Starring Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Linda Evans, and Deborah Walley
Directed by William Asher
Music and Lyrics by various
When most people think of these films, this or Beach Party are probably the ones that come to mind. It's the third-to-last Beach Party film and the last to feature Avalon and Funicello together. By 1965, the Beatles had landed in American and the British Invasion was in full swing. Surf rock and dancing around on a beach was starting to look a little archaic...and yet, this is considered to be one of, if not the best movie in the entire batch. Is it worth jumping out of a plane for, or should it be left to the elements? Let's start at the beach, with all the kids watching a sky diving stunt by singing star Sugar Cane (Evans), and find out...
The Story: Sugar's manager Bullets (Paul Lynde) claims local surfer Frankie (Avalon) rescued her from the waves after her stunt. Local sky diver Bonnie (Walley) actually made the jump, but Bullets is using Cane to promote her newest album. Impressed with Bonnie's jump, Frankie lets her convince him and his buddies to take up sky diving. Bonnie uses him to make her boyfriend Steve (John Ashley) jealous, which convinces Frankie's girl Dee Dee (Funicello) to do a little skydiving, too. Meanwhile, the head of the local biker gang Erik Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) has a crush on Sugar Cane too, and Frankie's buddy Bonehead (Cody McCrea) falls hard for the beautiful mermaid Lorelai (Marta Kristen).
The Song and Dance: I'm continually surprised at how genuinely funny and inventive these movies are. No wonder they're so well-remembered fifty years after their release. TV hams Lynde and Rickles have a ball as the smarmy agent who is more interested in his client's album than her well-being and the blow-hard owner of the sky-diving company. Funicello is even better here; who knew she was the queen of deadpan sarcasm? And Buster Keaton not only has some great silent gags as a local fisherman, but I suspect his presence probably inspired the creative silent movie finale with the kids and bikers saving Sugar from a saw mill. The plot with Bonehead and the mermaid has a gentle sweetness to it that's also nicely handled.
And I really appreciate that the girls are treated a bit better here, too. The biker girls are the ones who save Sugar Cane in the end. Dee Dee skydives even after Frankie says he'd rather she stayed behind, and Steve is quick to point out that Bonnie's an excellent skydiver in her own right.
Favorite Number: We open with the rollicking title song over a lot of wind gyrating and beach party antics, including fun from Frankie and Dee Dee. The instrumentals "Cycle Set" and "Freeway" performed by the Hondells are terrific dance routines at the local hang-out. One of the girls (Donna Loren) admits "It Only Hurts When I Cry" in a tender ballad sung when the girls are lamenting their boys all falling for Sugar Cane. Frankie and Dee Dee know that "I Think That You Think" they're in love with each other during a walk on the beach near the end of the movie. Even the bikers get a number, the hilarious "Follow the Leader" when Zipper encourages them to show off their own singing chops at the pool hall and they all end up falling over him.
Trivia: Several scenes were cut, including a solo for Funicello, "I'll Never Change Him," that is occasionally seen in some TV and video prints.
Nancy Sinatra was originally tapped to play Sugar Cane, but dropped out because the kidnapping plot came too close to the infamous kidnapping of her brother Frank Sinatra Jr. several months before filming began. Elsa Lanchester was announced for the movie, but her role was cut.
What I Don't Like: Once again, this is a low budget teen comedy from the mid-60's. You know what you're getting into. Evans was dubbed, and there's very little of her later Falcon Crest ice queen in her portrayal of the silly bimbo singer. Carey appears out of nowhere and pretty much exists to provide a slam-bang silent movie spoof ending and give the bikers more to do.
The Big Finale: Same deal here. If you're looking for fluffy summertime fun and/or have fond memories of these from drive-in double features and late-night cable showings, you can do a lot worse than these wacky seaside shindigs. Highly recommended.
Home Media: This can easily be found in every format; it's often seen streaming for free.
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