My Favorite Summer Movies - Summer Magic

As many of you know, I am a HUGE Old Movies fan. I would even dare to say that 90% of what I watch on a weekly basis was released in the late 40's, 50's, 60's and some 70's. Occassionally you might even find a few titles from the 80's thrown in there, but it is s-e-l-d-o-m that I watch anything made after that, with the exception of period pieces from PBS.

It is pretty common to have a longer list of movies that you enjoy watching during the Christmas holidays, but being a seasonal soul, I have movies that I watch in almost every season, and summer is no exception.  And, since one of the squares in the Summer Bingo Challenge is to watch a movie with a summer theme, I thought it might be fun to share some of my favorite summer movies with you over the next few weeks, and we'll begin today with . . .

❊ SUMMER MAGIC
with Hayley Mills 

Oddly enough, though it's my first choice for this series, Summer Magic is, traditionally, a movie that I watch closer to the autumn equinox. A bit of a nod, if you will, to the slowly dying days of summer. .

Based upon the book, Mother Carey's Chickens, Summer Magic and depicts the life of the Carey family. When Margaret (Dorothy MacGuire), a Bostonian widow and her three children fall on hard financial times, Nancy Carey (Hayley Mills), works with Postmaster Ostia "Osh" Popham (Burl Ives) to move into a run-down old house in Maine. But isn't long before they learn that the house is actually owned by the mysterious Tom Hamilton (Peter Brown), who Osh assures them, never comes around. But when snooty cousin Julia (Deborah Walley) moves in, and  Mr. Hamilton makes a surprise visit, the fun and adventures begin!

I have loved this movie since the first time I saw it in elementary school. Every year on the last day before Christmas break, the entire school would assemble in the auditorium and we would watch a movie. There was always popcorn and soda and the teachers would usually have candy waiting for us on our desk, as well. It was always a highlight of the holiday season, knowing that Christmas was coming and you didn't have to go to school for two whole weeks! One year, I think when I was in about 3rd-4th grade, this was the movie that was featured.

I have long loved Hayley Mills, but I'm fond of Deborah Walley, too, especially in this role. She became a bit of a beach movie queen during the 60's, and I'll actually be sharing a post soon that will feature some of those movies. But her depection of Julia, the uppity cousin who turns out not to be all that she appears, is charming.

I also like the music featured in this movie. It's dubbed a musical, and I guess if I really think about it, it definitely is, but somehow the music seems to flow a bit more seamless than you typically find, at least for me. Some are also not a fan of Burl Ives when it comes to singing, and granted, he would have never made it in today's world. But I personally find him charming. A few of my favorite songs from the movie are;

- On The Front Porch - My absolute favorite!

- The Ugly Bug Ball - My girls loved this one when they were little!

- Femininity - A cute little old fashioned song. Definitely don't condone "hide the real you"

- Summer Magic

If you've never watched Summer Magic, I highly recommend it. It's a movie the whole family will enjoy and suitable for all ages. Perfect on a cool summer night with the windows open. You could make up a couple of big bowls of popcorn and some fresh lemonade and enjoy spending some time together!  Here the trailer to give you a little more of a feel for it!

As I said, if you've never watched it, I think you'll enjoy it, and please let me know if you do, even if its one you're already familiar with and have watched a dozen times or me, like me! And if you have your own list of favorite summer movies, please leave your suggestions in the comments. It just might be possible I may have missed a few!  I'll be sharing more movies on my list in the weeks to come, so if you enjoyed this post, but sure to come back for more!

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Wayback Wednesday - The Summer Movie Edition

This summer my husband and I have been working our way through my boxed set of beach movies. Every Monday night is "Old Movie Monday" at our house, and even though we had watched a few of these before, we decided this summer to watch them all, and in the order they were released. So far we've watched

- Beach Party (1963)

- Muscle Beach Party (1964)

- Bikini Beach (1964)

and 

- Ski Party (1965) which is technically not a beach movie, but it is included in the box set, and is actually one of my favorites.

These movies are campy, but I love them! I actually have very fond memories of watching them with my mom. Her favorite was How To Stuff A Wild Bikini and Pajama Party, which, sadly, is not included in the box set.

If you've never seen them, or you just want to take a little trip down memory lane, you can watch them online, most of them for free!

- Beach Party

- Muscle Beach Party

- Bikini Beach

- Pajama Party (only available on Prime)

- Beach Blanket Bingo - one of my personal favorites!

- Ski Party - another favorite!

- How To Stuff A Wild Bikini - and yet another favorite!

There are also two movies in the boxed set that I couldn't find free online, Thunder Alley and Fireball 500, both of which are about racing, which makes them less desireable to watch, at least for me.

Another movie with a beach theme that I love is Summer of 42, which is the story of a young boy who develops an innocent love for a young woman whose husband is in the military. It stars a young Jennifer O'Neill, who has always been one of my favorites. I especially remember the Theme From Summer of '42, which was sung by my mother's favorite crooner, Andy Williams, and I absoutely love this instrumental version. 

There are a number of movies with a summer theme or setting, such as;

- American Graffitti (Netflix)

- The Parent Trap (1961) - (Disney)

- Rear Window  - my all time favorite Alfred Hitchcock! (Netflix)

- To Catch a Thief - summer on the French Riviera! (Pluto)

- A Summer Place - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (Daily Motion)

And then there's always my favorite summer movie, Gidget, which I wrote about, here.

Hopefully I've listed at a least a few that may be new to you that you can enjoy as hot days of summer amp up. What about you? Do you have any favorite movies you watch in this season? I'm always looking for new recommendations!

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My Favorite Summer Movies - Father Goose

I'm back today with another one of my favorite old movies, Father Goose!  While this movie doesn't necessarily indicate that it is supposed to be summer, the island setting definitely lends a summertime feel for me!

I love just about everything that Cary Grant stars in, Arsenic and Old Lace, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, or That Touch of Mink, just to name a few! But Father Goose is definitely one of my favorites!  Lesley Caron is an actrees I've only seen in a few films, including Father Goose.  I liked her in Gigi but I'm not familiar with many other of her films. Perhaps I'll have to check them out and see if I can add a few new-to-me favorites! But the chemistry between Cary and Lesley is fabulous and watching Cary be charmed by a group of litle girls is simply endearing!

The story is set at the height of World War II, when Walter Ecklund (Grant), is coersed into taking a postion as a temportary lookout for Japanese war planes on a remote island. But when another lookout turns up missing, Ecklund is sent on a welfare check where he discovers chaperone Catherine Freneau and her seven young charges, who were sent to the island on an emergency evacuation. Forced to return his post with Freneau and the girls in tow, the eight island mates must now learn how to live together without being discovered by the enemy and becoming enemies themselves. Ecklund's drinking habit and poor manners, and Freneau's strict standards set the stage for some hilarious debate!

And while I love the chemistry and banter between Grant/Caron, it's the children in the movie who really make it for me, especially their interactions with Grant.

Seven girls, Harriet (Harry), Elizabeth, who develops a bit of a crush on Ecklund, Christine, Jenny, who wouldn't talk for awhile until Ecklund helps her find her voice again, Anglique, Dominque and Anne who mistakes a stick for a snake and convinces Walter that Ms. Freneua is dying. I would have to say that of all the girls Jenny is probably my favorite, and I particularly like Harriet, or Harry, as she prefers to be called. In the beginning Ecklund is all but repulsed at the idea of sharing an island with a bossy woman and seven little girls, and the women do take some liberties in "setting up house". But it is sweet to see as over time they all begin to soften and grow to care for one another.

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Father Goose is a delightful movie and one that I would recommend for families with older middle school to high school aged children primarily due to Grant's character having a drinking problem. Though it adds a humerous element to the storyline, it is undeniable that Walter Ecklund loves his whiskey, and hits the bottle, frequently. Please understand that this is simply my recommendation based on my own personal experience. It is up to each individual family to decide what they deem as appropriate viewing for the children in their household. You can watch the trailer above to give you a feel for the content. If you've watched Father Goose and loved it, or not . . . I'd love to hear from you! And if you've never seen it and decide to give it a try, let me know!

Until then, my friends, keep savoring the summer days!

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