Sam Elliot stars as Rick Carlson, a thirty year old lifeguard who thinks life is passing him by. Rick loves the beach life and his job, but after attending his fifteen-year high school reunion and receiving advice from his family and friends that he's wasting his life, Rick begins to question his livelihood and wonders whether he should quit and find a more normal line of work -- such as selling cars for the local Porsche dealership.


Lifeguard is a 1976 drama movie made by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Daniel Petrie, based upon a screenplay by Ron Koslow. It stars Sam Elliott, Anne Archer, Steve Burns, Parker Stevenson, and Kathleen Quinlan.[1][2]
Sam Elliott plays Rick Carlson, a 32-year-old lifeguard on a Southern California beach who's prompted to question his goals in life when he receives an invitation to his 15-year high school reunion. At this reunion, he meets his high-school sweetheart, Cathy (played by Anne Archer), now the divorced mother of a young son. They resume their past relationship and Cathy encourages Rick to take a job as a Porsche salesman, offered to him by another high-school classmate. Meanwhile, Rick must deal with Wendy (played by Kathleen Quinlan), a lonely teenage girl who has developed a crush on him.