That Certain Summer

Queer representation on TV today is commonplace—a relatively new development. On November 1, 1972, an ABC Movie of the Week called That Certain Summer premiered, and it is widely considered the first sympathetic depiction of gay people on American television.

The plot turns on a divorced man, in his mid‐40s, who has to de-gay his living arrangement when his 14‐year‐old son comes for a vacation visit. The son wises up to the existence of his father’s younger lover, and Dad is forced to explain his situation—pathos ensues.

Screenwriter William Link reported that it was tricky to find a network to green-light the project and also challenging to cast. Eventually, the project attracted stars Hal Holbrook and Martin Sheen, which was a big deal at the time. The New York Times critic John J. O’Connor observed the movie “is not ‘about’ homosexuality. It is about personal relationships being affected by the fact of homosexuality. In terms of average television, however, it is something of a major event. The performances throughout the film are excellent, “…and the movie “can lay claim to some of the most impressive and sensitive acting ever contributed to television.”

In The Guardian’s 2021 obituary of Hal Holbrook, Brian Baxter writes that Holbrook’s “big break came in 1972 with the controversial television movie… Television had not tackled a gay theme so sensitively – or directly – before, and the film became a minor classic.” Martin Sheen has spoken about how groundbreaking his role was in That Certain Summer while famously playing a gay man again in the breakout Netflix comedy Grace and Frankie.

That Certain Summer was nominated for many awards; it won a Golden Globe and an Emmy. Distressingly, the TV movie triggered bomb threats at ABC affiliates during its broadcast. Given that it played during prime time in its day, and was the same era as the emerging Gay Liberation Front, That Certain Summer is significant queer history viewing. It can be watched for free on the website RareFilmm.

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