Pride Month television ...
In 1972, ABC aired Lamont Johnson's made-for-television film That Certain Summer, which starred Hal Holbrook and Martin Sheen as two closeted male companions, Doug and Gary, and Doug's teenaged son, Nick, played by Scott Jacoby.
Doug has been divorced from Nick's mother, Janet (Hope Lange), for some time, but Nick doesn't know his father is gay and in a relationship with another man. Nick comes up from Los Angeles to visit his father in San Francisco (the mecca for gay narratives back in the day), and it's the "discovery" that becomes the fulcrum around which the characters act.
Penned by prolific TV writers Richard Levinson and William Link, the story is a fairly quiet, domestic drama with none of the trenchant speeches in some modern social issue shows. In fact, after reading the script, Holbrook initially turned it down, saying very little happened in it.
Even so, NBC refused to produce it, and ABC insisted on some soft-pedaling the story -- no physical contact between the male partners, for example -- before airing it. A line for Holbrook's character was added to the original screenplay where Doug said if he had a choice he would not have chosen to be gay. An interesting line with many resonating tones of resignation, acceptance, and a bit of fatalism, that today might sound clunky and defeatist.
Though no blood is shed, the film does not end on a cheery note. But it's not artificial either. Janet tells Doug as Nick leaves, dolefully, for LA to "give him time."
Maybe that's what the film was telling the LGBTQ+ community in regards to freedom and equality -- give it time.
TV critics and LGBTQ+ cultural historians point to That Certain Summer as an important step forward for visibility, if not acceptance. Interestingly, despite its star power and historical significance, the film is not available for streaming.
In 1972, ABC aired Lamont Johnson's made-for-television film That Certain Summer, which starred Hal Holbrook and Martin Sheen as two closeted male companions, Doug and Gary, and Doug's teenaged son, Nick, played by Scott Jacoby.
Doug has been divorced from Nick's mother, Janet (Hope Lange), for some time, but Nick doesn't know his father is gay and in a relationship with another man. Nick comes up from Los Angeles to visit his father in San Francisco (the mecca for gay narratives back in the day), and it's the "discovery" that becomes the fulcrum around which the characters act.
Penned by prolific TV writers Richard Levinson and William Link, the story is a fairly quiet, domestic drama with none of the trenchant speeches in some modern social issue shows. In fact, after reading the script, Holbrook initially turned it down, saying very little happened in it.
Even so, NBC refused to produce it, and ABC insisted on some soft-pedaling the story -- no physical contact between the male partners, for example -- before airing it. A line for Holbrook's character was added to the original screenplay where Doug said if he had a choice he would not have chosen to be gay. An interesting line with many resonating tones of resignation, acceptance, and a bit of fatalism, that today might sound clunky and defeatist.
Though no blood is shed, the film does not end on a cheery note. But it's not artificial either. Janet tells Doug as Nick leaves, dolefully, for LA to "give him time."
Maybe that's what the film was telling the LGBTQ+ community in regards to freedom and equality -- give it time.
TV critics and LGBTQ+ cultural historians point to That Certain Summer as an important step forward for visibility, if not acceptance. Interestingly, despite its star power and historical significance, the film is not available for streaming.
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