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That Certain Summer

Name: That Certain Summer
Director: Lamont Johnson
Released: 1972
Duration: 73 min

Representation Score

4.8/10

Fair

1972

Director

Lamont Johnson

Runtime

73 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

That Certain Summer is a historically significant text that pioneered empathetic LGBTQ+ storytelling on television. By presenting a long-term queer partnership as a stable domestic reality, it challenged the social hierarchies of the early 1970s. However, the film is limited by the era's demographic constraints, showing very little racial diversity. Additionally, the narrative remains centered on male perspectives, with women primarily serving as drivers for the central conflict. Ultimately, the film succeeds as a sophisticated critique of traditional family structures, even if it lacks the multi-layered breadth found in modern media.

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Category Breakdown

Does That Certain Summer have LGBTQ+ representation?

Excellent

The film stands out by presenting a stable, domestic relationship between Doug Salter and Gary McClain with empathy and depth. It challenges the era's assumptions about heterosexual relationships.

How does That Certain Summer portray gender?

Fair

The narrative focuses heavily on the male experience and the tension of fatherhood. Female characters play crucial emotional roles but have less central ability to act compared to the male protagonists.

How racially and ethnically diverse is That Certain Summer?

Limited

Reflecting the casting trends of 1972, the production features a predominantly white cast. The story lacks significant racial the way different parts of someone's identity overlap or the use of non-white characters to disrupt demographic norms.

How does That Certain Summer represent religion and culture?

Good

The film critiques traditional Western morality by emphasizing individual authenticity over rigid social institutions. It highlights the potential hypocrisy of conventional social mores through a lens of situational ethics.

Does That Certain Summer include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no discernible presence of physical or neurodivergent disabilities. The narrative focus remains strictly on interpersonal dynamics and sexual identity.

Present on Screen

Pioneering empathetic portrayal of LGBTQ+ domesticity and long-term partnership.
Sophisticated deconstruction of traditional Western morality and social institutions.
Intentional narrative depth that avoids treating queer identity as a punchline.

Limited or Absent

Lack of racial and ethnic diversity within the cast and setting.
Concentration on male perspectives that limits the depth of female character roles.
Minimal representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

The first US teleplay to deal sympathetically with homosexuality. Divorced San Francisco contractor Doug Salter is looking forward to a summer visit from his fourteen-year-old son Nick, who lives in Los Angeles with his mother Janet. The boy does not know that his father is gay and committed to Gary McClain, his life partner of several years.

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