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This Is One Of The BEST & Earliest HBO Original Films! An excellent story carried off superbly by an excellent cast! The legendary Bette Davis SHINES in this classic tale of Greed & Skullduggery in the Deep South. Scott Glenn is wonderful in his role as the small town southern underdog attorney trying to save a black family from losing their home after oil has been discovered under the ground. Jamie Lee Curtis plays the Updated Southern Belle with a KICK. One of her first scenes where she arrives at the family mansion is INCREDIBLE! And Davis as the matronly matriarch of the rich Southern clan who KNOWS what is what is a sight to behold. What will Scott Glenn walk away with? The case or the girl? If you can track down this gem and find out for yourself you will NOT be disappointed!

A couple of female senior citizens Bette Davis and Beah Richards make As Summers Die one outstanding made for TV drama. Someone should have considered this for theatrical release.

Richards' family comes to see Scott Glenn about some bayou swamp land that she owns and they really want her to sell out. She's insisting that she'll not leave her home and she wants Glenn who's a lawyer and the only one around not on permanent retainer by the delta plantation owners.

Richards and several other black tenants around her have oil on the property and the family that deeded the land over to her now want it back. They hire John Randolph one smooth talking mush mouth shyster togo to court.

The only member of the family that hires Randolph with any integrity is Bette Davis aged widow of the family patriarch. Bette wants to see justice done and she really has no interest in any double dealing this close to the pearly gates. Her competency of course is challenged.

This drama is set in the mid 50s at the beginning of the civil rights era. Glenn himself is taking a long chance career wise representing these black tenant farmers.

Both Davis and Richards have some great courtroom scenes as witnesses. As Summers die is a must for Bette Davis fans. One of the best of her late career roles.

This movie was filmed in and around Valdosta (Lowndes Co.) and Quitman (Brooks Co.), Georgia. The party scene inside the beautiful mansion was filmed at The Crescent in Valdosta, Georgia. The scenes of the houses at the lake were filmed at Ocean Pond and other lakes in southern Lowndes Co. The courthouse scenes (interior and exterior) were filmed at the Brooks County Courthouse. I am from Valdosta and this filming took place when I was in high school and this was a HUGE deal in Valdosta! Quite a few of the extras in the film are people I know! Bette Davis was VERY frail during the time they were shooting and, from what I heard, was an EXTREMELY crotchety and cranky old lady! All in all, it's a decent movie. The scenery is good but the acting leaves A LOT to be desired! The storyline leans HEAVILY toward "To Kill a Mockingbird", but it's entertaining. If I remember correctly, this was filmed for and by HBO.

Elvira Backus' family goes to see lawyer Willie Croft (Scott Glenn) because the town's richest family claims her land. Elvira finds an unlikely ally in the dead patriarch's sister Hannah Loftin (Bette Davis) that is challenged by the Holt clan. As for Willie, the involvement in the case intensifies when he falls for Hannah's niece Whitsey (Jamie Lee Curtis).

It's one of those typical made for TV movies where there is an old woman that has problems in keeping her propriety safe from the bloodsucking families. Bette Davis was very good as usual, and Scott Glenn and Jamie Lee Curtis made a nice couple, and honestly I think that if there was more of the relationship the film would have been better. Still, as it is, it's good but nothing exceptional.

I saw this movie on TV years ago, and I've never stopped looking for it again. I'd love it if it was on DVD, so I could rent or buy it. I think Scott Glenn is one of the best actors, and one of the most underrated ones, that are in movies today. And Jamie Lee Curtis is always charming, cute, and does her usual great acting performance. I'm not a Bette Davis fan, so I don't care whether she was good or not in this movie. All the other members of the cast more than make up for my opinion of her. I was especially impressed with the concept of a white lawyer defending a black woman in a lawsuit. All the cast was excellent. I hope I get to see the movie again one of these days. I looked for it on Netflix, but unfortunately, they don't have a copy of it yet.