2:04 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. 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 together, 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 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. 😇
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. 😎
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!
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.
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.
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.
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
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)!
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 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").
"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 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..
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.
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 ~~
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.
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.
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 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
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.
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.
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.
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 RU-vid 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.
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 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.
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?
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
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.''
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 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.
I was 16 in 1971 when this movie came out. Only to be wished that we could all come of age in such a positive way. This movie makes for a great substitute if only vicariously.
I was 18 when this movie came out and I took my first date with a girl to see it at a lovely theater in Campbell, CA. where this movie was at for almost a year!! It was that popular. This movie still touches my heart today 51 years later. It brings back so many memories of just graduating from high school and not knowing what I was going to do in life. Little did I know how tough of a decade the 1970's was going to be for me but this movie was indeed a BIG highlight of that decade. "Summer of '42" is one of my all-time favorite movies in so many ways and Gary Grimes and Jennifer O'Neill especially sparkled in their roles. And the magical music of Michel Legrand made it all even more special for all of us to forever cherish.
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.
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 ,
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.
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.
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'
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.
Watching this ending scene for the nth time...... and, as always, bursting into tears....... I know why..... but shall I ever really understand why?.........
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!
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 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 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.
Yup. I tell my young nieces and nephews that life is a looooong stretch of experiences. They get caught up in the present, but I tell them to take it as it comes and appreciate the good parts because as bad things can get you can get thru it and move on.
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
Not cool! :) I still remember the evening I saw this in the theater when it came out, and I've revisited it on DVD, but coming across this last scene got, and gets to me beyond belief.
I recall watching this movie with my late mother back in the 70s , the passage of time has not diminished the intensity , the heartfelt ending that forever endures . Hermie played by Gary Grimes has all but vanished from public view , I can't help but wonder if this was in part due to this tragic ending, it would be wonderful to hear his recollection of such a seminal film .
I agree with you about Gary. Sure would be GREAT to hear from him today about his iconic role in this movie and about his life today but that is unlikely now. We can only wonder why he stays private. I respect him for that, of course, but I would still LOVE to hear his thoughts about his memorable role in this beloved film. There is an online photo of what he looks like today with the "Summer of '42" movie poster behind him. It might be on Wikipedia where I saw it. Anyhow, have you seen the AWESOME YT video with Jennifer, Jerry and Oliver with their "reunion" from last year? It is worth checking out. Gary was really missed, though. Christopher Norris was also supposed to be there but had a last-minute cancellation which was unfortunate since I would have LOVED to see and hear from her today, also. Jennifer still looked radiant after all of these years with her charming personality. Jerry was amusing, as usual, and Oliver was much more reserved. So GREAT to see all three of them now!
When she says "I pray you be spared all senseless tragedies" it's a very poignant line. Benji died in WW2 (no real imformation on him) and Oscy (Oscar Seltzer) died in Korea, Easter Sunday 1952. He was a medic during the Korean War. You can find his grave and picture.Jerry Houser the actor in the movie looks like him!
I love this movie so much. I watched it many times. It hits home on many levels for me. I especially love the various fog filters used on the camera lenses. The sequel is; The Class of 44.
I agree with you about the beauty of "Summer of '42 which is one of my all-time favorite movies and I am almost 70. But the sequel was BORING and did very poorly at the box office. NO WAY was it going to capture ANY of the magic of the original movie.
Unfortunately it was second most underrated World War II related movie, only the Class of 44 was the most underrated World War II related movie made during the 1970’s. The theme from the Summer of 42 always impacted me & it touches the he motions in many ways. This fall will be 50 years when the Summer of 42 came out & it was also I had to sign up for the draft at 18.
@@christopherorourke6543 Thanks for your service for our country. "Summer of '42" was a HUGE hit at the box office and one of the BEST movies from the 1970's!! But the "Class of '44" was a HUGE flop and was a bitter disappointment. But then again, I have NEVER seen a sequel that is equal to the original. I saw a lot of myself in Hermie in the original movie, though I never knew an older woman like he did. Nostalgia just overflowed in the original and for me, the only flaw was that the ending seemed so rushed. I wish Hermie would have been on the porch longer reading the letter and then contemplating everything that Dorothy said in the letter. But other than that, the movie was just BEAUTIFUL beyond words with such LOVELY music and scenery. Truly, an unforgettable movie. It means even more to me since I took my first date to see it and she also loved it. Ah, what cherished memories almost 50 years later.
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.
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.
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.
