Main Cast: Hayley Mills, Burl Ives, Dorothy McGuire, Deborah Walley, Eddie Hodges
Release Year: 1963
Country: US
Run Time: 115 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Plot
A young widow from Boston travels with her three children to Maine to enjoy their summer vacation. Margaret Carey (Dorothy McGuire) is helped by the friendly Osh Popham (Burl Ives), who finds the family a rent-free house vacated by a vacationing landowner. Daughter Nancy (Hayley Mills) catches the eye of a young schoolteacher, Digby (Michael J. Pollard). The owner of the summer house shows up from Europe unexpectedly, but keeps his identity a secret when he too falls for the young Nancy. The entire family gets to croon with Burl Ives in a folksy front-porch singalong. The townsfolk make the Careys feel at home to the point that they consider making the idyllic coastal town their permanent home. This Walt Disney film is lighthearted entertainment for the entire family. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
Review
Ostensibly a remake of Mother Carey's Chickens, Summer Magic has little in common with the earlier film other than the idea of a widowed mother suddenly finding herself in an uncertain financial situation. The Disney version is very typical of the kind of live-action family fare the studio turned out at this time -- pleasant, a little too cute, and somewhat bland. Annoyingly, Magic doesn't take its basic premise seriously; it brings up the family's penury but never explores it realistically, with the result that it becomes hard to really get involved with the story. It doesn't help that the plot is just a series of self-contained incidents that don't build up to a cohesive and satisfying whole. Nor does it help that the film's "period" feel is much more late '50s than 1910s; even the costumes can't seem to agree on what year it is. The score, with the exception of "The Ugly Bug Ball" (which has a distinctly non-period arrangement), is undistinguished. Fortunately, the cast makes the film enjoyable. Hayley Mills is her usual perky self, always engaging but, unlike the movie itself, avoiding the trap of falling into "cutesiness." Burl Ives has some very nice moments and provides a strong but quiet presence throughout, and plays well off of Una Merkel's amusing sternness. Dorothy McGuire is warm and motherly, Deborah Walley is great fun, and in a small part, Michael J. Pollard makes a distinct impression. Mills' next film, The Chalk Garden, would afford her the chance to better stretch her dramatic muscles. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Carroll Clark - Art Director, Robert Clatworthy - Art Director, Ron Miller - Associate Producer, Bill Thomas - Costume Designer, James Neilson - Director, Robert Stafford - Editor, Buddy Baker - Composer (Music Score), Richard M. Sherman - Songwriter, Robert B. Sherman - Songwriter, Pat McNalley - Makeup, William Snyder - Cinematographer, Walt Disney - Producer, Emile Kuri - Set Designer, Frank R. McKelvey - Set Designer, Peter Ellenshaw - Special Effects, Sally Benson - Screenwriter, Kate Douglas Wiggin - Book Author
Widowed Margaret Carey (Dorothy McGuire) prepares to move her family into a depressing apartment, but her eldest daughter Nancy Carey (Hayley Mills) writes to Osh Popham (Burl Ives), the caretaker of a millionaire's country home they saw while on vacation in Maine. Popham lets the Careys have the house for a pittance and contributes major labor and materials to make it liveable, much to the consternation of his wife Mariah (Una Merkel). Nancy is grieved when her snooty cousin Julia (Deborah Walley) shows up, especially when the self-styled debutante steals the attention of the handsome new teacher Charles Bryant (James Stacy). Nancy gets unexpected compensation in the form of the even more desirable Tom Hamilton (Peter Brown), not realizing he is the owner of the house that his factor Popham has basically given away.
Songs
"Flitterin'"
"Beautiful Beulah"
"Summer Magic"
"Pink of Perfection"
"Ugly Bug Ball"
"On the Front Porch"
"Femininity"
Production notes
At first, Walt Disney did not care for the "Ugly Bug Ball." Songwriter Robert Sherman explained to Disney that to bugs, other bugs were not ugly, even if they looked ugly to us, beauty being in the eye of the beholder. Disney liked the idea and the song went on to become one of the popular songs of the year. It was sung by Burl Ives.
The optimistic Nancy Carey (Hayley Mills) in Summer Magic.
"On the Front Porch" is songwriter Robert Sherman's personal favorite song from his own work.
