Summer Magic 1963

In the early 20th century, financial troubles force young Boston widow Margaret Carey, Dorothy McGuire, and her three children to move out of their longtime home. Nancy, Hayley Mills, the dramatic but kind-hearted eldest child, remembers a large yellow house that the Careys had admired when they visited the small town of Beulah, Maine, and asks about it. After selling the treasured piano, “Flitterin’,” Nancy reveals the house is vacant and the family decides to relocate to the country, dreaming of a fresh start in the town they come to affectionately call “Beautiful Beulah.”

When the Careys reach Beulah, they feel a bit out of place, but the town greets them warmly. Overall, the move proves to be the right decision, and the family settles into a simpler, quieter life that brings a gentler rhythm to their days. The house itself, however, sits a little neglected, and Osh Popham, Burl Ives the caretaker, offers what he calls cheap labor to make the place livable and even provides free goods from his hardware store, much to his wife Mariah’s suspicions. He also guides young Peter, James Mathers, steering him toward more practical, down-to-earth ways—trading him a pair of overalls for his city-slick “Buster Brown” suit and offering up tidy carpentry lessons and a bit of haircut money.

Their peace is interrupted when news arrives that Julia Carey, the orphaned cousin, is to join the brood. The Careys reluctantly agree, and while they prepare for her arrival, Gilly, Eddie Hodges, and Nancy entertain Peter with jokes about Julia’s supposed “Pink of Perfection” persona. When Julia arrives, she proves to be even more imposing than expected, and a restless night follows as their large dog Sam disrupts the household by throwing the family into a frenzied wake. The new guest also challenges the household’s routines, pressuring Osh’s daughter Lally Joy, Wendy Turner, to help with bathing in the kitchen rather than carting hot water upstairs.

As Nancy and Lally Joy contend with the arrival, Peter enjoys helping Osh with the house, while Osh regales him with tales of bugs and adventures fit for a city boy. When Margaret confides that finances are still tight, Osh hatches a scheme to keep the family in Beulah by fabricating a request from the house’s owner, Tom Hamilton, Peter Brown. He pretends Hamilton has agreed to let them stay if they stage a Halloween ceremony for the owner’s deceased mother and display a suitable portrait. The ruse is nearly undone when Osh’s wife Mariah visits the yellow house to reveal the truth, but Osh fakes a fall from the second story to avoid exposure and convinces his wife to help him get home.

After church the following Sunday, Nancy and Julia spot a handsome newcomer, Charles Bryant, James Stacy, who has moved to Beulah to teach at the local school. The two girls invite him to a lawn party at the yellow house, each hoping to win his attention. Julia’s charm tilts the balance, leaving Nancy in a pinch of jealousy as the evening winds down under the soft glow of the Beulah night. The next morning, Nancy’s sharp, honest conversation with her mother reveals that Julia’s adoptive parents once gambled away their money, dumping Julia on the Careys, and Margaret gently explains that their love is what truly matters. This revelation softens Nancy’s heart, and she realizes she has grown to care for Julia and invites her to stay, even as she acknowledges the tension between them.

With Halloween approaching, Lally Joy frets over her own awkward, oversized dress for the party, while Nancy and Julia vow to tailor it into something flattering and help her act with more confidence around boys, a moment they mark as “Femininity.” On the day of the party, a tall, courteous stranger arrives at Osh’s shop, and Nancy learns he is Tom Hamilton, the owner she’s heard about. Osh confesses that he rented the house to the Careys, and a charged moment follows as Tom processes the situation and steps away in frustration.

Gilly, eager to see Lally Joy shine, arrives at the party in a gown she is proud of, and she accompanies her crush with a glow that catches both Nancy’s eye and Tom’s notice. As Nancy steps into the party herself, she confronts the awkward moment of presenting the situation to Tom and ends up dancing with him, offering a handshake of respect and a genuine smile. The party intensifies as Osh exclaims that, in the end, things have a way of working out.