9 Classic Hollywood Movies to Make Your Summer Endless

I love watching movies in the summertime. I have a few that I watch every year. One of my favorites is Gidget. It's about a girl who moves to Malibu and falls in love with surfing. She meets a guy named Moondoggie and they have all sorts of adventures together.

I also love watching Hollywood movies from the 1930s-1950s because they're so different from what we see today! Do you have any summertime flicks you watch every year? Here are a few of my favorites! 

Gidget Goes Hawaiian

1. Gidget Goes Hawaiian

I don't know what it is about this film but it always puts me in the best mood. In fact, it might be one of my all-time favorite summer flicks, and since I hardly ever hear about it, I consider it a diamond in the rough. Just thinking about it brings to mind the crooning of James Darren... what more could you ask for? 

You can buy the whole Gidget collection at a price that I think is a complete steal here. 

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Swiss Family Robinson

2. Swiss Family Robinson

When Disneyland swapped out their iconic Swiss Family Robinson treehouse for the new Tarzan iteration, I was a little upset... after all, I grew up watching this classic film about a family stranded on a deserted island, and I probably spent waaaaay too much time staring in at the little exhibits in the middle of AdventureLand (the little organ playing the same song on loop, etc.).

This movie romanticizes survivor skills so much that , heck, it makes me want to get stranded on a deserted island. 

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The Parent Trap

3. The Parent Trap

No list of classic Hollywood flicks would be complete without this... the Hayley Mills version, not the Lindsay Lohan one, mind you. It begins in a summer camp, and once again, my young mind was heavily influenced by what I was seeing on-screen, and I have had a fascination with Monterey, California, ever since. 

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Pollyanna

4. Pollyanna

Another Haley Mills flick... it gets a bit of a bad rap because of its happy-go-lucky nature, but I actually think that viewers aren't giving the movie its due credit. After all, the ending doesn't wrap everything up in a happy bow.

Agnes Moorehead and the carnival scenes are worth the watch alone. 

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The Long, Long Trailer

5. The Long, Long Trailer

One of the few films Lucy did alongside hubby Desi Arnaz, this film is packed with laughter and just all-around happy feelings. 

There are a couple of film collections that boast this flick, but my favorite is the one that has another charmer, Arsenic and Old Lace, and of course, Father of the Bride which is also kind of a summer flick with its summer wedding. 

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Tammy & the Bachelor

6. Tammy and the Bachelor

Starring the inimitable Debbie Reynolds in one of her most charming roles, this film is the epitome of "Puppy Love". It also has one of the most delicious soda-counter scenes I have ever witnessed on film. And if you never thought Leslie Nielsen could play a romantic lead after seeing him in Airplane! and the Naked Gun series, you are in for a treat. 

This film collection contains two other films from the Tammy series, but the Leslie Nielsen flick is my favorite of the bunch. 

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Some Like It Hot

7. Some Like It Hot

Ask someone who isn't an old film lover which classics they might have seen, and this is one of the perennial favorites. 

But why do I consider this a summer classic? Well with a myriad of scenes on beaches and yachts, it just evokes that summer love. 

Not to mention hilarious performance of Marilyn Monroe to add to the steaminess! 

 

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Roman Holiday

8. Roman Holiday

Again, this choice may not be the immediate choice that jumps to your mind as a summer flick, but with Audrey Hepburn gallivanting around Rome in little summer dresses, I can't think of a film that fits the bill more!

And the duo between her and Gregory Peck? It is just about perfection. 

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We're Not Dressing

9. We're Not Dressing

Starring Carole Lombard and Bing Crosby, this is another "stranded on a deserted island" type fare. Sure, it doesn't have a stellar plot line, but who cares? Watching Bing sing about the pompousness of the upper crust he is now stranded alongside is enough reason to watch. And seriously, the film is fun. 

 

 

looking for more summer inspiration from the golden age of cinema? 

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