Review of A Summer Place (1959) by Kirk D — 18 Mar 2018
Sloan Wilson made some serious money for the movie rights to this film (from his popular book). However, he didn't like the movie treatment at all. He was hired as a sort of 'advisor' to the film, mostly to help Daves with his treatment (which condensed the book from over 20 to 1 year).
Although his 'Man In The Gray Flannel Suit' was a massive hit and critics favorite Wilson never recovered from the personal hit his career took after 'Summer Place'. Which is sad. He was a fine chronicler of the upper crust of America post WW II and managed to turn their lives into something of interest to the rest of us.
Wilson spent the rest of his career writing about very similar subjects/topics but was never able to recapture the great success of his first two major efforts. Many of his fans, after seeing this move, felt like saying 'say it ain't so Sloan'.
Wilson did return to with 'Man In The Gray Flannel Suit II' in 1984, a 30-year gap. He never returned to 'A Summer Place'.
This review of A Summer Place (1959) was written by Kirk D on 18 Mar 2018.
A Summer Place has generally received positive reviews.
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