevenrosa422 But doesn't he sound so much like the actor Frank Overton. But he passed in 1967.
I cannot stop saying wish you good things only good things.I tear up each time
I wish you good things only good things
the sex wasnt the purpose of Hermie being there that night, he was just trying to comfort Dorothy because she had just gotten the telegram telling her that her husband had been killed, the dancing and hugging they did led to him MAKING LOVE to her that night,,not just having sex, he loved her and cared about her, this wasnt Porkys or THE Last american virgin.this. was decent,Herman Raucher wrote that book based on his life, im class of 1973 when young people still had real feelings for others past excited body parts and if you cant understand it ,then pl;ease dont watch it and then make those ignorant comments, i saw the film once but have read the book many times, worth the read. and watch.
Herman said in later years that he and Dorothy NEVER really got intimate by making love like a lot of people thought after seeing this movie.
Base on a the true story of Herman Raucher, he even used the real names of his friends and Dorothy he actuality heard from her right after the movies came out in 71.
Really??? That’s great!! How awesome is that!!!!
New York Times, 2000:
The success of the movie also prompted a wave of letters from women saying they were the real Dorothy. One, however, seemed genuine to Mr. Raucher. ''It had the same handwriting as in the note she left me, which was in one of the last scenes of the movie. It was postmarked Ohio, with no address. I think that really was from Dorothy. She said she was worried about me.'' It was the last Mr. Raucher heard from the woman. ''She wrote that the ghosts of that time were better left alone.''
Talking about a coming of age movie! Summer of 42 was it for me.
I saw this movie on tv in the 70's when I was around "Hermie's" age, but it was relevant for me then. I never forgot it. But It really hit me when in the early years of youtube I decided to look it up to visit it again. I then was pulled back into my youth and rediscovered that time of my life when love was new and coming of age could be painful.
The theme song always brings me back to that innocent time like nothing else. Bitter-sweet.
I have never understood why this ending brings me to tears, but it always does. Always. ---And, was there EVER a woman more beautiful than the glorious Jennifer O'Neill ???? ---------------WolfSky9, almost 71 y/o
My favourite movie of all time.
man the part when he say kids was different and times were different really touched me
Kids was more respectful back then not today
Love story was also a good movie in the 70s
@@WILL-sn4us . Those two movies are very similar!
Everyone has a summer of 42 !
Beautifully said and so very true
I had mine 2 yrs ago and wrote her a 20 page novella i was herme and it was my summer of 22
I had an autumn of 76. My first older woman.
Mine was in '83. I still think of her. I hope life has been good to her.
The movie that had the most profound effect on me. More than any other.
One of my all-time favorite movies that I saw in 1971 with my first date. She also LOVED the movie. And so I share how you feel about this movie since it still touches my heart 50 years later. But "The Trouble With Angels" from 1966 is the movie that is most closest to my heart.
Summer '42 & 'To Kill a Mockingbird' both directed by Bob.
@@mohamedabrahimabrahim224 Thanks, wasn't aware, and I saw both films.
Watching this ending scene for the nth time...... and, as always, bursting into tears....... I know why..... but shall I ever really understand why?.........
So much of this - except for the Dorothy part - resonates with my own 'Summer of 42' ( it was 1969) that it has the power to bring me to tears even now.
This film breaks me in two everytime, but I wouldn’t have it any other way !
Love this movie so much, saw it again on TCM a few days ago....I still have my paperback book that I bought when I was 17....such a wonderful, funny, moving true story....wouldn't it be nice if everyone had a summer of '42 ~~
When casting for the role of Dorothy, Warner Bros. declined to audition any actresses younger than the age of 30; Jennifer O'Neill's agent, who had developed a fondness for the script, convinced the studio to audition his client, who was only 22 at the time. O'Neill auditioned for the role, albeit hesitantly, not wanting to perform any nude scenes. O'Neill got the role and Mulligan agreed to find a way to make the film work without blatant nudity.
She was perfect. That girl every 15 year old Boy has crushed on. The Neighbour, your Buddies Sister, the Baby Sitter.
Jennifer O'Neill maybe the most beautiful woman ever out side of ali macgraw
Jennifer still looks LOVELY today! Did you ever see her Cosmopolitan magazine cover from 1972? OMG, it was VERY sexy but still tasteful. Did you see the UA-cam video of her and some of the movie cast from last year? It is worth viewing. (Sadly missing was the reclusive Gary Grimes.)
When casting for the role of Dorothy, Warner Bros. declined to audition any actresses younger than the age of 30; Jennifer O'Neill's agent, who had developed a fondness for the script, convinced the studio to audition his client, who was only 22 at the time. O'Neill auditioned for the role, albeit hesitantly, not wanting to perform any nude scenes. O'Neill got the role and Robert Mulligan agreed to find a way to make the film work without blatant nudity.
I will never ever forget that ending...It still haunts me today...Powerful and unforgettable. .I first saw it at 13 yrs old...Fell in love with Jennifer just like many other boys did...Such a true natural beauty..This is one of those movies that sticks with you for a lifetime..
A love story is also a good movie
“It took us longer to understand the things we felt.” At least that generation could feel. So many of us now can’t anymore.
In my opinion its one of the greatest movie ever made!!!
Also the best thing about this movie is that it's a true story this really did happen hermie was the author of the book..and he narrated the end of the movie
Where I lived in San Jose, CA. at the time, it was at a theater for almost ONE year since it was that popular!!! It is one of my all-time favorite movies and was one of the most popular movies of 1971. I also LOVE it like you do.
@@richardglatfeltet2653 Many people do not realize that it is indeed based on a true story.
i saw this again last week for the first time in many years, I guess having endured heart ache, loss, and the twists and turns of adulthood myself , the movies impact on me was triple and powerful
I hear you loud and clear, Mike, and I feel the same at almost the age of 70! This movie is one of the two most emotionally touching movies of my lifetime (along with "The Trouble With Angels").
That amazing music sells the film.
this movie reminds me of a girl that i had met in 72 ,I've never married ,i guess meeting Carol was my "summer of 42",we were the same age ,she is my only regret ,
A bittersweet ending to a magnificent 🎞 film🤙🙌
Jennifer O'Neill was so Beautiful in this movie.
Even want dorothy 😊
When casting for the role of Dorothy, Warner Bros. declined to audition any actresses younger than the age of 30; Jennifer O'Neill's agent, who had developed a fondness for the script, convinced the studio to audition his client, who was only 22 at the time. O'Neill auditioned for the role, albeit hesitantly, not wanting to perform any nude scenes. O'Neill got the role and Mulligan agreed to find a way to make the film work without blatant nudity. Though set on the east coast, Summer of '42 was filmed in Northern California, largely in Fort Bragg and Mendocino. Shooting took place over eight weeks, during which O'Neill was sequestered from the three boys cast as "The Terrible Trio," in order to ensure that they did not become close and ruin the sense of awkwardness and distance that their characters felt towards Dorothy. Production ran smoothly, finishing on schedule.
And paedophile
She is one of the most beautiful women ever.
Bittersweet ending and such a great movie
these were the innocent times and we lost those
I grew up in those wonderful innocent times. Then after the 1950' something changed. Something deep in the human Soul. And it has never been the same since. I use to think it was my perception of things. Now I think it really was a universal change !!
@@jeffreyplatt7457 I'm not old enough to know those years, was that WWII what changed the humanity foreever?
Innocent? She committed the crime of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Today, she would be charged with statutory rape. Why is it beautiful when it's a young boy with a grown woman but horrible when it's a young girl with a grown man?
@@rimshot2270 I wasn't talking about what she did , I was talking about those times period
@@kelvinthomas4998 Those times had problems too. They were not ideal. No era is.
A poignant movie about a friendship between a teenager and a young, military wife who became a War Widow. She was one of the 10's of thousands of women who became widows during WWII
thats right.
Thank youi.
I’ve seen thousands of movies but Summer of ‘42 is singular to me because I can remember every facet of having gone to see it. I was in the Air Force at Kessler AFB, MS. Bored I walked down a side street past a porn shop to the movie theater and left like Hermie changed. Now I’ve watched it perhaps 20 times and I still get that same feeling. It’s quite a movie.
I implore you to read the book.
Morris, thanks for sharing your nostalgic thoughts. This movie is one of my all-time favorites and I took my first date to see it in San Jose, CA. back in 1971. She loved it as much as I did. Yes, indeed, it is quite a special movie in so many ways with the acting, nostalgia, lovely scenery and the gorgeous soundtrack. Truly unforgettable for me when I was just 18 and had just graduated from high school. (There is a wonderful UA-cam 50th Anniversary Reunion Video with Jennifer, Jerry and Oliver that came out last year. It is really special to see but sadly, Gary decided to not be a part of it. Still worth viewing.)
@@leonkirby9294 what's so different about the book?
@@clairelivefreeordie2551 The book was written after the film was made but before it's release. The studio didn't think the film was that good so they wanted to generate some advance publicity. The book became a best seller which in turn made the film very successful. The difference between the book and the film is the book is much more raw. The film is sweet and heartwarming/heartbreaking. I'm not going to give away any spoilers. You would have to read the book to understand my meaning. I highly recommend the book.
mayb youre my days too, the 70s, i grad 1973.
miss my youth have to admit, all the school friends are long gone and have never seen any of them through the years. Good memories though......................onward we go...............(great movie also, a CLASSIC as far as I am concerned)
I think your experience is the rule not the exception - three years after graduating high school 2 of friends were dead and like you very rarely have I seen any of my school friends
This and "Love Story" are the two best movies from 1970. And both movies are similar sad.
I had to agreed with that statement.
idk...if I had to choose 1 over the other it would be the Summer of '42
Absolutely correct
BRILLIANT MOVIE !!!!!
“ In the summer of 42 I’ve lost Hermie forever”.
I'm choked up now with tears in my eyes as I was when I saw it as a youngster about his age. It has touched generations of us and will always be remembered.
The Ocean sounds always in the background..Brilliant..
I love the music from Michel Legrand
Love, so elusive to those who want to grab it, seize it, make it their own. Yet, it is never distant from any of us, always allowing itself to be seen close by. Sometimes by serendipity we touch love or it touches us, and those sublime feelings last but fleeting moments. It leaves, but not before leaving its memory. And that we hold on to forever.
He was different forever. I know this or sure because this exact same thing happened to me. But in my case I met her again 50 years later and the feelings were still the same. It's an incredible story.
Toncor12 did you feel the same way towards each other?
@@tx7128 We most definitely fell in love in an instant and yes, she still feels that love to this day. It makes one wonder would would have got married later as our age difference was only about 10 years. Not to be!! :(
I was 23 when I saw this this movie. Cried my eyes out. Something about being an older teen - the 'coming of age' genre. It's universal. Plus it's a beautifully done movie with a perfect score.
I have seen this ending scene a countless number of times.... always with tears rolling down my face.....
This brings me to tears !
Love is the flower of everything that must perish,... and yet will never die.
Truly Spoken Kevan!!
I was too young in the seventies to appreciate such a poignant and stirring movie. When I see it here it reminds me of someone I loved that was never meant to be. I listen to the theme and remember that Saturday leaving her as the rain fell softly as my train rolled out of sight. It was a turning point for me because I felt loves joy and its sorrow. This person will never know what a valuable lesson I learned in my youth. I was forever changed afterwards, just as Hermie. I left that piece of myself behind never to return. It still makes me misty sometimes.
Sorry for me I was 16 and she was 23.
@@Jay-vr9ir We were close in age, yet two different lifestyles. I just like to reminiscence sometimes.
each of us has bitter sweet memories like this in youth. this movie takes us back to those days.
Just the music itself is touching
BEST movie soundtrack in my lifetime of almost 70 years! I agree with every word you said, Jesse!
some info on the writer:
Herman Raucher Born April 13,1928- He was actually 14 yrs old when this occurred.
Married Mary Martinet (dancer)1960-2002 (her death)
Graduated from NYU (in the movie class of '44, Hermie goes to the U. of Connecticut.
He has two daughters. Benjie was killed in WW2 and Oscy was killed in Korea.
It is of course a great movie as everyone has commented. Next year will be the
50th anniversary and I hope they show on big screen again.
and in real life he and Dorothy never had sex...
Emilly Yelen is that true?
@@Batidodeguineo dont ask me just google it
Actually I’m thinking Hermie was 16 in the summer 1942 . Bernie was born in 1928 and would be 91 today in 2021. Dorothy was 28 and was born in 1914. She would be well over 100 but most likely passed on. Hermie and his friends were too young for World War 2 but may have gone to Korea where they could have been killed?
Hermie and his friends were 16 I presume going into 11th grade junior year in high school that summer on 1942
There is a video on UA-cam with 3 of the cast from this amazing movie may be you already saw it, if you didn’t you should is great.
One of the most poignant movies of my youth. Hard to watch still. I read the book, bought the LP and was memerized by O’neill’s face.
What a beautiful movie, it made me cry
The final scene. Emotional
Yes but the movie ended much too quickly for me. I wish the scene with Hermie reading the letter on the porch would have lasted longer than what it did, for example.
Beautiful mesmerising movie
A fantastic movie with very good acting.
this reminds me of my childhood with my childhood friends doing stupid but innocent things how it did seems so innocent then
I feel so sad for her!!i feel the pain she feel ,and the beatiful music make me cry.
Good film with a realistic and somewhat phylosophical ending. Some things pass in our lives buy they cannot last. But they do change us from what we were before them and what we become after they have pased. Once we have had sex with any woman we are no longer boys but men. Many of our childhood fantasies vanish and we begin to reflect and think in a different way. And as the narrator says in life we take some things with us, our experiences, but have to leave others behind.
I CAN'T WATCH THIS WITHOUT TEARING UP
so profound and moving and that theme...
It is very beautiful ! Michel Legrand is a great composer !
I wonder if Dorothy knows that for the rest of her Life she will hold a very special part in Hermie's Heart because she was his "First." I think it's that way for everyone.
Totally agree with you !
I really loved this Movie. I was only Six when it first came out and I wasn't even old enough to know what Hermie was buying when he bought Condoms. I had no idea how hard they were to buy back in the day. Yet don't you notice Jerry Houser was such a "Jerk" in future Projects. On Maude he played an irresponsible Nephew who wanted to shirk his responsibilities when he got his Girlfriend Pregnant and then In A Very Brady Christmas, then The Bradys, he can't seem to keep a job. He wasn't a very good Friend to Hermie either, even questioning him about his Sexuality.
laminage
I always remember him as the gas station attendant that Chevy Chase robs in "Seems Like Old Times". It was such a bit part compared to this. Eventually, he provided his voice for the Disney movie club phone service when my kids used to be a member of that. I knew it was his voice right away. Very distinctive.
I was never a Fan of Chevy Chase's Movies but he was great with Paul Simon's Video "You Can Call Me Al". Jerry also lent his voice to a Voiceover for MGM when it celebrated it's 50th Anniversary doing a Trailer for American Graffitti. He also did a short lived series called "We'll Get By" with Paul Sorvino and Willie Aames.
Looking back, this Movie and Catcher & The Rye By JD Salinger was one of the best Coming Of Age Books out there as well as The Novel Version of The Lords Of Flatbush by Leonore Fleischer at least for the 1950's, & 1970's. If they ever did a Book about JD's Muse I would have loved for Rooney Mara to play her.
LOVED this movie but this ending was much too short and seemed rushed. The porch scene with Hermie reading the letter faded away much too soon but alas, it still was a beautiful ending with LOVELY music. I also LOVED the narrator's final words. After 50 years, it all still gives me goosebumps.
He claims he heard from her after the movie .She wrote to him , he had many letters from ladies claiming to be her , but one letter was genuine , she mentioned things only the two of them would have known . She was concerned over the years, that she may have messed him up , she was happy that he turned into a well adjusted adult .
@@Jay-vr9ir Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I also heard about his story like you said, though I did not know about the fake letters that he got. Not sure why those women would do that cruel and insensitive thing to him when they knew they were not the REAL Dorothy. This movie will always touch my heart in so many ways.
@@DougCeleste There are some weird folks out there Doug, but don't discount those women who might actually believe they were the real Dorothy. Kind of like those who confess to crimes they read about but didn't commit. There's also the possibility there were women who were moved by Herman's final speech about wondering what happened to Dorothy and maybe they thought they were doing Mr. Raucher a favor by writing him. Who knows LOL?
@@ohger1 Not sure why any of these women wasted their time and pretended to be Dorothy when they knew that Herman would know who the REAL Dorothy is and know that their letters were fakes. Maybe they thought it was funny to do that and wanted to play a prank on Herman's feelings about what happened but that is cruel and not funny at all. Anyhow, the first part of your first sentence summed it all up very well.
I was eleven when I watched this near Bryan college station Texas with my father. Madisonville TX
Most movies should only be watched for their entertainment value, they're not something to learn life lessons from...this movie is one of the rare exceptions to that rule.
You said so much in so few words and thanks for sharing!
The narration for Hermie as an adult was voiced by none other than director Robert Mulligan himself. I once asked author Herman Raucher about this. Raucher told me that Mulligan tried to audition several actors for the narration, but none of them could do it the way he wanted. Mulligan then recorded a track of his own to try to demonstrate to the auditioning actors how it should be done... and eventually, decided to use it. It's the only time Mulligan ever narrated one of his own movies, but it works beautifully here.
Mulligan 'took a Mulligan' with the narration after the auditioning actors failed to convince him.
My brother and sisters used to talk about this movie when I was a little kid. I finally got the chance to see it on TCM just a while ago. What a special and moving picture!
+William Thomaz De Aquino They just don't make movies like this anymore. Stealing Home was such a ripoff of this movie. I prefer this one.
+William Thomaz De Aquino I don't watch anything new except Investigation Discovery, and true crime stories get sickening after a while. I'm so desperate to watch something older that I sat through Valley of the Dolls last night! LOL I prefer movies like this one.
one of the few movies I will watch over and over
I totally agree with you.
Have you watched " TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD " ??
That was classic watched 7 times or I made the wife watch " THE AFRICAN QUEEN " ....magic story many elements
It is amazing sometimes how our imagination around people in movies can affect our lives, Jennifer O'Neill in this movie, Julie Christie in Doctor Zhivago , Katharine Ross in the Graduate were actually major contributors in the story of my own life!
continue to have a crush on each. for the same films except, for katharine Ross. prefer her in 'Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid' i'm taking your woman' ...'you can have her'
This movie has a rare "double nostalgia" effect on me. I saw it at a drive-in theater when it first came out. I was about 22. There was a scene in the movie where the three boys were nervously studying a stolen sex manual. I recalled with a smile having done the same thing when I was 14 or 15. Then, many years later, I saw the movie again and I recalled watching it at age 22 and how I had had a nostalgic response then to that "sex manual" scene in the movie. That recollection, in turn, made me nostalgic for that moment decades earlier, when I was in that drive-in theater when I was 22.
As for the actual plot of the movie. Apparently the original thought of Herman Raucher (Hermie) was to write a nice remembrance for his pal Oscar "Oscy" Seltzer who was a medic killed in the Korean War. Apparently the plot with Dorothy kind of took over and that's the general direction the story went. As for Dorothy, Raucher believes that he actual heard from her soon after the movie came out. He is basing it on the fact that this one particular woman who contacted him knew things specific to their relationship that only the real Dorothy would know. She remarried, had kids and as of the early 1970s, was living a happy life. For the record, there actually was no sex between Hermie and Dorothy. The movie strongly suggests that there was but according to Raucher, Hollywood believed an evening featuring just some gentle words and a comforting embrace lacked sufficient heat for top box office success.
"For the record, there actually was no sex between Hermie and Dorothy.
The movie strongly suggests that there was but according to Raucher [ there wasn't ]". The Movie does more than strongly suggest. It very discreetly and respectfully emphasizes that intimate scene. And sex does not always include intercourse. But it is strongly suggestive in the words of Dorothy's good-bye letter to Hermie.
"I won't try to explain what happened last night, because I know in time, you'll find a proper way in which to remember it".
But I can respect Raucher for protecting Dorothy's dignity.
Nicely put together Marco. A film that has become a favourite for so many of us. Nice to play this clip every now and then as a reminder.
knowing a little about history makes this movie even more poignant and powerful 1942 was the worst year of the war - Germany had conquered Europe; Japan controlled the Pacific - these boys were cocooned on this island but what faced them in the future could have been tragic
They were too young to fight in WW2 but old enough for Korea. I think in a free years around 1945 America went into a few happy years where the baby boomers were born and suburbia and Television sprang up
The sound of the waves rolling in and out is the perfect background for this scene.
One of those films a guy never forgets.
The narration at the beginning of the picture, and at the end, absolutely wonderful. 😎
You got that right, Ralph!! I fell in love with it after I saw it for the first time with my date in 1971 when I was 18. And she LOVED the film, too!
@@grego5284 You are so right!
I read the novel first then saw the movie when I was a teenager...both changed my view on the world. In the novel an adult Hermie says that "whenever the world as punched him around too much he takes out Dorothy's note and reads it again". I do the very same thing with the book and the movie.
Well said. Male vulnerability, especially for guys that age, is never really addressed.
LOVE this movie which is one of my all-time favorites! I saw it in 1971 with my date and she LOVED it, also! I just wish the ending would have lasted a bit longer. It seemed too rushed after Hermie found the letter on the porch and the scene faded away much sooner than what I had expected. Anyhow, this is a movie that I will always cherish for the acting, scenery, nostalgia AND Michel's LOVELY music!
私の甘酸っぱい青春の１ページの記憶（３５年前）がこのシーンを見ると懐かしく思い出します。いつまでも忘れる事の出来ない音楽と映像です。
Recently visited Mendocino and the film locations are still there except Dorothy 's house 🏡 is gone. Coincidentally, James dean's " east of eden " was filmed in the same area too. I think 💭 most people can identify with the movie 🎥 summer of 42 because we all have had lost loves...
But as the old saying goes" better to have loved then to have never loved at all👈👍😎the sequel had its moments and actor john candy in it - but never equaled the first one in my 📚. Maybe because the beautiful Jennifer O'Neil wasn't in it .. "summer of 42 " was like catching lightning in a bottle!👏👏👏🙌
Actually "east of eden" and "summer of 42" used the same filming locations. Great actors in both films! Excelsior!!!👊
@@go-goakins1489 The sequel was a MAJOR bomb at the box office and was a HUGE disappointment for nearly all fans of the original like me. The magic was gone without Jennifer and the LOVELY music of Michel Legrand.
Sad ending for the innocent young man.
I can relate to that but now I know how to control my emotion.💞
Michel Legrand music = ART !
The film is nice. But the book is better.
The drugstore scene in the book was much funnier. In the movie you didn't know what was going on in his head like in the book.
@@roydean1137 It's true .
best movie for all time