Fancy Pants

Paramount, 1950

Starring Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Jack Kirkwood, and Lea Penman

Directed by George Marshall

Music by Jay Livingston; Lyrics by Ray Evans

Let's head back to the US for our next wild west tale. Ruggles of Red Gap was an even less-traditional take on westerns. The version most people are familiar with from 1935 features Charles Laughton as the butler who is won in a poker game by rich Americans and brought to America. This version pushes the accent even further on comedy, with Bob Hope as the butler and Lucille Ball as one of his newly wealthy employers. How well do they pull it off? Let's begin in England, 1850, where actor George Van Basingwell (Hugh French) wants to show off to a pair of visiting rich Americans, and find out...

The Story: George hopes to impress Effie Floud (Penman) and her tough daughter Agatha (Ball) by borrowing a mansion and having the cast of the drawing room comedy he's appearing pose as his aristocratic family. American actor Arthur Tyler (Hope) is so hopeless playing their butler that they fire him, but Effie is impressed and hires him on the spot to teach manners to Agatha and her husband Mike (Kirkwood). 

The rough and tumble western town where the Flouds live misunderstand Effie saying Arthur is a "gentleman's gentleman" and assume he's an Earl. He's really hopeless at being a butler and an aristocrat and stands out like a sore thumb among the tough cowboys and ranchers. Agatha and her suitor Carl Belknap (Bruce Cabot) make fun of him, but Agatha comes to admire him after he seems to hold his own in a bar fight. She manages to bring him back when none other than Teddy Roosevelt (John Alexander) comes to see this unusual newcomer. Arthur has to figure out how to get through a fox hunt and look aristocratic, before the whole country figures out what's going on.

The Song and Dance: Hope gets the lion's share of the gags as the actor who gets not one, but two roles of a lifetime playing an English butler and a rich Earl. He's especially hilarious in the second half, when he's telling tall tales to the locals about his non-existent adventures and tries his hardest to dodge that fox hunt. Ball has her moments as the vulgar daughter who is more at home out west in buckskins and playing pool than stuffed into a striped gown. The production is gorgeous, too, with terrific period gowns for the ladies and gorgeous color. 

Favorite Number: Hope kicks off with "I'm a Butler" as he admires his costume and shows what he's supposed to do for the (fictional) British family. Ball (dubbed by Annette Warren) sings "Hey Fancy Pants!" twice, once over the credits, and once later with Cabot and the cowboys as they make fun of Arthur's high-falutin' ways. "Home Cookin'" has Ball, Hope, Kirkwood, and the family's Chinese chef (Joe Wong) singing about their idea of a home-cooked meal as they make a feast for Teddy Roosevelt.

Trivia: This is not the first or last time Ruggles of Red Gap was made into a musical. A stage version goes back to when the original novel was published in 1915. It would be adapted on TV for Producer's Showcase in 1957 with Michael Redgrave as Ruggles. 

What I Don't Like: Though Ball and Hope would work together three more times after this, they really don't have a lot of chemistry here. Ball doesn't get a lot of chances to do the physical comedy that's her stock in trade, either. And frankly, it doesn't have much in common with the original film and book besides a British butler who is brought to the US by a wealthy western family. In the book and more faithful film and TV adaptations, Ruggles a shy older British butler whom Floud wins in a poker game. Instead of running out, he learns about American customs and eventually opens his own restaurant. Belknap is a snooty relative, not a cowboy, and there's no daughter. 

The Big Finale: Enjoyable enough time-waster if you're a big fan of Hope or Ball.

Home Media: Easily found in all formats.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Belle of the Yukon

International Pictures/RKO, 1944

Starring Randolph Scott, Dinah Shore, Gypsy Rose Lee, and Charles Winninger

Directed by William A. Seiter

Music and Lyrics by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke

We're ending the summer season beyond the Mississippi with two comic westerns. The presence of longtime western stalwart Randolph Scott makes this look like a typical oater, but the rest of the cast is more typical of a musical from this era. This would be one of the few film appearances of Gypsy Rose Lee, best known today as one of the most famous strippers in the world, and a rare film appearance by radio singer Dinah Shore in something other than a cameo. How does the unique story of a heist gone wrong during the Klondike Gold Rush look today? Let's start backstage with manager "Pop" Candless (Winninger) and his daughter Lettie (Shore) at Honest John's Saloon and find out...

The Story: Pop's goes to meet the saloon's newest attraction Belle De Valle (Lee). Also on the boat is Sam Slade (Bob Burns), who asks for Honest John himself. Honest John (Scott) was once Gentleman Jack, a gambler who just barely got out of Seattle before being arrested. He and Belle had a relationship, but they broke it off. John may claim to be an honest man, but he's really planning one last heist to get the gold dust out of the bank before his rival George (Robert Armstrong). Belle, however, finds out what's going on after he becomes the bank manager, and she's not about to let him put one over on the town.

Meanwhile, Lettie is in love with piano player Steve Atterbury (William Marshall). Pop doesn't think much of him, and he thinks even less when he receives a letter claiming Steve's married with children. Steve is kidnapped and dropped on a boat bound for Nome, but he still finds his way back to Lettie with more than one big surprise.

The Song and Dance: Even the opening spiel admits this is not your typical western or your typical musical. It comes off more as a Yukon-set heist caper with musical and romantic elements,and it's definitely unique in both genres. Scott gets a rare chance to stay in his natural cowboy element and still embrace comedy, and we get a rare chance to see what made the real Gypsy Rose Lee huge on the burlesque circuit. Winninger has a great time as the older man who wants in on the action...and for his daughter to be happy. There's some gorgeous Technicolor here, too, along with terrific costumes reflecting the real Yukon in 1899.

Favorite Number:  We don't get our first number until 10 minutes in, but it's Gypsy Rose Lee and the chorus in their gorgeous period gowns showing us how "Every Girl Is Different." We even get a lively solo from dancer Jane Hale as she joins the guys. Dinah Shore sings the other major numbers. She performs "I Can't Tell You Why I Love You" twice, with Marshall after he tells her he wrote it for her, and later onstage when she's heartbroken over him taking off. She also gets the hits "Like Someone In Love" and the Oscar-nominated "Sleigh Ride In July."

What I Don't Like: Saying the plot is flimsy is like saying the Gold Rush was a big deal in the Yukon. The plot barely makes sense, as a musical or a western. As the opening spiel points out, those who are looking for something more action-packed, darker, or more overtly musical need to go elsewhere. Shore and Marshall are basically there to sing and look pretty. Other than "Sleigh Ride In July," the songs are even flimsier than the script, and are basically there to give Shore and Lee more to do. 

The Big Finale: Worth seeing once for fans of the cast or 40's musicals or comic westerns.

Home Media: Easily found anywhere. It's currently on several free streaming sites, including Tubi.

DVD

Tubi

Family Fun Saturday - Stand Up and Cheer!

Fox Film Corporation, 1934

Starring Warner Baxter, Madge Evans, James Dunn, and Shirley Temple

Directed by Hamilton MacFadden

Music and Lyrics by various

Shirley Temple had mainly appeared in shorts and in bit parts in larger movies before she joined the cast of this all-star blue-chaser. The Depression was starting to look a little more bearable, thanks to Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" and other programs created to help those who were struggling. Musicals, too, made a comeback as backstage stories now were about more than putting on a show. They were first and foremost a way to lift spirits during the darkest times. This started life as Fox's attempt to revive its Fox Follies from 1929. By 1934, it had evolved into something more than mere "follies." How does this attempt at mixing politics and putting on a show look today? Let's star with the president deciding the US needs a "Department of Amusement" and find out...

The Story: The President appoints producer Lawrence Cromwell (Baxter) as the Secretary of Amusement. He puts lovely Mary Adams (Evans) in charge of the children's division, then tries to find what would most lift people's spirits. Many people are out of work or are scrambling for work, including janitor George Bernard Shaw (Stepin Fetchit) and vaudevillian Jimmy Dugan (Dunn) and his beloved daughter Shirley (Temple). There's also a cabinet of financiers and bankers who are profiting off the recent malaise and would prefer people's spirits not be lifted. It's Mary who encourages him when the backers start breathing down his neck and insists he doesn't let the Depression - or anything else - get him down.

The Song and Dance: And with a story that flimsy, song and dance are the operative words here. Temple made her debut for most film goers here, and even in her few brief scenes, you can see the charm and talent that made audiences (and Fox) adore her. She has a nice speech with Evans when she asks her about her father, and in addition to her big "Baby Take a Bow" number, she can be seen leading the women drummers in the finale. It's also one of the few musicals of the time to tackle the Depression almost literally head-on and even make it part of the plot.

Favorite Number: "I'm Laughing" gives us a montage of working people, from worker Dick Foran to blackface singer "Aunt Jemima" (Tess Gardella), cops in the rain and overworked women in factories, all trying to be cheerful despite their difficult situations. James Dunn sings with the chorus girls on the more traditional "Baby Take a Bow"...at least until Temple comes out in her iconic polka-dot dress. Her tap is professional-level for a six year old, and she basically steals the show.

"Broadway's Gone Hillbilly" is a truly bizarre routine that has the chorus girls in farm overalls and straw hats as giant farmer's daughters climbing around in a New York skyline. Tenor John Boles, joined by Syliva Froos, perform the ballad "This Is Our Last Night Together" as a ship's captain on his way to sea. Mary watches them, and can't help wishing her relationship would be that romantic. Every group we've seen (including Dunn and Temple) come together to celebrate the end of the Depression as they declare that "We're Out of the Red" and back on their way to prosperity. 

Trivia: Will Rogers partly wrote the film and was going to star in it, but dropped out. 

Temple's number was the one she'd done at her audition for Fox. The studio thought it would be easier for her if she did something she knew, instead of a new one, so she taught it to Dunn.

What I Don't Like: The plot is ridiculous bordering on annoyingly naive. While the Depression was a bit better than it had been even a year or two before, it would continue in the US in one form or another through the late 30's. On one hand, while I appreciate them including African-Americans among the workers, their depictions are stereotypical at best...and having Fetchit, who was notorious for playing stereotyped lazy characters, and blackface actress Gardella in the cast doesn't help at all. In fact, it used to be worse. Apparently, a good 10 minutes of the movie, including a number for Fetchit and hillbilly John "Skins" Miller, was cut sometime in the 1980's. Some sequences have been restored (I saw Fetchit watching a penguin gobbling up prize fish on my copy), but not all of them. 

The Big Finale: Only for the most ardent Temple fans. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Kid Millions

Samuel Goldwyn Productions/United Artists, 1934

Starring Eddie Cantor, Ethel Merman, Ann Southern, and Warren Hymer

Directed by Roy Del Ruth

Music and Lyrics by various

Cantor's vehicles became an annual event for moviegoers in the early 30's. Every year in November or December, they could count on seeing Cantor clowning and dodging the advances of a crusty comedienne,  doing a blackface routine or two while Busby Berkeley created incredible chorus routines around half-naked Goldwyn Girls. Berkeley moved to Warners after the success of 42nd Street in 1933. The Production Code went into effect earlier in 1934, and among the things it forbid was scanty costumes. 

Goldwyn had to find other diversions to pair with Cantor. He came up with a new Broadway comedienne who had just made a splash two years before and an improved three-strip Technicolor process. How does all this reflect on the story of a young man who is literally chased to Egypt and back to get a fortune? Let's begin as singer Dot Clark (Merman) learns about the death of her ex-boyfriend Professor Edward Wilson (Cantor) at the shop where she works and find out...

The Story: Professor Wilson wanted his son Eddie (Cantor) to inherit the 77 million dollar fortune he found in the pyramids of Egypt. Eddie lives with his abusive adoptive father (Jack Kennedy) and stepbrothers on a leaky barge in Brooklyn, watching over the children who also live there. He only agrees to go so he can marry his girl Toots (Nora Davenport). 

Turns out, he's not the only one who thinks he deserves a cut of that cash. Dot and her current boyfriend Louie (Warren Hymer) claim to be Eddie's mother and uncle and try to kill him. Colonel Harrison Larrabee (Berton Churchill) says his company financed Wilson's explorations and should get a cut, too. Wilson's assistant Jerry Lane (George Murphy) just wants to marry Larrabee's niece Joan (Sothern), but she's angry when he tells her the money belongs to Eddie. And then after Eddie inadvertently rescues the daughter (Eve Sully) of a shiek (Paul Harvey), it turns out the money really belongs to his ancestors, and he intends to kill the son of the man who stole it!

The Song and Dance: Cantor gets a better supporting cast and a terrific production backing him this time. He and Merman are hilarious together, especially on the ship when she plays leapfrog and tickles him in order to get him to sign over the money. Sothern and Murphy have slightly more to do than usual for the young lovers in Cantor's films. Hymer's hilarious as the gangster who just wants to bump Eddie off and get the dough, and Harvey is a riot as the shiek whose sense of humor overrides the fact that he actually thinks Eddie is a nice guy. The finale in the ice cream factory of Eddie's dream is gorgeous Technicolor in shades of sherbet and candy straight out of banana splits. 

Favorite Number: We open right with Merman performing "An Earful of Music" at a song sheet store, backed by a chorus of Goldwyn Girls. Cantor sings "When My Ship Comes In" for the kids on the barge, promising them a better life with free ice cream and no spinach. The Nicholas Brothers and Goldwyn Girls give us a huge minstrel show on the barge, singing "I Want to Be a Minstrel Man." Blackface-clad Eddie gets Irving Berlin's hit "Mandy," while Murphy woos Sothern in massive hoop skirts with "Your Head On My Shoulder." 

The Goldwyn Girls amuse Cantor, Harvey, and the sheik's audience with "The Harem Dance." Cantor sings "Ok, Toots" to explain why he's devoted to his girl. The movie ends in blazing Technicolor with "The Ice Cream Fantasy," as the Girls mix the flavors in Eddie's massive streamline factory and the kids wait impatiently to get in.

Trivia: The music for "I Want to Be a Minstrel Man" would be reused as "You're All the World to Me" in the 1951 MGM film Royal Wedding. 

Look for Lucille Ball among the Minstrel Show Goldwyn Girls. 

Cantor originally introduced "Mandy" in The Ziegfeld Follies of 1919. 

What I Don't Like: This may be the strangest Cantor movie yet. Nothing makes the tiniest bit of sense, including the Egyptian setting. The second half is awash in the goofiest Middle Eastern stereotypes I've ever seen, and there's Eddie's blackface during the "Mandy" minstrel number, too. The lavish ice cream number is nifty to look at to this day, but the choreography misses Berkeley's creative and outrageous touch. 

The Big Finale: Strange as the plot is, Cantor's antics and the nice supporting cast makes this one of his better vehicles. Highly recommended if you're a fan of him or the wacky comic musicals of the 30's and 40's. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD from the Warner Archives and on streaming. Like many Goldwyn offerings, it's currently free with commercials at Tubi. 

DVD

Tubi

Palmy Days

Samuel Goldwyn/United Artists, 1931

Starring Eddie Cantor, Charlotte Greenwood, Barbara Weeks, and Charles Middleton

Directed by A. Edward Sutherland

Music and Lyrics by various

Eddie Cantor was on top of the world after the film version of his Broadway vehicle Whoopee! ended up as the biggest hit of 1930. Producer Samuel Goldwyn immediately put him and director Busby Berkeley into more of the same. Gigantic Art Deco sets replace the Technicolor, but the Goldwyn Girls are still being put through their overhead paces, and Cantor has another hard-nose comedienne to play off of, down-to-earth Charlotte Greenwood. How does his first original starring role on film look today? Let's start, not with Cantor, but with the Goldwyn Girls making cakes and donuts at that massive streamline bakery and find out...

The Story: Eddie Simpson (Cantor) is the assistant for phony psychic Yolondo (Middleton), until he realizes Yolondo is tricking people like gym coach Helen Martin (Greenwood) out of their life savings. He turns on Yolondo and flees, passing himself off as an efficiency expert at the bakery. He tells the owner Mr. Clark that he needs more entertainment to lure in customers, and that he wants his pretty daughter Joan (Weeks) as his secretary. He thinks he's fallen for Joan, but she's in love with Steve (Paul Page). When Yolondo and his men try to make off with the bakery's payroll, it's up to Eddie and Helen to stop them and save the day!

The Song and Dance: Cantor and Greenwood may seem to be a strange fit on paper, but they make a rather charming couple. Her crusty demeanor contrasts nicely with his motor mouth and nervous tics. Goldwyn, as usual, spared no expense on this one. We have the biggest Art Deco bakery in Hollywood, gorgeous gowns for the ladies, and cinematographer Gregg Toland helping out Berkeley with some terrific overhead shots in his numbers. Berkeley continues to show what made him a legend with his two surreal numbers here. Middleton, best known for playing Ming the Merciless in the Flash Gordon serials, makes a great exotic heavy, too. 

Favorite Number: The first number takes the Goldwyn Girls from the bakery to the gym as Charlotte Greenwood encourages them to "Bend Down Sister." They certainly do that as Greenwood leads them through calisthenics. Berkeley takes over after the switch to using sticks, slowing them down as their hands wave, filming them overhead and in an S formation. Cantor prances to "There's Nothing Too Good for My Baby" in blackface at the bakery show. 

The big hit here was "My Baby Said Yes, Yes." Surprisingly for one of Cantor's movies, it starts off as a plot number, with Cantor excitedly admitting to Joan that he loves her. The Goldwyn Girls take over mid-way through the song, holding up circle boxes as they make box formations. 

Trivia: Look for George Raft in one of his earliest films as Yolondo's goon Joe. 

What I Don't Like: Cantor's brand of manic comedy is an acquired taste for many audiences today. I think he still has his moments, but others find him to be too annoying or fussy. The songs besides "Yes Yes" aren't that memorable, no matter how many overhead shorts Berkeley gives them. The story is even goofier than Whoopee! and makes even less sense. (Though at least this avoids the stereotypes that mar that film.) Weeks is charming enough as sensible Joan, but Page is so colorless as the guy she really loves, he's barely in the movie. 

The Big Finale: If you like Cantor or Greenwood or want to see some of Berkeley's early work, say "yes, yes" to this wild comedy. 

Home Media: Easy to find on DVD and streaming; the former is from the Warner Archives. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Family Fun Saturday - Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird

Warner Bros, 1985

Starring Carol Spinney, Jim Henson, Joe Flahtery, and Dave Thomas

Directed by Ken Kwapis

Music and Lyrics by various

Sesame Street began in 1969 as a way to use television to teach basic concepts to children. Thanks to the creative, fast-cutting sketches and the endearing Muppet and human characters teaching toddlers basic concepts, it became one of the first hits for the then-brand new Public Broadcasting System. By the early 80's, it was so popular, Jim Henson and Children's Television Worship turned it into the fourth Muppets film. How does Big Bird and the residents of Sesame Street look in this kid-oriented road trip? Let's begin, not on Sesame Street, but first with Oscar the Grouch and his "Grouch Anthem," and then with the Feathered Friends Board of Birds, and find out...

The Story: The Feathered Friends are charged with finding stray birds good homes. For some reason, gruff Miss Finch (Sally Kellerman) believes Big Bird (Spinney) should be with other birds. She encourages him to leave Sesame Street to live with the Dodo family in Ocean View, Illinois. This proves to be ill-advised all around. Big Bird doesn't fit in with the silly, unimaginative Dodos, who don't approve of him having non-bird friends. When they won't let Big Bird's best friend Mr. Snuffleupagus (Martin P. Robinson) visit because he isn't a bird, Big Bird runs away. 

When the word reaches Sesame Street, many of Big Bird's friends grab a car or plane and go after him. They're not the only ones who want him. Con-men carnival barkers Sid (Flahtery) and Sam Sleaze (Thomas) think Big Bird would be the perfect attraction for their low-rent carnival. After they trap Big Bird, it's up to two kids to reach the others and get them to rescue him.

The Song and Dance: I've loved this movie since it ran on cable a lot in the mid-80's. The movie is just as charming and witty as the earlier Henson films featuring the Muppet Show cast. There's a lot of creative puppetry here, including Bert (Frank Oz) and Ernie (Henson) in their bi-plane and the hilarious scene with Maria (Sonia Manzano) and Oscar (Spinney) starting a food fight at the Grouch diner the Don't Drop Inn. Along with Flahtery and Thomas as the hilariously obnoxious con-men, look for cameos by Chevy Chase, John Candy, Sandra Bernhard, Paul Bartel, country singer Waylon Jennings, and later voice actress Alyson Court as one of the kids in the farm sequence.

Favorite Number: We open with Oscar the Grouch leading us in "The Grouch Anthem." The whole number is ridiculously random and is never referred to again, but it's so funny, it's hard to complain. The title song from the TV show introduces the expanded Sesame Street set, as Big Bird skates by, greeting all his friends. Turkey truck driver Jennings reminds Big Bird that there "Ain't No Road Too Long" as he and the Sesame Street residents sing about getting where they want to go in the film's best number. 

"One Little Star" becomes a touching trio for Big Bird, Olivia, and Snuffy as each wish they were together. Big Bird and the two farm kids Floyd (Benjamin Barrett) and Ruthie (Court) go about their chores on an "Easy Goin' Day." Bert spies Big Bird while they're in the plane, but Ernie would rather do tricks and sing about how it's an "Upside-Down World" while scaring Big Bird silly. "I'm So Blue" is Big Bird's sad ballad at the carnival when he's an exhibition and thinks he'll never get home. It's so heartbreaking, even Sid Sleaze bawls. 

Trivia: The film was actually made in Canada to save money, including the expanded Sesame Street set. 

When filming the "Upside-Down World" number, Jim Henson and Frank Oz were actually in an airplane 18 feet off the ground.

Jim Henson and Richard Hunt's last theatrical Muppet film.

When the Count is counting credits in the end, he says "Hi Mom." He's referring to Joan Ganz Cooney, the creator of Sesame Street and the then-head of Children's Television Workshop. 

This was a minor flop in the summer of 1985. Competition included Back to the Future, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Weird Science, and The Black Cauldron. 

What I Don't Like: I'm not sure how kids today would feel about this one. Yeah, Big Bird is still around, but Elmo is only seen very briefly leaning out a window in the finale, and obviously, it lacks newer characters like Rosita and Abby Cadabba. Miss Finch not only seems silly, chasing Big Bird across the country, but her change of heart in the end is too abrupt to be believable. This has a very odd feel to it. It's really more like the Muppet films that preceded it than the show it's based on. I think that works with it being a film, but those expecting it to be more like the non-linear show may be a bit surprised. There's also a few sad or scary moments that you may need to hold your toddler's hand for and explain that it'll all come out fine in the end.

The Big Finale: I've loved this movie since I first saw it on cable as a kid. If your little ones don't mind the lack of newer characters and can handle some of the darker moments, they may enjoy it just as much as I did in the 80's. 

Home Media: Easy to find anywhere. Several streaming services currently have it for free with ads, including Tubi.

DVD

Tubi

Thunder Alley (1967)

American International Pictures, 1967

Starring Fabian, Annette Funicello, Diane McBain, and Jan Murray

Directed by Richard Rush

Music and Lyrics by various

American International made one last stab at a car racing teen musical in 1967 before moving on to biker movies and psychedelic freak-outs for the hippies. This time, they dropped Avalon, but retained Funicello and Fabian and added TV favorites Jan Murray and Maureen Arthur. Instead of a melodrama involving moonshiners, we have a stock car racer turned stunt driver who trains another man to become a racer...and falls for his girlfriend in the process. How does all this look today? Let's begin on the track with up-and-coming racer Tommy Callahan (Fabian) and find out...

The Story: Tommy has been having mysterious blackouts...and one caused the death of another driver in an accident during a race. After being suspended, Tommy turns to Pete Madsen (Murray) and his "Thrill Circus" stunt show for employment. He's impressed with the Masden's tough daughter Francie (Funicello), but not with his job. He finally teaches Francie's driver boyfriend Eddie (Warren Berlinger) to be a professional driver. Francie's impressed. So is Tommy's older girlfriend Annie (McBain), who decides Eddie's now the guy for her. Even when Tommy does manage to get back on track, he's still worried about his blackouts...but it's Francie who helps him realize where those blackouts are coming from...

The Song and Dance: This wound up being a bit of a surprise. Not only does Funicello have more to do here, but she puts in what may be her best performance as the tough female racer who knows her way around a car and a man. McBain also does well as the older woman for whom security comes first and love a distant second, Fabian's not bad as the troubled racer, and Murray has some funny moments as Francie's smooth-talking impresario father. Director Richard Rush knows his way around stunts and cars - he would go on to do the classic action comedy The Stunt Man in 1980 - and has some very excitingly composed racing sequences, especially in the big race towards the end.

Favorite Number: Funicello performs "When You Get What You Want" at the big party mid-way through the film. We also get some wilder-than-usual dancing to "Riot In Thunder Alley" performed by Eddie Beram. The Band Without a Name sings the title song over the credits and does "Time After Time (I Keep Lovin' You)."  Among the background instrumentals for the dancers performed by The Sidewalk Sounds (actually Davie Allan and the Arrows) are "Pete's Orgy" and "Calahan's March." 

Trivia: Fabian's car is a 1967 Dodge Thunder Charger built by custom car creator George Harris.

Annette Funicello's last movie for American International.

What I Don't Like: While the script is a bit better than the one in Fireball 500, it's still a standard racing melodrama. It's so cliched, it almost plays as a spoof. No wonder Funicello wanted out. It's also obvious that the washed-out stock car footage was filmed well before the rest of the movie. Despite Rush's skill, it's still pretty badly integrated. Warren Berlinger is stiff as a board and just as dull. I have no clue why either woman would go for him, or why Tommy thought he'd be a great racer. 

The Big Finale: I can actually understand why this went on to inspire a generation of car-crazy drive-in movie fans, including Quentin Tarantino. While no masterpiece, it's still a lot of fun, with a career-best performance by its leading lady and some decent stunts. Recommended for fans of the leads or vintage racing.

Home Media: Alas, same deal as with Fireball 500.  Disc only at press time, and they're expensive. You're better off checking eBay or other used venues. 

DVD - Midnite Movies Double Feature: Fireball 500 & Thunder Alley

DVD - Frankie & Annette MGM Movie Legends Collection

Fireball 500

American International Pictures, 1966

Starring Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Annette Funicello, and Harvey Lembeck

Directed by William Asher

Music by Guy Hemric; Lyrics by Jerry Styner

When the Beach Party movies started to fall out of favor around 1966, American International scrambled to find other teen fads to showcase Avalon and Funicello. We saw them shoehorn drag racing into Bikini Beach about a year ago, but here, stock car racing takes front and center. That's not the only thing that's different here, as AIP tried switching things around and making this more of a drama with songs. Does it work, or should this be left on the track? Let's begin with a comic claymation prologue discussing the history of the wheel and our main characters and find out...

The Story: Dave Owens (Avalon) competes in a major race in South Carolina against local favorite Sonny Leander Fox (Fabian) and wins. He impresses many of the fans, including wealthy local girl Martha Brian (Julie Parrish) and Leander's sweetheart Jane Harris (Funicello). Martha convinces Dave to take part in a "cross country race." 

To Dave's shock, it's actually running moonshine. Even Leander, who has his own moonshine business, despite challenging him to another race. Everyone's impressed with how well Dave does, until he catches wise when the IRS tells him to help break up the ring or land in jail. After one of the runners dies during a delivery, Leander and Dave team up to find out who is behind the moonshine ring and wants both of them off the track for good. 

The Song and Dance: This gets points for a story that's slightly more involved and a lot more dramatic than the Beach Party films. Avalon even gets a decent bare-knuckled fight with Lembeck as Charlie Briggs, Martha's partner in crime. In fact, it's kind of nice to see Lembeck stretch himself a little playing someone a lot meaner than even Harry Von Zipper. It almost comes off as a dramatic, teen-oriented version of Smokey and the Bandit from a decade later. In fact, the stock car footage is exceptionally well-edited, and this actually looks pretty good for low-budget drive-in fodder from the mid-60's. It even had location shooting in South Carolina and real stock car tracks in South Carolina and California. 

Favorite Number: We open and close with the catchy, optimistic title song that eagerly describes Dave's pride and joy. "Step Right Up" is Jane helping her dad Big Jaw Harris (Chill Willis) round up customers for their girlie show. We even get a routine from the girls in skimpy harem-type costumes. Dave sings "My Way" at the carnival dance as he more-or-less tells everyone how he does things. "Country Carnival" is the instrumental number for The Don Randi Trio Plus One at the carnival. Dave also sings "A Chance Like That," and Parrish joins him for "Turn Around" as they drive off into the sunset in the finale.

Trivia: The Fireball 500 was a heavily customized 1966 Plymouth Barracuda.

Art Clokey of Gumby fame did the Claymation opening sequence.

What I Don't Like: Almost everyone is totally at sea here. Heavy dramatics were never Funicello or Avalon's forte. Fabian actually comes off a bit better as the slightly smarmy local champ, and Willis is a hoot as Jane's carnival barker father. Parrish is bland and stiff as the only older woman who actually manages to get Avalon in the end. I have no idea why they even end up together. Avalon has more chemistry with Funicello and even Fabian than with her. This isn't much of a musical, either, and the songs are mostly unmemorable. The opening Claymation history prologue is cute and well-animated, but comes off as too goofy and whimsical for the dramatic film that follows. 

The Big Finale: Mainly for major fans of vintage stock car racing or the three leads. Everyone else is probably fine back in California with the Beach Party films. 

Home Media: Only available as part of a flipper-disc set with the later Thunder Alley and a collection of all the Frankie/Annette movies, and they're both out of print and ridiculously expensive. Don't try YouTube, either. Most of the copies online have out-of-sync sound during the second half. You're better off looking around for these used. 

DVD - Midnite Movies Double Feature: Fireball 500 & Thunder Alley

DVD - Frankie and Annette MGM Movie Legends Collection

Musicals on TV - People: A Musical Celebration

Lightyear Entertainment/The Disney Channel, 1995

Voices of Hume Cronyn, Sasha Gronim, James Earl Jones, and Dai Dai Ming

Directed by Aleksey Alekseev, Vladen Barbe, and Joshua M. Greene

Music and Lyrics by various

Sometimes, I run across a musical even I never heard of. Such is the case of our next review. I was wandering around Tubi when I stumbled across this animated special. Based after a picture book that's been in print since the 1980's, this celebration of the many cultures around the world shows us why diversity and celebrating our differences is so important. How does it look today, when diversity is even more important than ever? Let's begin with Cara (Gronim) as she travels to New York on a crowded subway to visit her grandfather (Cronyn) and find out...

The Story: Still smarting from her parents' acrimonious divorce, Cara wishes everyone was the same. That way, no one would fight. Her grandfather takes her on a walk around his multicultural Manhattan neighborhood, encountering everyone from a Tibetan candle seller (Ming) to an African flower merchant (Ophelia Essen). As they explore the city, Cara and her father meet many different people and learn about their cultures and lifestyles. Cara finally realizes how important diversity is when she loses her father during a rainstorm and has a harrowing dream about a world where everyone is the same...

The Animation: The song segments are more-or-less music videos with their own distinct styles. The opening is gorgeous soft pencil artwork reminiscent of the classic Christmas special The Snowman. Two sequences, including Cara's nightmare, are stop-motion clay animation that looks like Gumby meets George Orwell. The African Storyteller's (Jones) sequence is startlingly realistic black and white pencil art depicting a war between animals in such violent terms, it frightens Cara. It almost looks like a black-and-white version of the adult animated films Ralph Bakshi did in the 70's and 80's. 

The Song and Dance: A sweet and charming special with a very important message. Cronyn is warm and lovable as the much-traveled grandfather who teaches his granddaughter a lesson about diversity and why it's good to be different. Gronim is equally good as lively Cara. James Earl Jones' warm rumbling tones give a lift to the dark African animal war story sequence. 

Favorite Number: We open with that stunning colored pencils sequence, the softly shaded description of the "Children of the World" depicting people from Neanderthals to New York. "The Body Song" is our first Claymation sequence, celebrating every body and skin type around the world. "Welcome to Our World" is the flower seller's story of growing up in Africa and the culture and rituals that she remembers from her childhood done as a somewhat bolder colored pencil sequence. Cara may not think much of the fried bugs and fruit at the Middle Eastern market, but the fruit seller considers it to be a "Garden of Delight." 

"The Playing Field" is another lovely colored pencils sequence, this time depicting diversity in athletics and the importance of working as a team. Cara thinks if kids ruled the world "Under the Same Sun" they wouldn't fight at all in an adorable number done with artwork made to look like children's drawings. "Believing" follows up the intense animal war with a soothing power ballad revolving around religions of the world and humanity's need for faith and healing. 

The instrumental "Festival Brasilera" is the big, brilliant parade Cara and her grandfather encounter on their way home. They join in the neon celebration as people around the world celebrate what makes everyone special. The film ends as Grandfather puts Cara to sleep...and children around the world and all over New York do the same...to "How Wonderful We Are."

What I Don't Like: First of all, plot is not this special's strong suit. It's mostly about the music, animation, and the diversity message. Cara and her grandfather weren't even in the original book. Some of the special can get pretty dark, too. There's the African storyteller sequence with the incredibly violent and realistically animated animal war and Cara's terrifying Orwellian nightmare of a world where everyone is the same. These scenes upset Cara and may do the same to sensitive children. 

The Big Finale: I'm glad I found this. The special's message of diversity and cultural heritage may be even more relevant now than it was in 1995. Show this to your older elementary schooler or pre-teen if you want to give them a good lesson on just how important our differences are. 

Home Media: To my knowledge, this is streaming only at the moment. Tubi currently has it for free.

Tubi

The Girl Can't Help It

20th Century Fox, 1956

Starring Tom Ewell, Jayne Mansfield, Edmond O'Brian, and Henry Jones

Directed by Frank Tashlin

Music and Lyrics by various

Most of the rock musicals made during the genre's first flush of popularity in the mid-late 50's were even cheaper affairs than Rock Around the Clock. They were mainly low-budget affairs that featured great rock acts and dancing and little else. By 1956, rock was popular enough for the major studios to want to take a chance on it. 

Fox originally wanted to focus on their newest blonde discovery Jayne Mansfield. The music was supposed to be a minor subplot, but thanks to Tashlin's skill and the wacky script, it ended up being a celebration of both the music and Mansfield's oddly innocent charms. How does this story of a former gangster who wants to push his girlfriend into the rock spotlight look today? Let's begin with Ewell as he explains how movies and music are changing in the 1950's and find out...

The Story: Former "slot machine king" Marty "Fats" Murdock (O'Brian) hires drunken press agent Tom Miller to promote his current girlfriend Georgianna "Jeri" Jordan (Mansfield) into a singing star. Tom takes her to the top clubs and has her parade in front of the managers to get their attention. It works like gangbusters and gets her noticed. Trouble is, it turns out that not only does Jeri have no desire for a career, but her singing is so bad, she can shatter glass. 

Tom tries to convince Fats to call it off, but he has another idea. He digs out a song he wrote in prison, "Rock Around the Rock Pile," and has Ray Anthony and His Orchestra record it with Jeri as the prison siren. Tom tries to sell it to Mr. Wheeler (John Emery), the leading manufacturer of jukeboxes. Wheeler throws him out. Turns out he was Murdock's rival in slot machines in the 30's. Murdock is starting to be suspicious of Jeri and Tom's relationship, too, but his assistant Mousie (Jones) convinces him that it's strictly business. 

Murdock destroys Wheeler's jukeboxes and replaces them with his own. It's a big enough hit to have a show built around it...but Murdock may not live to enjoy it. Tom finally sobers up long enough to make sure his boss lives to enjoy the show and realizes that Jeri isn't the one who wants a career.

The Song and Dance: Tashlin, a former animator at Warner Bros and MGM, was definitely the right man to helm this movie. It's more-or-less a live-action cartoon, with Mansfield wiggling all over the place, O'Brian shouting and jumping around, and Tom so drunk, he hallucinates his former client and lover Julie London singing "Cry Me a River." The rock bands here are among the top from the early rock era, and Tashlin makes sure to film them in a way that captures their rebellious, anarchic spirit. From the sexually suggestive jokes (check out Mansfield holding the milk bottles in front of her chest) to the stunning use of DeLuxe Color with all the red gowns and plaid suits practically leaping off the screen, this movie captures the early rock scene in a way even the cheaper B-films couldn't manage.

Favorite Number: The movie puts its literal best foot forward early as dancers whirl to Little Richard performing the title number over the credits. Nino Tempo gets into his own "Tempo's Tempo" during the opening sequence with Tom and the guy he's trying to sell his current group to. Johnny Olenn has two ballads, "My Idea of Love" and "I Ain't Gonna Cry No More." Little Richard burns up the stage at the first venue Tom takes Jeri to with "Ready Teddy" and "She's Got It," the latter coming off as a commentary Mansfield's combustible sex appeal. Eddie Fontaine douses the heat with "Cool It Baby," while the Three Chuckles claim to be a "Cinnamon Sinner." Abbey London gives us a gorgeous gospel song amid the rock in a flaming gown, inviting everyone to "Spread the Word."

"Cry Me a River" is done as a stand-alone sequence, with Julie London dressed in an array of stunning gowns as heavily sloshed Tom imagines her everywhere in his apartment. With the minimal but effective filming, it pretty much amounts to the first music video on film. Vincent and his Blue Caps really get into their major hit "Be-Bop-A-Lula" at the rehearsal hall. Eddie Cochran's strong performance of his hit "Twenty Flight Rock" is what inspires Murdock to break out his "Rock Around the Rock Pile." 

"Rock Pile" is supposed to be a parody of "Rock Around the Clock," but it's actually pretty good in its own right. Ray Anthony and his band give it a strong run-through the first time around. Murdock joins them for a reprise in the finale and really gets into it, dancing around and having a ball. The Treniers remind everyone that "Rockin' Is Our Business" at the rehearsal. Anthony and His Orchestra also get the slightly more traditional "Big Band Boogie." Fats Domino has a great time with one of his biggest hits "Blue Monday," while the Platters give us the ballad "You'll Never, Ever Know." Jeri is supposed to prove she can sing with "Every Time It Happens" in the finale, but ironically, she was dubbed by Eileen Wilson.

Trivia: Elvis was invited to appear in this movie, but his boss Colonel Tom Parker wanted too much money. 

This movie and its performers were major influences on a generation of rock fans, notably Paul McCartney and John Lennon. McCartney performed "Twenty Flight Rock" just as Cochran did it in the film to join Lennon's early group "The Quarrymen," and they tried to sneak into the movie together wearing false mustaches.

Julie London would marry Bobby Troup, who wrote the score and the song "Rock Around the Rock Pile," in 1959.

What I Don't Like: Once again, this is very much a movie of its time. If you aren't a fan of early rock or Tashlin's nutty style, this won't be your bottle of bourbon. Ewell is rather bland compared to all the nuttiness around him and comes off especially dull next to sexually charged Mansfield. And some gags, like Miller defending himself when he ends up in Jeri's pajamas and Murdock catches them, go on for way, way too long. All the nostalgia for the 30's Murdock slings around does seem a little odd in a movie celebrating the 50's, too. 

The Big Finale: If you want an idea of what early rock was all about, this and Rock Around the Clock are probably your best bets. Also recommended for fans of Mansfield and the wacky rock musicals of the 50's and 60's. 

Home Media: Disc only at this writing; was released as part of the Criterion Collection last year.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Rock Around the Clock

Columbia, 1954

Starring Johnny Johnston, Lisa Johns, Alix Talton, and Alan Freed

Directed by Fred F. Sears

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we're jumping back a decade to investigate the early years of rock and roll. Rock began with rhythm and blues in the southern US around 1945. It moved slowly north as many black musicians migrated to the big cities. Freed, a disc jockey and promoter, played this jumpy and brassy new sound for white and black teenagers, helping to break down racial barriers in pop music. He also arranged live concerts for black and white audiences. 

Thanks to heavy promotion by Freed and others, this new music had caught on enough that the song "Rock Around the Clock" was a sensation when used over the credits of the 1955 high school drama The Blackboard Jungle. The song's success helped to bring rock into the mainstream and made its originators Bill Haley & the Comets into a household word. This movie was a response to that success and was a way for Freed to promote some of his other acts to the general public. How does the fictional story of the Comets' rise to fame look today? Let's begin with big band orchestra manager Steve Hollis (Johnston) as he witnesses the end of the Big Band era and find out...

The Story: Hollis quits his job with a major big band orchestra when he sees it's not drawing the customers anymore. His musician buddy Corny LaSalle (Henry Slate) joins him out of frustration. They're on their way to New York when they see a small-town dance hall drawing hordes of teenagers. They're swinging like mad to the music of Bill Haley and His Comets (themselves). Hollis is impressed with their music and the moves of Lisa Johns (Gaye) and her brother Jimmy (Earl Barton) and offers to find them better venues.

Corinne Talbot (Talton) owns most of the major nightclubs and dance venues where the Comets can make their names. Corinne is more interested in getting Hollis to marry her. She sends the Comets to play at an ultra-conservative girls' school. That backfires when the girls and even some of the teachers end up loving their bright new sound. When she simply bans them from playing, Hollis calls in disc jockey Alan Freed (himself) to play at his venue. The response is so enthusiastic, they create a rock revue around the Comets and Freed's other acts. Corinne, however, still has one more trick up her satin sleeve...

The Song and Dance: And it's the song and dance that carry things here, along with a story that's played more for drama than the comic Beach Party movies. One thing I really like is how the movie treats its female characters. While her schemes ultimately don't amount to much, Corinne is a pretty tough cookie, maybe more than some of the guys. Lisa may be young, but she's no pushover, either. She's the one who ultimately thinks of the way around Corinne's attempts to control them in the end. 

I also love seeing Freed's pioneering integration of black and white rock acts together carrying over here. The Platters share the stage with the Comets and Martinez and his band with no complaints or comments. Johnston does far better as a manager looking for a new sound than he did as a love interest for Esther Williams in her vehicle This Time for Keeps. 

Favorite Number: Our first real number isn't until nearly 10 minutes in, but it's the teens of Strawberry Springs going to town with the title song at the dance. They also get down to a signature early rock hit, "See You Later Alligator," while Lisa and Jimmy show their stuff to "Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie." Martinez and his band give us the spicy Latin side of rock at Corinne's club with "Curero," "Mambo Capri," and "Solo Y Triste (Sad and Lonely)." The Comets take over the girl's school prom with their "Razzle Dazzle," while vocal group Freddie Bell and the Bellboys "Teach You How to Rock" and Martinez returns with "Bacalao Con Papa (Codfish and Potatoes)." 

The Platters give us the classier side of rock with one of their biggest hits, the gorgeous ballad "Only You." Haley auditions for Freed with the wild rhythmic anthem "R.O.C.K," which gives Lisa and Jimmy a looser rehearsal showcase. The movie ends at the "Rock Jubilee," with the Platters singing their other major hit "The Great Pretender," Bell and his guys getting into "Giddy Up a Ding Dong," and Haley and his boys finishing with "Rudy's Rock."

Trivia: Several members of the Comets left the group and were replaced before filming began. The only song where the performers heard singing are the same as the ones onscreen is "See You Later, Alligator," which was recorded right before the film.

The first full-length musical to have a full-on rock score. 

Teens got so into the movie and the music, there were riots in many parts of the globe when it was screened, including Norway, England, and the US. 

What I Don't Like: Obviously, if you don't like early rock or the groups involved, you're not going to be into this. The story, while harder-edged than the teen films of the 60's, is still piffle meant to bridge the gap between numbers. None of the groups are particularly good actors, including Haley and the Comets. The dialogue is stiff, Corinne's plot to sabotage Hollis is silly, the whole thing is cliches of the highest order. 

The Big Finale: This wound up being a pleasant surprise. The first rock musical is a lot of fun, with some terrific music and amazing jive dancing. Highly recommended for huge fans of the early rock era or the bands in question. 

Home Media: It's double-disc set with its follow-up Don't Knock the Rock is expensive nowadays. You're better off streaming this one or picking it up on that Mill Creek Musicals 20 Collection.

DVD - Rock Around the Clock/Don't Knock the Rock

DVD - Musicals 20 Movies Collection

Amazon Prime

Musicals on Streaming - Vivo

Netflix/Sony, 2021

Voices of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ynairaly Simo, Zoe Saldana, and Juan de Marcos Gonzales

Directed by Kirk DiMicco

Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda

We make a cross-country journey to Cuba and south Florida for our next vacation. This one goes back to 2010, when Miranda first pitched it to Dreamworks. They dropped it in 2015, but Sony picked it up a year later after the success of Moana. It was originally intended to be released in theaters, but after the pandemic hit, it was moved to Netflix in August 2021 (though it apparently did make it into a few theaters in July). It did well enough then, but how does it look now that people can hit the theaters again? Let's begin in Cuba and learn more about the title character and his friend and find out...

The Story: Vivo (Miranda) is a kinkajou living in Havana, Cuba with elderly musician Andre Hernandez (Gonzales). Vivo is upset when Andre reveals that his former partner Marta (Gloria Estefan) has invited him to Miami to see her in concert at the Mambo Cabana. He's even written a song for her. Vivo tries to dissuade him, but finally understands how important it is to Andre, who loved Marta but wasn't able to tell her before she went on to have a big career on her own.

Sadly, Andre dies in his sleep before he can make the trip. His niece-in-law Rosa (Saldana) and her daughter Gabi (Simo) come from Key West to attend their funeral. Vivo stows away in Gabi's luggage, hoping to get Andre's song to Miami. Gabi finds him after his attempt to get on the bus fails. Gabi loves music and is determined to show her mother that she can do a lot more than sell cookies with a troop of rather obnoxious Sand Dollar scouts. She and Vivo dodge the overly rigid Sand Dollars and help two lovesick rosate spoonbills in the Everglades as they make their way to Miami and to remind Marta how much Andre really cared about her.

The Animation: While not as elaborate as Sony Animation's Into the Spider Verse films, there's still a lot to like here. The crisp, brilliant colors beautifully reflect their tropical setting, from the brilliant golds and reds of Havana to the deep purples and emerald greens of the Everglades. Vivo himself is utterly adorable and moves very well. There's some nice set pieces, too, especially in the jungle, with that wild and well-animated storm and the chase with Lutador (Michael Rooker) the Burmese python. Look for some nifty 2-D animated sequences during the numbers "Mambo Cabana" and "Inside Your Heart" that function as flashbacks to Marta and Andre's relationship. 

The Song and Dance: Some great performances, colorful animation, and Miranda's music carry the day here. This was Simo's debut, and she was wonderful as energetic Gabi, especially in her solo "My Own Drum." There aren't many pre-teens who can keep up with Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda for his part is charming and lively as Gonzales is heartbreaking in his brief role early in the film as the kindly musician who wants to see his true love and sing with her one more time. Saldana does equally well as the mother who just wants her music-crazy daughter to make friends her own age.

Favorite Number: We open and close with "One of a Kind," as Vivo explains his life and how he and Andre work in perfect harmony to entertain the people of the plaza...and then show how he now has even more fun entertaining Key West with Gabi. "Mambo Cabana" is Andre's explanation of how he lost Marta and now wants to write her "One Last Song." Vivo wishes he wouldn't and tries to sabotage his efforts at first. Gabi's music may not be the most harmonious, but it's certainly energetic as she explains to Vivo that she marches to the beat of "My Own Drum." 

She and Vivo "Keep the Beat" as they turn their raft through the Everglades into their own home-made drum set. Vivo's less happy to be caught between the Spoonbills' duet "Love's Gonna Pick You Up." Not to mention, that snake is a "Tough Crowd." "Running Out of Time" is the montage that brings everyone to the Mambo Cabana, while Marta's heartfelt and heartbreaking "Inside Your Heart" is Andre's confession of love as Vivo imagines the two young and together forever onstage.  

What I Don't Like: For all the great music and charming characters, the plot is older than the Everglades, and the movie doesn't really do much that's new with it. We've seen all of this before, in animation and live-action, with music and without it. While the characters are cute and the beginning and end are touching and even heartbreaking, the generic middle section is far less interesting. A lot of the segment in the Everglades in particular seems more like padding than anything. 

The Big Finale: Not the greatest animated movie ever, but adorable fun if you or your pre-teen are fans of Miranda, Spider-Verse, or tropical adventures. 

Home Media: A Netflix exclusive when it came out, it's now easily found on disc and streaming.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

It's a Bikini World

Trans American, 1967

Starring Tommy Kirk, Deborah Walley, Bob Pickett, and Susie Kaye

Directed by Stephanie Rothman

Music and Lyrics by various

The Beach Party series continued releasing through 1967, but by that point, the bloom was off the beach plum. The novelty of watching cute teens wriggle around a dance floor in skimpy swim suits had worn off, and hard rock and the Beatles' harder-edged pop quickly replaced surf rock as most teens' favorite music genre. Though most of the studios had lost interest by this point as well, some late-coming entries continued to appear through the late 60's. 

Case in point, this release from Trans America, American International's art house and foreign release subdivision. It was meant to come out in 1966, just as the Beach Party wave was cresting, but didn't make it to the theaters until spring of '67. How does this tale of a surfer who would do anything to impress a pretty girl - including be someone else - look now? Let's begin on the beach with local surfer and all-around jock Mike Samson (Kirk) and find out...

The Story: Mike can impress every girl on the beach but newcomer Delilah Dawes (Walley), a scientist and athlete. She thinks he's a stuck-up idiot. Hoping to show that she's not so great, he dresses as a nerd he calls Herbert. Magazine publisher Harvey Pulp (Jack Bernardi) is holding a series of athletic competitions to advertise his new teen publication. Big Daddy (Sid Haig), the owner of the local hangout The Dungeon, gives him custom vehicles for the games. Delilah challenges Mike  to play her in these competitions. She keeps losing, but it's no fault of Mike's alter ego, who coaches her. When Delilah figures out what Mike's doing, she's more determined than ever to win. Mike has fallen for her, however, and now he's not so sure that winning is all that important anymore.

The Song and Dance: I give them credit for not only trying something slightly different, but treating its female lead a little better. Even if Deliah doesn't always win, she's determined to try anyway, and she's certainly no passive little doll. I also appreciate that not only does she figure out what Mike is doing well before the end of the film, she doesn't forgive him right away. Most of the other Beach Party movies probably would have let him get away with it. Some of the music is pretty good too, including a genuine hit, "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place" by the Animals. I also love the opening and closing credits that mimic comics of the time.

Favorite Number: Our first number isn't until nearly ten minutes in, but it's "Walk On," performed by duo Lolly and Pat Vegas with dancers gyrating on a nifty dragon stage. Girl group the Toys take us right into the next number, "Attack." The Gentrys get a little more psychedelic as they "Spread It On Thick" at Mike's apartment. "Get Out of This Place" is a lot darker, both in its performance and the shooting back at that wild dragon stage. "Liar, Liar" by the Castaways is our other hit, as a dancer wiggles her way through a song about fibbing in a relationship that is almost a prediction of what will happen with Mike's deception later.

Trivia: Trans America originally distributed this as The Girl In Daddy's Bikini. It was later screened with that title in 2009. 

Though the film is supposed to be set during the summer, close inspection of sequences set in Malibu Beach reveals Christmas decorations and December dates on the movie marquees. 

The Animals as seen in this film broke up later in 1965. They would regroup as Eric Burdon and the Animals by '67.

The film they see mid-way through is Attack of the Crab Monsters, a real movie by Roger Corman. 

Bobby Pickett had his own hit with "Monster Mash." 

What I Don't Like: Kirk later said he was embarrassed by the movie and his and Deborah Walley's performances in it. He does have a point. He's too skinny and goofy to be believable as every girl's favorite beach jockey. His Herbert is slightly more realistic, but it's clear that he's even more bored here than he was in Catalina Caper later in '67. The songs have no connection to the plot whatsoever and vanish mid-way through once the competition gets underway. 

Pickett and Kaye are supposed to be the rather dim secondary couple, but they both come off as annoyingly ditzy. Pickett's a bad imitation of Jody McCrea's "Deadhead" character from the American International Beach Party films. And there's the finale, with Delilah and Mike taking part in a huge race across Malibu, doing everything from swimming to riding camels. It takes way too long and makes no sense, even by this film's standards. 

The Big Finale: On one hand, this is much better than its reputation suggests. It's certainly a lot more fun than Caper or Swingin' Summer. Bland performances and the cheap feel still make it recommended mainly for fans of the stars and musical groups in question. 

Home Media: This one is so obscure, the only place it seems to be available at the moment is YouTube.

YouTube

A Swingin' Summer

United Screen Arts, 1965

Starring James Stacy, William Wellman Jr, Quinn O'Hara, and Raquel Welch

Directed by Robert Sparr

Music and Lyrics by various

After the wild success of American International's Beach Party films, every studio in Hollywood wanted in on that teenage party action. Actor Dale Robertson created United Screen Arts to release B-films and his own westerns...and the first movie he released was a "beach party" film. Actually, this is more of a lake party, as it's set at a dance hall at Lake Arrowhead, California. Nowadays, it's best remembered for introducing Welch to audiences, but does it have more going for it? Let's begin away from the lake, as best friends Rick (Wellman Jr.) and Mickey (Stacy) are offered jobs by Rick's wealthy girlfriend Cindy (O'Hara) and find out...

The Story: Rick originally turns down a job with Cindy's dad (Allan Jones), fearing she's doing it out of charity. He and Mickey end up working at the dance hall, which is on the verge of shutting down. They come up with the idea of a week-long rock festival to save the pavilion and their jobs. Head lifeguard Turk (Martin West) is jealous of the attention they get and does everything he can to sabotage them. He tries to lure Cindy away, then hires goons to wreck the festival. 

Rick's upset when he learns Cindy's dad intends to finance the pavilion, as he sees this as charity. They argue, but Cindy finally brings him around. There's also Jeri (Welch), the beautiful intellectual who spends the summer wandering around the lake shore, taking notes, until she finally lets her hair down at the Festival. 

 

The Song and Dance: This is almost a summer version of the ski-themed Winter-a-Go-Go from later in 1965, with a lot of the same cast. Wellman and Stacy play essentially the same roles as the stoic leader and his girl-crazy buddy. There's also two goons who attack the duo later in the film and a glamorous older woman (in this case Lili Kardel as Sandra) who makes a play for Wellman. Welch's psudo-psychological gibberish and her elegant cats-eye glasses does mark her as something a little different. There's also some surprisingly good acts for a low-budget B fodder, including a rare film appearance by the Righteous Brothers.

Favorite Number: Our first number, the title song, is heard over the credits as Cindy and the boys drive to Lake Arrowhead with obvious backscreen projection behind them. We get two big instrumental dance routines for the teenagers performed by Gary Lewis and the Playboys. "Out to Lunch" is heard right after Gary and his group arrive; "Nitro" is the chorus number later in the film at the festival. Donnie Brooks gets a really strange song about a swinging lady called "Pennie the Poo" as the festival begins. The Rip Chords' song is "Red Hot Roadster." Jeri finally tosses away her glasses and lets her self go wild with her "I'm Ready to Groove"...and she's not half-bad. The movie ends with its biggest act, the Righteous Brothers, singing the bluesy "Justine."

Trivia: Linda Evans originally had the Cindy role, but bowed out to do a western. 

What I Don't Like: This has a lot of the same problems as Winter-a-Go-Go. Stacy and especially Wellman just aren't that interesting. They don't seem much like teens or college students, either. They're so interchangeable with the goons and Tank, it's hard to tell them apart in fight scenes. Speaking of, the robbery in the second half almost literally comes out of nowhere. The boat chase in the finale was seemingly added just to pad out the end of the film and give the leads something to do besides dance badly. 

Once again, the emphasis is on action and romance. Other than Jeri's attempt at psychologically evaluating sex-crazed Mickey, it lacks the satire inherent in the AIP Beach Party films. There's also the poor filming, which does the lovely scenery no favors. (The fact that the copy at Shout! TV is badly washed out and in need of restoration doesn't help.)

The Big Finale: Only for the most ardent fans of Welch, the singers involved, or the Beach Party imitations of the mid-60's. 

Home Media: Doesn't currently seem to be on disc, but it can easily be found pretty much anywhere on streaming, usually for free. 

Tubi

Pluto TV On Demand

Shout! TV