The Summer of Walter Hacks

2009
2h 30m

IMDb RATING

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Eleven-year-old Walter Hacks is growing up on his father's farm with his brother Clifford. This is in 1952. Days are full of chores before and after school of milking cows and, in the summer, haying the fields. But he has his fun too! He loves to go to the movies and watch his Western heroes. He imagines himself a cowboy like John Wayne or Jimmy Stewart. He wears a Fedora which he has shaped into a cowboy hat, he has his 'horse' which is his trusty bike and he has his never-miss six shooter, a home-made slingshot.

Armed with his imagination and his adventurous spirit, Walter faces a hard summer head-on after a tragedy on the farm just before school lets out for the summer.

The summer of 1952 turns into a hard one for Walter and his brother but somehow they start to pull things together. Walter shows a talent for working on farm equipment which comes in handy for making extra money and takes him on adventures where he meets the many interesting neighbors in his seemingly quiet hometown.

Walter's sidekick, Margaret, is part of some of these adventures and in true cowboy fashion, he saves her from the 'run away horse carriage' when he successfully stops a tractor that is heading down hill fast with Margaret on board. He protects her from the town bully and gets a black eye for it. The duo even hop a train in order to get to a fiddle contest where Walter hopes to play and win $150.00. Margaret is the one friend that allows Walter to still 'be a kid' even though his life, and a secret he and his brother keep in order to stay together, pull him toward adulthood before his time.

As summer wears on the boys seem to hold it all together but things begin to unravel, including their relationship. But Walter confronts Clifford and their mutual fear brings them closer together. Soon an awful truth is revealed forcing Walter to make a choice that no eleven-year-old should have to make.

Play trailer4:41

Eleven-year-old Walter grows up fast one summer when tragedy strikes. He and his brother make things work until things begin to unravel. The boys discover some terrible truths that ultimatel... Read allEleven-year-old Walter grows up fast one summer when tragedy strikes. He and his brother make things work until things begin to unravel. The boys discover some terrible truths that ultimately test their relationship and threatens their future.Eleven-year-old Walter grows up fast one summer when tragedy strikes. He and his brother make things work until things begin to unravel. The boys discover some terrible truths that ultimately test their relationship and threatens their future.

Director
- George Woodard
Writers
- Gerianne Smart
- George Woodard
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

YOUR RATING

Director
- George Woodard
Writers
- Gerianne Smart
- George Woodard
Stars

1User review

See production info at IMDbPro

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Trailer 4:41

The Summer of Walter Hacks

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User reviews1

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10kdevine-47071

Indiana Jones of real life in Vermont in the 1950's

Done in black and white, this film captures the era. Summer adventures of a young farm boy and his tomboy friend as he tries to deal with helping his dad and brother make a living on a failing dairy farm. Behind the scenes, dad is trying to cope with being a single parent, keeping the dairy farm going and paying the bills. Join Walter as he enters a local fiddle contest to win the prize and help out his dad. All action is staged in natural surroundings as Walter speeds down a dirt road on a rickety bike, jumps across the top of a working hay baler while being pursued by a devious neighbor, and clambers about the hay mow to save his life. Being raised on a farm strengthens one's problem solving skills. See this in action as Walter encounters more challenges than any young boy should have to face in a life time.