Duane Jackson
Almost Summer is a 1978 comedy film directed by Martin Davidson, and produced by Motown Productions for Universal Pictures. It is the only Motown theatrical feature not to center on African-American characters.
Though not successful at the box office, the film has since acquired a certain degree of historical importance because many observers consider it to be the first of a series of distinctive "youth genre" films of which more prominent examples include Fast Times at Ridgemont High and The Breakfast Club.Set in a generic Southern California high school, the plot revolves around a student council election that stirs up assorted petty jealousies among various characters. Most of the soundtrack was written by Mike Love of the Beach Boys and performed by a studio band assembled by Love known as Celebration.
The title song, which became a mid-level hit single (U.S. #28, Canada #30), opens with the lyrics "Susie wants to be a lady director, and Eddie wants to drive a hearse; Johnny wants to be a doctor or lawyer, and Linda wants to be a nurse" — reflecting a total lack of world-changing idealism on the part of the teenage characters, thus clearly marking them as the first wave of a new generation, which in the fullness of time would receive the label "Generation X."
The best-known actors to star in the film were Bruno Kirby as Bobby DeVito and Tim Matheson in the role of Kevin Hawkins. The film features three professional skateboarders: Bryan Beardsley, Ty Page, and Mark Bowden.
The film was rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America, but earned a B — "objectionable in part" — rating from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting; the latter body observed that "the film presents in uncritical fashion a suffocatingly materialistic and amoral environment, has offensive jokes at the expense of people with physical disabilities, and flaunts a gratuitous bit of nudity."
Outdoor scenes were filmed at Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga, California.
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