BY LEE PFEIFFER
When I received the review copy of Running Press's "Summer Movies", published in conjunction with Turner Classic Movies, I naturally assumed the book would probably be heavily skewed to covering the fabled "beach movies" of the fifties and sixties. Not that there's anything wrong with that. However, the genre has already been covered in a comprehensive manner in Tom Lisanti's excellent "Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969". It turns out that author John Malahy (an enthusiastic employee of Turner Classic Movies) has thought outside the box in compiling his list of "30 sun-drenched classics" ranging from the early sound era to recent releases for inclusion in the book. There are the obvious and eclectic choices: David Lean's "Summertime", Bergman's "Smiles of a Summer Night", "Gidget", "The Endless Summer", "Beach Blanket Bingo" and "Jaws". However, Malahy gets creative when it comes to his litmus test for what should constitute a "summer movie". For example, some of the films don't necessarily involve people at the beach but, rather, important aspects of the story take place during summer, which helps define the films in significant ways. Malahy includes an obscure early sound movie, "Lonesome" because it involves a young couple taking in the pleasures of Coney Island (though it was filmed in California). Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" has dramatic and humorous events unfolding over an unbearably hot New York summer when racial tensions turn violent. Hitchcock's "Rear Window" presents intrigue during another urban heat wave and John Huston's "Key Largo" has a hurricane that is the catalyst for murder and mayhem. "On Golden Pond", "Call Me By Your Name", "A Room with a View" and "The Graduate" concern family crises that unfold during particularly eventful summers that result in personal relationships hitting the breaking point. Other films featured include the original "The Parent Trap", "The Music Man", "Breaking Away", "Moonrise Kingdom", "A League of Their Own", "National Lampoon's Vacation", "Caddyshack", "Dirty Dancing", "Before Sunrise", "State Fair", "The Seven Year Itch" and several other gems.
Malahy writes in an entertaining and informative style and the book is nicely illustrated with an abundance of factoids and color photos. It also features a very appreciative foreword from Leonard Maltin. "Summer Movies" is fun and breezy- just like a day at the beach. Let's hope a sequel is in the works.
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