When I first decided to write an article about "summer" films, my immediate thought was of the Annette and Frankie beach films -- which are certainly a legitimate part of this category. But after giving it a little more thought, I realized that there are quite a few legitimate classic movies about summer romances, summer vacations, and summer in general, mostly from the 50s, that don't involve bikinis and bongos. Here is a look at some of my favorites -- in alphabetical order and with links to the Internet Movie Database -- followed by a selection of the "other" kind.

Say, how about rubbing a little sunscreen on my back? No? Then could you just kick a little sand on me...?

• State Fair (1945)
  Musical remake of 1933 Will Rogers film stars Jeanne Crain and Dana Andrews. Retitled for TV as "It Happened One Summer."
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• Centennial Summer (1946)
  Otto Preminger film about the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition stars Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, and Cornel Wilde. Oscar-nominated music by Alred Newman, Oscar Hammerstein, and Jerome Kern. Out of print.
  
  
• Summer Holiday (1948)
  Mickey Rooney, Gloria DeHaven, and Walter Huston star in this musical remake of 1935's Ah, Wilderness.
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• Summer Stock (1950)
  Fun musical about a summer stock troupe led by Gene Kelly putting on a play in Judy Garland's barn, with Phil Silvers hamming it up. Will Judy go from farmer to musical star? Stay tuned.
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• The Seven-Year Itch (1955)
  Great Marilyn Monroe vehicle starring Tom Ewell as a New Yorker who sends his family away for the summer and then falls for Marilyn.
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• Summertime (1955)
  Katharine Hepburn was nominated for an Oscar as a spinster on vacation who falls in love with married antique dealer Rossano Brazzi.
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• Marjorie Morningstar (1958)
  Summer camp counselor Natalie Wood has a summer fling with older Gene Kelly, whose parents disapprove of his lifestyle. Based on the novel by Herman Wouk.
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
  Orson Welles, Paul Newman, and Joanne Woodward (the couple's first film together) star in an entertaining potboiler based on several Faulkner short stories.
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• A Summer Place (1959)
  This one is famous as much for the music as anything else, but it's also Troy Donahue's first star turn as he and Sandra Dee experience teen summer love in the midst of their parents' adultery.
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
  Great cast -- Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, and Montgomery Clift -- in Gore Vidal adaptation of Tennessee Williams play about madness, jealousy, wealth, passion, and lobotomy.
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• Summer and Smoke (1961)
  Another intense Tennessee Williams drama starring Geraldine Page and Laurence Harvey. Page won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar. Great score by Elmer Berstein.
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• The Parent Trap (1961)
  The original and still the best, with Hayley Mills as long-lost twins who meet at summer camp and plot to reunite their divorced parents, played by Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith.
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• Summer Magic (1963)
  Another Hayley Mills vehicle that's not quite as well-put-together as Parent Trap, but still pleasant enough, especially if you're a fan of Burl Ives!
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• The Endless Summer (1966)
  The ultimate surf movie, in a different class from the beach movies listed below.
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• The Swimmer (1968)
  Burt Lancaster spends the end of the summer jogging and swimming from one suburban pool to another, as a middle-aged man revisiting his past. An underrated performance by Lancaster.
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (1969)
  Classic Peanuts animated TV special about the gang's experiences at summer camp.
  
  
• Last Summer (1969)
  Barbara Hershey, Richard Thomas, Bruce Davison, and Catherine Burns star in a strong film about teenage lust and cruelty, based on a novel by Evan Hunter.
  Buy this movie!
  
  
• Summer of '42 (1971)
  A bittersweet coming-of-age film whose primary assets are a beautiful Jennifer O'Neill (lusted after by teenagers Hermie, Oscy, and Benjie) and an Oscar-winning score by Michel LeGrand.
  Buy this movie!

Beach Movies of the 60s

Mickey Mouser Annette Funicello starred (with Frankie Avalon in all but two) in a half-dozen cookie-cutter beach movies, including Beach Party (1963), Muscle Beach Party (1964), Bikini Beach (1964), Pajama Party (1964), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965), before they ran out of variations on the theme. If you have to pick one, try Beach Blanket Bingo, but only if you're a fan of Don Rickles and Paul Lynde.

Girls on the Beach (1965) attempted to copy the success of the Annette films, but was even worse. And then there was Blue Hawaii (1961), starring Elvis as an ex-G.I. torn between work and partying on the beach.

Other classic movie checklists that you'll enjoy.