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June is Graduation month, when seniors are restless for vacation to begin, but also anxious about what lies ahead in their lives. Summer fantasies also ensue, and baseball season is well under way. Yes, summer designates not only the beginning of fun but also a time for adventure.
My favorite movie of all time is, in fact, Mike Nichol’s The Graduate (1967), which exhibits a generation’s emotional turmoil. Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) recently graduates from college, only to be pressured by his family and their friends to reveal what his plans are for the rest of his life. Only 21 years of age and confused, he allows himself to be seduced by a family friend, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft). Simon & Garfunkel’s score “Sounds of Silence” appropriately accompanies their first encounter. In fact, the soundtrack itself is worth the purchase of the movie. Amidst this sordid affair, Ben’s mom and dad pressure him to take out Elaine Robinson (Katherine Ross). Not only is he repulsed by the idea because he disliked her as a kid, but obviously she’s the daughter of Mrs. Robinson. After succumbing to the pressure, he realizes what he really wants in life is, you guessed it, Elaine. You can just imagine how Mrs. Robinson handles this. There are no surprises in The Graduate, and it’s as naïve as many movies of that era, which symbolized young rebellion against corporate America. However, there are so many memorable, touching, and even hilarious moments in the film, that you’ll eagerly watch it over and over. Women, have you ever been on a date at a restaurant when your man sheepishly tries to get the attention of the waiter, only to be ignored? You’re just itching to take over. You can no longer resist and assertively stick up your hand, and the waiter scurries right over to you. That’s the “Mrs. Robinson move.” Though, in actuality, Anne Bancroft wasn’t much older than Hoffman or Ross, I can’t imagine anyone playing the pathetic Mrs. Robinson.
Revisiting another decade, can you remember the New York tradition of Manhattan men sending their wives and children off for summer vacation while they remain in the city to sweat out the heat? Okay, I wasn’t around when Billy Wilder’s 1955 movie, The Seven Year Itch was released, but we’ve all heard the theory of what happens to couples after seven years of marriage. Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) read and interpreted it as almost scientific fact, thus figuring that it was happening to him. Add that to his wild and vivid imagination, and you have light, enjoyable slapstick. After sending his wife and son off to the country, dull Richard meets a 22-year-old television model (Marilyn Monroe) who’s subletting an apartment in his building. Should he or shouldn’t he? What if his wife finds out? Then again, what’s she doing? Could she be having an affair? Ah…he better put a stop to whatever is happening. Witness what damage excessive reading can do to this publisher of cheap books—and see how you can seduce a sexy blonde with a room air conditioner.
Seducing a minor league baseball player is just as easy for the uninhibited Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) who views baseball as a religion as opposed to simply just “throwing, hitting, and catching.” In Ron Shelton’s classic, Bull Durham (1988), Annie engages in a “monogamous” affair with one single player per season. Annie chooses the young and green “Nuke” La Loosh (Tim Robbins). Experienced and cynical catcher “Crash” Davis (Kevin Costner) is brought back to the Durham, NC A-minor league team to coach and mature La Loosh. Annie also manages to better Nuke’s game in her own unique way. First-time director Shelton, who actually played in the Minors for five years, felt that there wasn’t a decent movie about baseball—and, at the time such movies weren’t in favor with the studios, anyway. On a minor-league budget, he managed to create a witty and sensual movie, loosely depicting his own experiences. He had to persuade the studios to cast Robbins, as the executives felt he was too immature for the sophisticated Sarandon. Well, we know that fate took over—and they’ve been together ever since. Will Nuke graduate to the “show”? And what will happen to the aging Crash? In any event, just enjoy the erotic scenes between Annie and Crash. But didn’t I say that she was committed to Nuke?
Whatever ensues, you’re due for delightful summer entertainment. Sit back, put a little sugar in your martini just like Marilyn, and watch one of these classics. It will beat the heat and guarantee a welcomed though temporary escape from reality.
