Summer's End (film)

Summer's End is a 1999 drama television film directed by Helen Shaver (in her directorial debut) from a screenplay by Grant Scharbo and Jim Thompson, based on a story by Scharbo.^[1] The film tells the story of two teenage brothers who have lost their father, one of which befriends an African-American physician facing racial prejudice in a small town in Georgia.

Summer's End
DVD cover
Screenplay by	Grant Scharbo Jim Thompson
Story by	Grant Scharbo
Directed by	Helen Shaver
Starring	James Earl Jones Jake LeDoux Brendan Fletcher Wendy Crewson
Composer	Lawrence Shragge
Country of origin	Canada United States
Original language	English
Production
Producers	Gina Matthews Frank Siracusa Connie Tavel Patrick Whitley
Cinematography	Andreas Poulsson
Editor	Rick Martin
Running time	107 minutes
Production company	Temple Street Productions
Original release
Network	Showtime
Release	January 30, 1999 (1999-01-30)

The film premiered on Showtime on January 30, 1999.^[2] It received nominations for four Daytime Emmy Awards, and won for best children's special and also best actor (James Earl Jones).^[3][4]

Plot

A young boy, still grieving over his father's death, befriends a retired physician, the former chief of cardiology at an Atlanta hospital who has returned to his hometown in North Georgia where he had a traumatic boyhood; but racial intolerance in the local, predominantly white, lakeside community ends up souring the relationship.^[5][6][3]

Cast

• James Earl Jones as Dr. William 'Bill' Blakely
• Jake LeDoux as Jamie Baldwin
• Brendan Fletcher as Hunter Baldwin
• Wendy Crewson as Virginia Baldwin
• Jonathan Kroeker as Lad Trapnell
• Al Waxman as Grandpa Trapnell
• Andrew Sardella as Alex Rifkin
• R.D. Reid as Henry Whitley
• Gary Reineke as Sheriff Miller
• Patrick McManus as Inspector
• Randy Hughson as Rainey
• Sarah Francis as Erinn
• Victor Garber as narrator