Starring Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Mickey Rooney, and Beverly Adams
Directed by William Asher
Music and Lyrics by Guy Hermic, Jerry Styner, and Lynn Easton
Let's kick off summer with the last Beach Party movie I haven't reviewed yet. This is also the second-to-last in the series, and the last to feature Funicello, Frankie Avalon, and Buster Keaton. With families and older movie-goers staying home to watch TV, movies desperately tried to court this new breed known as the teenager. Teens had disposable income, and they wanted to get outside and away from their families. Turns out smaller companies who churned out B-movie fodder had a better feeling for teens than the big leagues. How does the story of a young man who is desperate to make sure his girlfriend is faithful tie into the usual lunacy with Harry Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck), his biker Rats, fun on the beach, and even a bit of magic? Let's begin at a Tahiti island, where Naval Reserve Frankie (Frankie Avalon) is enjoying the amorous advances of a local girl (Irene Tsu) and find out...
The Story: Frankie turns to island witch doctor Bwana (Buster Keaton) to conjure up something that'll allow him to make sure his girl Dee Dee (Funicello) is true to him while he's gone. Bwana's daughter (Elizabeth Montgomery) conjures up a gorgeous lady in an animal-print bikini who calls herself Cassandra (Adams).
It works too well. The girls are jealous. The boys are crazy about her. Advertising executive J. Peachmont "Peachy" Keane (Rooney) wants to make her his biker model. His partner Ricky (Hickman) is interested in Dee Dee, but she blows hot and cold with him. And then there's Harry Von Zipper and the Rats, who think their leader would be the perfect Boy Next Door to Cassandra's Girl Next Door. It all culminates in a big bike race to see who would really be the best model...and who Dee Dee really wants to be with.
The Song and Dance: I'm continually impressed with the music in these movies. There's actually fewer performance numbers with the Kingsmen and more songs that move the plot along, and they're woven in fairly well for what amounts to a spoof. Rooney jumps into his role as the ad man and his two big numbers with relish. (Not to mention, enjoys being around all those scantily-clad beach bunnies.) Keaton has some funny moments as the least-likely witch doctor in the history of film, while Lembeck's having a great time both in his normal leather-clad mode and shocking his group by turning up in a suit.
Favorite Number: The title song turns up twice, as the first number when the cast sings about what they hope will be a wild summer, and later in the film by vocal group The Kingsmen. "How About Us?" say the beach bunnies to Peachy after he announces his biker ad campaign. He's so smitten with Cassandra, he won't consider anyone else. Rooney and advertising head BD McPherson (Brian Donlevy) join their fellow ad men to sing about the importance of "Madison Avenue" in a corporate spoof that seems to have been dropped in from How to Succeed In Business Without Even Trying.
Von Zipper and the Rats get two numbers, with Zipper insisting he's "The Boy Next Door" and telling his group to "Follow the Leader," even if they have to wear suits. Funicello has a sweet solo, "Better Be Ready," at their hang-out. She and the girls talk about "The Perfect Boy" after she gets a letter from Frankie telling her how much he misses her.
Trivia: Avalon and Funicello had relatively limited roles because he was in the middle of filming another AIP Beach Party-style movie, Sergeant Deadhead, and she was pregnant. That's why she's covered up on the beach and constantly has popcorn or Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets in front of her.
The genuinely unique stop-motion opening credits were done by Art Clokey, of Gumby fame.
What I Don't Like: Once again, this is a goofy beach-bound satire with an old white silent comedian playing a witch doctor and a bikini suddenly appearing out of nowhere. You know what you're getting into. These are the kind of movies you'll either think are hilarious, or are really, really dumb. The story makes absolutely no sense, even by the standards of this series. This is also the only film in the series to dial down the "Party" aspect. The Kingsmen are the only group to appear, and they do two chorus numbers and two brief instrumentals. Funicello, who did not enjoy making this movie (she called it her least favorite Beach Party film), seems bored and lacks chemistry with an overeager and annoying Hickman.
The Big Finale: Most people call this the worst Beach Party movie...but truth be told, I think if you enjoy one, you'll probably like them all. Likewise, if you're not into one, you won't enjoy the others. I wouldn't start with this one, but it has enough of interest to be worth checking out for fans of the series.
Home Media: Easily found on streaming and on disc from Olive Films.
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