(Some Spoilers) Having carried a torch for John "Johnny Boy" Buchanan, Laurence Harvey, since childhood Alma Winemiller, Geraldina Page, had almost forgotten about him until he unexpectedly showed up, in his jalopy, at a Forth of July fireworks display at his and Alma's home town of Glorious Hill Mississippi.
Johnny had been away for years studying medicine in order to fill his old man's Dr. Buchanan, John McIntire, shoes as the towns doctor. It doesn't take long to figure out what Johnny really is in his both arrogant and condescending display of hubris towards both Alma and his dad. Having hit every whore house gambling den and ginmill from Virginia to Mississippi Johnny got back home ten days late outraging his dad who refused to let him stay at his house.
Spending the evening at the notorious Moon Lake Casino Johnny got right back into action gambling drinking and striking up a hot and heavy relationship with the joints owner Papa Zacharias', Thomas Gomez, hot to trot and hot blooded daughter Rosita, Rita Marino. Johnny in a effort to put the hurt on Alma, the town preacher's daughter, who's alway pestering and annoying him about the goodness of the soul lets it out that he plans to wed the fiery and anything goes Rosita.
Angry and deeply hurt Alma gets in touch with Dr. Buchanan at his clinic about Johnny's wild and uncontrollable lifestyle that in the end might well end up killing him. Rushing home to bang some sense, and morality, into his son's head Dr. Buchanan finds the placed a total wreck. With dead drunk party goers, including Johnny Boy, and empty whiskey bottles littering the place Dr. Buchanan spots Papa Zacharias plopped down on his, Dr.Buchanan, favorite easy chair and completely loses it.
Before Johnny, who's upstairs smashed on booze, could stop it Old Man Buchanan starts to beat the barley sober Papa Zacharias who in self defense pulls out a gun and blasts him away. Johnny seeing what a mess he made and not even being forgiven by his dad, on his death bed, turns over a new leaf and goes straight. Straight to his now deceased old man's clinic finishing the work, in saving the townspeople from a deadly epidemic, that Dr. Buchanan started.
Alma who wanted to straighten Johnny out, in him seeing the light, during the entire movie succeeded beyond her wildest dreams! Johnny became so spiritual that he, in respecting Alma's wishes, refused to have anything psychical, or sexual, to do with poor Alma! Treating her as if she were an unapproachable and untouchable Goddess instead of a real live and wanting to be sexually fulfilled woman!
Johnny throwing away his wild life of womanizing and drinking ends up marrying young, who's 19 years old compared to Alma's 35, Nellie Wells,Pamela Tiffin, who was once a student in Alma's Bible Sunday-school & singing class.
Alma now left out in the cold losing the only man that she was ever in love with ends up doing what she tried to, successfully, save Johhny from doing. Alma gives into the sinful lifestyle that Johnny, with her help, just threw away! Discarding her strong religious upbringing Alma ends up going to the Moon Lake Casino with Archie, Earl Holliman, a lonely traveling salesman, whom she picked up in town, to have a wild crazy and wonderful time with!
Beautifully photographed, in lushes color, the movie "Summer and Smoke" greatly benefited from the wonderful acting of Geraldine Page as the spinster religious and ultra sensitive daughter of the towns preacher Reverand Winemiller, Malcolm Attenburg.
We also can't leave out the great acting contribution in the film by British actor Laureance Harvey. The very British, as well as Lithuanian/Jewish, Mr. Harvey seemed to have made a name for himself in playing Southerners as well as lovable heels all throughout his great but unfortunately short, Harvey died in 1973 from stomach cancer at age 46, movie and stage career.
Johnny had been away for years studying medicine in order to fill his old man's Dr. Buchanan, John McIntire, shoes as the towns doctor. It doesn't take long to figure out what Johnny really is in his both arrogant and condescending display of hubris towards both Alma and his dad. Having hit every whore house gambling den and ginmill from Virginia to Mississippi Johnny got back home ten days late outraging his dad who refused to let him stay at his house.
Spending the evening at the notorious Moon Lake Casino Johnny got right back into action gambling drinking and striking up a hot and heavy relationship with the joints owner Papa Zacharias', Thomas Gomez, hot to trot and hot blooded daughter Rosita, Rita Marino. Johnny in a effort to put the hurt on Alma, the town preacher's daughter, who's alway pestering and annoying him about the goodness of the soul lets it out that he plans to wed the fiery and anything goes Rosita.
Angry and deeply hurt Alma gets in touch with Dr. Buchanan at his clinic about Johnny's wild and uncontrollable lifestyle that in the end might well end up killing him. Rushing home to bang some sense, and morality, into his son's head Dr. Buchanan finds the placed a total wreck. With dead drunk party goers, including Johnny Boy, and empty whiskey bottles littering the place Dr. Buchanan spots Papa Zacharias plopped down on his, Dr.Buchanan, favorite easy chair and completely loses it.
Before Johnny, who's upstairs smashed on booze, could stop it Old Man Buchanan starts to beat the barley sober Papa Zacharias who in self defense pulls out a gun and blasts him away. Johnny seeing what a mess he made and not even being forgiven by his dad, on his death bed, turns over a new leaf and goes straight. Straight to his now deceased old man's clinic finishing the work, in saving the townspeople from a deadly epidemic, that Dr. Buchanan started.
Alma who wanted to straighten Johnny out, in him seeing the light, during the entire movie succeeded beyond her wildest dreams! Johnny became so spiritual that he, in respecting Alma's wishes, refused to have anything psychical, or sexual, to do with poor Alma! Treating her as if she were an unapproachable and untouchable Goddess instead of a real live and wanting to be sexually fulfilled woman!
Johnny throwing away his wild life of womanizing and drinking ends up marrying young, who's 19 years old compared to Alma's 35, Nellie Wells,Pamela Tiffin, who was once a student in Alma's Bible Sunday-school & singing class.
Alma now left out in the cold losing the only man that she was ever in love with ends up doing what she tried to, successfully, save Johhny from doing. Alma gives into the sinful lifestyle that Johnny, with her help, just threw away! Discarding her strong religious upbringing Alma ends up going to the Moon Lake Casino with Archie, Earl Holliman, a lonely traveling salesman, whom she picked up in town, to have a wild crazy and wonderful time with!
Beautifully photographed, in lushes color, the movie "Summer and Smoke" greatly benefited from the wonderful acting of Geraldine Page as the spinster religious and ultra sensitive daughter of the towns preacher Reverand Winemiller, Malcolm Attenburg.
We also can't leave out the great acting contribution in the film by British actor Laureance Harvey. The very British, as well as Lithuanian/Jewish, Mr. Harvey seemed to have made a name for himself in playing Southerners as well as lovable heels all throughout his great but unfortunately short, Harvey died in 1973 from stomach cancer at age 46, movie and stage career.