To my mind, summer is the most dishonest season. It keeps its promises to a point: hot, ripe days, storms and breezes, salt and smoke. But it also lies to you. Intellectually, you know that summer ...

Those words, uttered by Vern Tessio in “Stand By Me,” have become a calling card for the classic coming-of-age movie released in 1986. Next year, that childhood tale turns 40. “Stand By Me” opened ...