Almost Summer (1978)
Bruno Kirby, Lee Purcell, John Friedrich, Didi Conn, Tim Matheson, David Wilson and Karen Lamm
Director – Martin Davidson
From Motown Productions / Universal Pictures
The kids at Pacific High School are anticipating the end of the school year and the start of summer. But first is the not-so-little matter of the election campaign for next year’s student body president. Power player, cheerleader and campus cutey Christine Alexander (Purcell) seems a shoo-in but just in case she sabotages a rival’s campaign being run by her ex-boyfriend and BMOC Bobby DeVito (Kirby). Bobby has laid bets all over the place that his candidate will win and now, without a candidate, he goes on the look out. He finds Darryl Fitzgerald (Friedrich), a nobody who is a good guy and Bobby convinces him to run.
Elsewhere, Bobby’s sister, awkward Donna (Conn) becomes smitten with Darryl and Bobby encourages the relationship. Darryl, though, doesn’t want to get involved with his campaign manager’s sister until after the election. Besides, Darryl has eyes for Christine. But who doesn’t? Bobby is still carrying a torch but they’re all in line behind Christine’s boyfriend, aspiring pro quarterback Kevin (Matheson). Fitzgerald campaign worker Dean (Thomas Carter) has troubles of his own; his girlfriend wants to be a singer and has been going out with a record company guy.
As things roll out, Bobby and Darryl fall out over Bobby’s unscrupulous dealings, Christine and Kevin beef over their individual priorities and their future as a couple, Donna wonders if her braces are the reason she doesn’t have a boyfriend, there’s a big food fight and a discourse on search and seizure before things wrap up on prom night.
Almost Summer comes to me from the world of the Beach Boys. I was introduced to this picture via the fact that much of the soundtrack was written by Mike Love and performed by his side gig, a band he christened Celebration. Years ago, I found the soundtrack album on cassette and wondered if I’d ever see the film. As of this writing, there is more than one print of the movie on YouTube; the one I watched was in sparkling high definition.
Our movie finds its true origins though in the person of the legendary Berry Gordy. My man started Motown Productions primarily to produce TV specials that would feature the stars of his record label. They branched out to film production in 1972 with the successful Billie Holliday biopic Lady Sings the Blues starring Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams. After a half-dozen other productions including Ross again in Mahogany and the disco love letter Thank God It’s Friday, MoProd decided to give the white kids a chance; Almost Summer remains Motown Productions’ only property to not feature predominantly African Americans.
Director Martin Davidson I have already heaped praise on due to his having directed Eddie and the Cruisers which would come some five years after Almost Summer. And this is yet another of his films to feature music. As I said earlier, the soundtrack LP is considered to be the first release for Celebration, Mike Love’s lone try at making a living out from under the Beach Boys umbrella. The late 1970s were a fractious time for America’s Band. In 1977, Dennis Wilson had released his debut solo album, Pacific Ocean Blue, and its warm reception may have surprised everyone in the Beach Boys’ camp. One wonders at the climate within the band at the time. Perhaps each of the members would have loved to branch out and escape the dysfunction of the group and forge a path of their own. Dennis was the unlikely member to be first out of the blocks and perhaps Love thought the time was right to make his move.
Celebration featured regular Beach Boys player guitarist Ed Carter and keyboardist Ron Altbach. Altbach had been a part of King Harvest, a group who had scored a hit with “Dancing in the Moonlight” and when Love tabled his offer, Altbach came on board bringing some members of his band with him and later Ron worked on the Beach Boys’ M.I.U. Album. Celebration also included a bass player named Wells Kelly. The band, though, lasted but minutes. The potential here is evident, though in that the band’s first project was the soundtrack for this film and things really could have taken off if the film story had emphasized summer/beach fun and Celebration’s songs had been up for it.
“Almost Summer” was written by Love, Brian Wilson and Al Jardine – perhaps the only time those three are credited with writing “together”. The single reached #28 on the US Pop charts. Love alone wrote “Sad, Sad Summer” and “Cruisin'” and Altbach handles other writing chores including fleshing out the album with the film’s incidental music. On the album and in the film you will also hear alternate versions of two Beach Boys songs, the fantastic “It’s OK” from 15 Big Ones gets watered down and listen closely during the film when Kevin comes to visit Christine in her home and you’ll hear an early version of Al Jardine’s gorgeous “Lady Lynda” (listed in the credits as “Lady Linda”). Celebration lasted not two full calendar years and was done by ’79. Part of their undoing certainly must’ve been their third and final album, Disco Celebration. Out of respect for you, that’s all I’ll say about that.
I find Bruno Kirby’s appearance here interesting. He does well but I just wouldn’t pick him to be cast in the lead role in a teen film like this one. First of all, he’s almost 30 here and some 4 years previous he had raised his profile in Hollywood with his solid portrayal of young Clemenza in the substantial crime epic The Godfather Part II. I always liked Bruno Kirby though for Good Morning, Vietnam but most significantly When Harry Met Sally… He always kills me during the charades scene; “draw something resembling anything!” Pretty Lee Purcell was actually in her thirties playing a high schooler here. For me she will always be PG, Peggy Gordon, the perfect wife for the legend Matt Johnson in Big Wednesday; read about her here.
John Friedrich I have also talked about before because he too appeared in one of my all-time favourite films. John had been in Thank God It’s Friday and a year later he would play Joey in my beloved The Wanderers and cement himself in cult film history. Get the skinny on John here. Just weeks after the release of our film saw the release of the legendary crowd-pleaser Grease with a cast that included Didi Conn as Frenchy and this gave Conn her highest claim to fame. She also appeared in Grease 2, poor thing but made only few feature films and would be much more visible on television. Like Didi, Tim Matheson also had a breakout year in 1978. He also featured in National Lampoon’s Animal House and would go on to enjoy a steady and respectable Hollywood career. He’ll always be Jed Bartlet’s Vice President in The West Wing and I actually wrote about Tim due to his appearance in a bonkers sleeper film, How to Commit Marriage; check that out here.
That leaves David Wilson as cool dude Duane Jackson – director Davidson would use him again as Kenny the Cruisers’ drummer in Eddie and the Cruisers – and gorgeous Karen Lamm as a blond co-ed. This is interesting casting as Karen at the time was married to Dennis Wilson – or was she? It depends on filming and release dates; Dennis and Karen were married during ’76 and ’77 and then divorced only to remarry in ’78 finally divorcing in 1980. Never was there a more beautiful and typically Californian couple. Dennis was contemplating the failure of their relationship and retrieving mementoes from the deep when he drowned in Marina Del Rey in 1983. Karen had earlier been married to Robert Lamm of the band Chicago – giving her connections to the two most successful American bands of all-time – and made small appearances in film and on TV. She was with Dennis when he was making his solo album and made contributions to it and to my absolute favourite Dennis Wilson song, “Baby Blue” from the Beach Boys’ L.A. (Light Album). Sadly, enchanting Karen Lamm died of heart failure in 2001; she was only 49.
What we’ve talked about so far is what makes Almost Summer an interesting film and it is that. Unfortunately, the movie itself is not great. And it is not one of those “so bad it’s good” situations, either. It just fails. What I was hoping for – and had every right to expect – was either a crazy teenage sex romp, a wistfully exciting take on the last days before summer break or a combination of the two. But you get neither here. What you get is an attempt at an earnest look at a high school election and kids who navigate relationships and learn about being themselves amidst a flurry of petty jealousies. Yawn. That might be fine if more care had been taken with the script, with setting up who these kids are and why and laying a bit of a foundation. What we see is high-strung kids who emote all over the place while the viewer doesn’t really know where such feelings are coming from. There has not been laid a sufficient base. Maybe we could appreciate the performances of the fine cast if they were more rooted in something tangible.
Almost Summer is often noted as a precursor of the teenage movies to come. Though films like Spring Break, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and The Breakfast Club did things differently. They either dumbed it way down and included more gratuitous nudity, were able to use indelible characters to build a lasting reputation or made positive statements while at the same time elevating the craft resulting in exemplary films. Almost Summer may have provided a template but many that came later did it better.
As we’ve seen though this one has lots to recommend it and you should see it for yourself. Especially if its still sitting there waiting on YouTube.
SoulRide 