**SPOILERS** 1940's child star Dean Stockwell in his first adult role as the crazy mixed up and madly in love 18 year-old Santa Monica high school student Jerry Vernon does a commendable job without the usual schmaltz you would expect in a 1950's growing up to adulthood Hollywood movie.
Crashing a party with his friend Bob, Alan Dinehart III, just to be rebellious Jerry meets 17 year-old Emily Meredith, Natalie Trundy, and by the time the evening is over the two somehow connect without at first realizing it. It's later when, with her parents out for the evening, Emily invites Jerry over to the house that what at first was just a chance encounter, at the crashed party, not only becomes a beautiful friendship but blooms into a full fledged love affair.
As Jerry gets serious about Emily his studies in school start to suffer and that gets his old man Mr. Sam Vernon, John Larch, as well as his mom Mathilda, Virginia Christine, very concerned about their son's future. Papa Sam has been breaking his back working all kinds of overtime, as well as days off, at the machine plant where he saved up $400,00 to pay for Jerry collage education. Now Jerry wan't to squander not only his education but the $400.00 to buy Emily and himself a pair of wedding rings and go on a honeymoon where they'll be hitched up, or married, in Mexico.
Emily's parents Charles & Helen Meredith, John Stephenson & Barbara Billingsley, are just as determined as Jerry's are in not letting their daughter ruin her life by marrying so early before she can make something of herself by going to and finishing college.
The final straw is when Jerry with his kid brothers Biff's, Bobby Hyatt, knowledge plans to elope with Emily. This is to be accomplished by Jerry forging his old mans name on a bank withdrawal slip in order to grab the $400.00, that's exclusively for Jerry's education, and take off with Emily across the border into Mexico. Biff not being able to keep his mouth shut blurts out, at the breakfast table, what Jerry & Emily are about to do! That leads Papa Sam to storm into the two's lovers hotel-room and have it out with his love-sick and at the same time ungrateful, for everything he did for him, son Jerry.
Things get even more stressful for the confused and immature Jerry when his girl Emily, even though younger is far more grown up then he is, decides to call the whole thing, dash across the border and marriage, off. Left all alone and feeling like a real first class jerk with the hotel owner Mrs. Belosi, Elizabert Shifer, giving him 72 hours to clear out Jerry meekly comes back home to live with his parents and ask for their forgiveness for all the trouble he caused them.
***SPOILER ALERT*** In the end things turn out for the better for both Jerry and Emily in that they not only learned the hard facts of life but also that being in love is one thing but being married is quite another. Especially if you've never experienced life beyond that of attending party's and making out on then back seat of your, which our parents paid for, Chevy Convertible.
P.S By the way Emily, like his parents, in the end forgives Jerry for his compulsive actions and not only agrees to give him her new address, at her parents summer retreat in Connecticut, but promises to write him every day that she's away.
Crashing a party with his friend Bob, Alan Dinehart III, just to be rebellious Jerry meets 17 year-old Emily Meredith, Natalie Trundy, and by the time the evening is over the two somehow connect without at first realizing it. It's later when, with her parents out for the evening, Emily invites Jerry over to the house that what at first was just a chance encounter, at the crashed party, not only becomes a beautiful friendship but blooms into a full fledged love affair.
As Jerry gets serious about Emily his studies in school start to suffer and that gets his old man Mr. Sam Vernon, John Larch, as well as his mom Mathilda, Virginia Christine, very concerned about their son's future. Papa Sam has been breaking his back working all kinds of overtime, as well as days off, at the machine plant where he saved up $400,00 to pay for Jerry collage education. Now Jerry wan't to squander not only his education but the $400.00 to buy Emily and himself a pair of wedding rings and go on a honeymoon where they'll be hitched up, or married, in Mexico.
Emily's parents Charles & Helen Meredith, John Stephenson & Barbara Billingsley, are just as determined as Jerry's are in not letting their daughter ruin her life by marrying so early before she can make something of herself by going to and finishing college.
The final straw is when Jerry with his kid brothers Biff's, Bobby Hyatt, knowledge plans to elope with Emily. This is to be accomplished by Jerry forging his old mans name on a bank withdrawal slip in order to grab the $400.00, that's exclusively for Jerry's education, and take off with Emily across the border into Mexico. Biff not being able to keep his mouth shut blurts out, at the breakfast table, what Jerry & Emily are about to do! That leads Papa Sam to storm into the two's lovers hotel-room and have it out with his love-sick and at the same time ungrateful, for everything he did for him, son Jerry.
Things get even more stressful for the confused and immature Jerry when his girl Emily, even though younger is far more grown up then he is, decides to call the whole thing, dash across the border and marriage, off. Left all alone and feeling like a real first class jerk with the hotel owner Mrs. Belosi, Elizabert Shifer, giving him 72 hours to clear out Jerry meekly comes back home to live with his parents and ask for their forgiveness for all the trouble he caused them.
***SPOILER ALERT*** In the end things turn out for the better for both Jerry and Emily in that they not only learned the hard facts of life but also that being in love is one thing but being married is quite another. Especially if you've never experienced life beyond that of attending party's and making out on then back seat of your, which our parents paid for, Chevy Convertible.
P.S By the way Emily, like his parents, in the end forgives Jerry for his compulsive actions and not only agrees to give him her new address, at her parents summer retreat in Connecticut, but promises to write him every day that she's away.