For a lot of people, Sam Elliot is the old guy that Gronk keeps pestering to make him family so he can receive USAA Insurance. There are thankfully others that remember Sam from roles in Road House, Big Lebowski, Tombstone and Mask (the version starring Cher and Eric Stolz). All of you should know Sam Elliott from Lifeguard, his first starring role from the summer of 1976. Lifeguard glows with Sam Elliott as a bronzed lifeguard who doesn’t want the summer to ever end.
Rick Carlson (Sam Elliott) is ready for the summer season to start one more time. He’s been a lifeguard on the beach in Los Angeles for quite some time. He’s worn out a few pairs of red swim trunks over the years. He’s training his new assistant Chris (Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries‘ Parker Stevenson) in the ways of the beach and the lifeguard tower. Not everyone is happy with his charmed life including his parents. They want him to get serious about a real job. He’s 32. His 15th high school class reunion is happening. They act like he’s living in their basement. The thing is Rick is living a great life. He’s got his own apartment even though the decor screams Endless Summer. He drives around in a convertible Corvette letting his hair and mustache blow in the wind. And he’s constantly getting propositioned by the ladies. Which is where he gets a little bit of trouble when a rising high school senior Wendy (Apollo 13 & The Doors‘ Kathleen Quinlin) takes a shine to him. He knows its wrong to be with a 17 year old (the actress was 19 at the time)…but the man is tempted hard. The class reunion has him reunite with his high school crush Cathy (Fatal Attraction‘s Anne Archer). She’s single and he sees a road map to being an adult. Can he leave the beach life behind?
The Lifeguard wasn’t a major hit when it was released in the summer of ’76. This makes complete sense since during the summer of ’75, Jaws destroyed the summer beach season. People canceled their coastal trips for fear of being eaten by great white sharks. Jaws was reissued the next summer so theatergoers who needed a reason to not go back into the water stayed safe in movie theaters and drive-ins. Lifeguard doesn’t have anyone getting attacked by a man-eating shark. Instead, we see the how people can get nearly killed in the water all by themselves. The people on the beach do get visually horrified when an old guy flashes ladies on the beach. Maybe there was an executive at Paramount that wanted to jazz up the film by having both Wendy and Cathy in the water with the shark coming at them and Rick having to choose which woman to save. Thankfully director Daniel Petrie didn’t spice this up with a blue water white death twist. We can enjoy an amazing portrait of a man doing what he loves and the ladies who are fascinated by him.
Lifeguard feels real as a film. Nothing goes too out of control to great false drama. Elliott plays Rick just right as he deals with everyone wanting him to put on a shirt and clock in. This is like a really smart episode of Baywatch that they never produced. Oddly enough, 14 years later, Parker Stevenson would put on the red trunks once more to play Craig Pomeroy on Baywatch. But he didn’t seem to have the same issues as Rick on the show. If you get a laugh out of Sam Elliott goofing around with Gronk, you owe it to yourself to see one of Sam Elliott’s finest performances and the birth of the greatest mustache in cinematic history. Just remember to wipe on some sunblock before pressing play, Lifeguard is a great trip to the beach.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The transfer is taken off the original camera negative so you really see the details of Rick’s lifestyle. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 2.0. You’ll hear all the sounds of being at the beach. The movie is subtitled.
Audio Commentary with Jim Healy and Ben Reiser get deep into Sam Elliott’s mustache. Turns out Director Daniel Petrie noticed most of the older lifeguards had mustaches so he asked Sam to grow one for the movie. Sometime a director’s advice will transform an actor’s life for good. They share Sam’s feeling about the marketing campaign that made the film look like a goofy beach film from Crown International.
Alternate Soundtrack is a different music mix. The opening song no longer has Paul Williams’ words.
Image Gallery (7:45) us a montage of poster art and press photos.
Illustrated Booklet with an essay by Cristina Cacioppo.
Fun City Editions presents Lifeguard: Limited Edition. Directed by Daniel Petrie. Screenplay by Ron Koslow. Starring Sam Elliott, Anne Archer, Stephen Young, Parker Stevenson, Kathleen Quinlan, Steve Burns, Sharon Weber, Lenka Peterson, George D. Wallace and Paul Kent. Running Time: 97 minutes. Rating: Rated PG. Release Date: February 11, 2025.
