Summer of 42, the coming of age drama film of 1971 was based on the memoirs of screenwriter Herman Raucher who tried to tell his story as a boy in his teens when he visited Nantucket Island in the summer of 42 off the coast of New England where he went through a one sided romance with a woman, wife of a person who has gone off for World War II.

Summer of 42 was directed by Robert Mulligan while Gary Grimes, Jerry Houser, Oliver Conant and Jennifer O’Neill played the lead roles. Robert Mulligan also has had an un-credited role in the movie as voice of adult Hermie.

Novalization of Summer of 42 from the screenplay was released prior to the release of the movie and it proved a bestseller to the extent that readers forgot the fact that novel was based on movie and not the other way round.

Summer of 42 tells the story of young Hermie who falls in love with Dorothy, the bride of the man on World War II and in the sanctity of girls around, a teenage continuously thinks about sex with some woman and in the process he develops friendship with Dorothy.

When Dorothy is informed about the death of her husband by a telegram, she comes closer to Hermie for one moment but next moment she again seeks sanctuary in her own anguish and Hermie returns but next to everyone’s surprise, they found that Dorothy had left the house forever.

Summer of 42 proved a huge hit making it the fourth highest grossing movie of 1971 with $25 million and it is considered one of the most successful movies in the history.

Summer of 42