Where the Boys Are (1960) on Netflix
NR19601h 39mComedyDramaRomance
Merritt, Melanie, Tuggle and Angie leave Penmore University for spring break in Fort Lauderdale. Merritt argues for premarital sex, Tuggle wants marriage, Angie is clueless about romance.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb6.7/103,492 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes86%
Trailer
Plot summary
Merritt Andrews, a student at Penmore University in the Midwest, puts the case in class that young women might try premarital sex. Her friends have their own aims: Melanie Tolman draws young men wherever she goes, Tuggle Carpenter wants a husband and a houseful of babies, and the athletic Angie is lost on the subject of romance. With little money to spend once they arrive, the four drive to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for spring break. There Merritt meets Ryder Smith, a Brown University senior; Tuggle's eye lands on TV Thompson, a Michigan State junior; and Angie falls in with the jazz musician Basil.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Where the Boys Are (1960)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Glendon Swarthout's novel contained a section in which the students raise money to ship arms to Fidel Castro for his Cuban revolution. Producer Joe Pasternak removed it from the film.
- Joseph Pasternak had reportedly been considering Jane Fonda for the role of Merritt, but Levin recommended Dolores Hart, who was cast.
- Connie Francis had Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield write songs for the soundtrack. The pair wrote two possible title songs, but producer Joe Pasternak passed over the one Francis and the songwriters preferred for a lush 1950s-style movie theme.
- Hamilton improvised the scene in which he wrote a question mark in the sand next to Dolores Hart, firmly believing he was making a "little nothing of a film".
- Aimed at the teen market, the film inspired many American college students to head to Fort Lauderdale for their annual spring break.
