BEACH MOVIES

In this latest article I will be looking back at the history of the beach movie genre, a brief look at the careers of two of it's greatest stars, Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, and an in-depth look at the four beach movies they starred in together.

In 1957 author Frederick Kohner created a fictional character based on his teenage daughter Kathy and wrote the book Gidget, The Little Girl With Big Ideas. The book, later published with the shorter title Gidget, followed the adventures of a teenage girl and her surfer friends on the beach in Malibu. The name was a combination of 'girl' and 'midget.' In the years that followed Kohner wrote sequels including The Affairs Of Gidget (1963), Gidget In Love (1965), Gidget Goes Parisienne (1966) and Gidget Goes New York (1968).

He sold the rights to Columbia Pictures for $50,000 and the character Gidget was adapted into three movies directed by Paul Wendkos. The first, Gidget, released in 1959, found Sandra Dee playing the role of the title character. It also starred a young Yvonne Craig, who would go on to find success as Batgirl in the final season of Batman. Subsequent films, Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) and Gidget Goes To Rome (1963), saw Deborah Walley and Cindy Carol in the title role. 

Both Yvonne Craig and Deborah Walley starred in movies with Elvis Presley, although none fall into the category of beach movies. Craig appeared in two films with him, It Happened At The Worlds Fair (1963) and Kissin' Cousins (1964) while Walley appeared alongside him in Spinout (1966). Elvis did make a few movies with a beach connection including Blue Hawaii (1961) and Girl Happy (1965) although neither really fit into the beach movie genre as covered by this article.

While both the Columbia 'Gidget' films were seen as the forerunner of the beach movie genre and introduced surfing into mainstream America it was actually American International Pictures (AIP) that established the typical style with their films released between 1963 and 1968.

However, prior to the release of the first AIP beach movie there were a number of films that followed the tried and true formula of a current trend mixed with romance and music. Released in 1958 Hot Rod Gang and it's 1959 sequel Ghost Of Dragstrip Hollow were both made by AIP while Where The Boys Are was released in 1960 by MGM and 1961's Love In A Goldfish Bowl appeared courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

The first beach movie that was made by AIP was Beach Party with a script written by Lou Rusoff who had written scripts for both the aforementioned Hot Rod Gang and Ghost Of Dragstrip Hollow. Released in August 1963 it was a major hit with a first-week gross higher than any of its competition.

The important elements of the AIP films included groups of teenage/college characters who were the protagonists, adults in the role of antagonists, simple and often silly storylines, teen interests like surfing, dancing, cars and finally, music, either background but more often original songs often performed by artists of the day.

In this article we are concentrating on the beach movie genre although later AIP films moved away from the beach and surfing while still keeping many of the elements listed above.

Surprisingly, for the time, advertising for the films was quite suggestive promising much more than what would actually appear in the film. "It's what happens when 10,000 kids meet on 5,000 beach blankets!" (Beach Party) and "When 10,000 biceps go around 5,000 bikinis, you know what's going to happen!" (Muscle Beach Party) are just two examples that teased the audience. While both the male and female cast wore revealing swimwear for the time none of the films included any sex or nudity.

AIP co-founder Samuel Z. Arkoff had already cast the adult characters but needed leading teenagers. He already had a good working relationship with singer Frankie Avalon who was a natural choice for the leading male character. He then made a deal with a former Mouseketeer, Annette Funicello, whose contract permitted her to appear in non-Disney films subject to approval of the legal team. However, there was one caveat... she could not appear in a bikini!

Frankie Avalon had scored 31 chart hits including Venus and Why, both of which reached number one in 1959, Just Ask Your Heart, Bobby Sox To Stockings, A Boy Without A Girl and many more. His first film appearance was a brief cameo in 1957's Jamboree where he played a trumpet and sang Teacher's Pet.

Annette Funicello began her career as a 12-year old child performer. She was one of the most popular Disney Mouseketeers in the original Mickey Mouse Club and went on to have a successful career in film and music. Among her hits were Pineapple Princess, O Dio Mio and First Name Initial.

Cinema Editor summed up the pairing of Avalon and Funicello, "In Frankie and Annette, teenagers now had their own version of Rock Hudson and Doris Day as the 'bedroom farce' was moved to the beach and made a little younger, a little dumber, and stuffed full of wild music."

So it's off to the beach and a look at the four films they made together...

Beach Party (Released: 7 August 1963)

Professor Robert Sutwell (Bob Cummings) is secretly studying the 'mating habits' of the local teenagers who spend their time at the beach in California. Eric von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck), the leader of The Rats, a local motorcycle gang, is temporarily paralyzed by Sutwell after he was making advances on Dolores (Annette Funicello). She develops a crush on the Professor and her boyfriend Frankie (Frankie Avalon) gets jealous. He starts flirting with Ava (Eva Six), an Hungarian waitress. To complicate matters Sutwell's assistant, Marianne (Dorothy Malone) also has eyes on the Professor. Von Zipper and his gang mates plan to bring Sutwell down but are defeated by the surfing teenagers.

The film was shot throughout March 1963 in Newport, Balboa, Laguna, Paradise Cove and Malibu Beach. Avalon recalled they were constantly filming while Funicello felt constant pressure throughout filming to show her navel to which she refused. Despite earlier conditions by Disney she did wear a pink two-piece bikini in the film and in future films she would show her navel and continue to wear a bikini.

Music was written especially for the film and Gary Usher & Roger Christian, who also worked with Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys, wrote three songs, the title track performed by Avalon and Funicello, Swingin' And Surfin and Secret Surfin' Spot, both performed by Dick Dale, who also starred in the film as himself. Other songs included Don't Stop Now, Treat Him Nicely and Promise Me Anything (But Give Me Love).

Reviews were mixed. The New York Times wrote, "The real trouble is that almost the entire cast emerges as the dullest bunch ever, with the old folks even sillier than the kids." Variety were kinder in their review, "A bouncy bit of lightweight fluff... the kind of direct, simple-minded cheeriness which should prove well nigh irresistible to those teenagers who have no desire to escape the emptiness of their lives."

Annette Funicello would later say that Beach Party was her favourite of the series.

Muscle Beach Party (Released: 25 March 1964)

It is a year later and Dee Dee (Funicello) and Frankie (Avalon) along with their beach party gang head to Malibu Beach for another summer of fun and surfing. When they arrive they are shocked to discover their secret surfing spot under threat by a bunch of body builders led by coach Jack Fanny (Don Rickles). It is not long before Juliana Giotto-Borgini (Luciana Paluzzi), a bored Italian Countess starts flirting with Frankie and he seems quite happy to go along with it. She plans on turning him into a teen pop idol. His surfing mates and wealthy S. Z. Matts (Buddy Hackett) convince him he is making a mistake and seeing the error of his ways Frankie goes back to his beach bunny Dee Dee.

Filming took place at various locations including Paradise Cove.

Funicello reprised her character from Beach Party but in Muscle Beach Party, and subsequent films, she is known as Dee Dee, as opposed to Dolores. 

Like Beach Party the original score was composed by Les Baxter while Gary Usher & Roger Christian wrote six songs with the help of Brian Wilson. Surfer's Holiday was performed by Avalon, Funicello and the cast while Runnin' Wild was just Avalon. Donna Loren sang Muscle Bustle backed by Dick Dale who along with his Del-Tones, performed My First Love, Muscle Beach Party. The a cappella number Surfin' Woodie was performed by Dale and the cast.

The Los Angeles Times described the film as, "... a romantic, slightly satirical film comedy with songs which should prove popular with members of the two younger sets it concerns - surfers and musclemen - and with oldsters who don't mind the juvenile antics." Variety weren't as impressed with the second film when they wrote, "... the novelty of surfing has worn off, leaving in its wake little more than a conventional teenage-geared romantic farce with songs." Even harsher was The Monthly Film Bulletin who felt, "...this is an excruciatingly unfunny and unattractive sequel to Beach Party. William Asher's direction remains quite bright, but that is about all that can be said for the film."

Annette Funicello was nominated for The Golden Laurel by trade magazine Motion Picture Exhibitor for 'Best Female Musical Performance.'

Bikini Beach (Released: 22 July 1964)

School's out and the teenagers are off to the beach once more. All seems to be going well until millionaire Harvey Huntington Honeywagon III (Keenan Wyn), convinced that the beach goers are obsessed with sex and their mentality is less than that of a chimp. He plans to turn the beach into a retirement home which demoralizes the teenagers. Meanwhile a British rocker and drag racer, Peter Royce Bentley, known as 'The Potato Bug' (played by Avalon in a dual role) takes up residence in the area. It is not long before Dee Dee (Funicello), fed up of Frankie (Avalon) and his reluctance to further their relationship towards marriage, is drawn to Potato Bug's advances. Frankie, in a jealous rage, confronts Potato Bug and challenges him to a drag race in the hope of winning Dee Dee back.

Auto Club raceway in Pomona, California was used as a location during filming.

Director William Asher, in a 2004 interview, claimed that the script was originally written for the Beatles and they had agreed to star but dropped out when their fame grew following the Ed Sullivan Show. Asher reworked the script with Avalon's dual role as Potato Bug created to replace The Beatles in the story. This was all very unlikely as The Beatles had signed a three-movie deal with United Artists back in 1963.

AIP did a survey after the first two movies as they wanted to find out how much surfing should be featured in the films. Of course it wasn't the surfing that was the main attraction, it was the fun and love between Avalon and Funicello.

Once again the score was by Les Baxter with songs written by Guy Hemric and Jerry Styner including Bikini Beach (performed by the cast), Love's A Secret Weapon (Donna Loren), This Time It's Love (Funicello) and Because You're You (Avalon and Funicello). Two songs written by Gary Usher & Roger Christian, Record Run and the instrumental Bikini Drag, an instrumental, were both performed in the movie by The Pyramids.

Reviews were mixed. "A horrible juvenile comedy," wrote Eugene Archer in The New York Times while Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times felt the film added up to, "... two hours of mindless relaxation at theatres and drive-ins everywhere." Variety commented, "Introduction of some first-rate satire is so overloaded with coatings of slapstick that the satire will be lost on the great mass of youngsters who will provide the film's major support but it does make Bikini Beach more palatable for parents or pseudo-sophisticates among the teenagers who find themselves viewing it."

Beach Blanket Bingo (Released: 14 April 1965)

Singer Sugar Kane (Linda Evans) is unwittingly being used for publicity stunts including faking a sky diving stunt, by her agent Bullets (Paul Lynde) to help promote her latest album. Meanwhile, Frankie (Avalon) is duped into believing he rescued Kane and is prompted to take up sky diving by Bonnie (Deborah Walley), who is trying to make her boyfriend Steve (John Ashley) jealous. Not one to be left out Dee Dee (Funicello) also tries free-falling. Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) and his gang show up and he falls madly in love with Kane. Meanwhile Bonehead (Jody Mcrea) has fallen in love with a mermaid named Lorelei (Marta Kristen). The film draws to a close with a kidnap attempt when the evil South Dakota Slim (Timothy Carey) ties Kane to a buzz-saw.

Filming took place at various locations including Surfrider Beach, Leo Carrillo Beach and Paradise Cove during November and December 1964.

Beach Blanket Bingo was the last of the movies featuring both Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. The role of Sugar Kane was intended for Nancy Sinatra but she dropped out as the plot involved a kidnapping, something too close to home as her brother Frank Sinatra Jr. had been kidnapped a few months earlier.

As previously the films score and songs were from the same composer, Les Baxter, and song writers, Guy Hemric, Jerry Styner, Gary Usher and Roger Christian. There were ten songs featured including Beach Blanket Bingo (performed by Avalon and Funicello), These Are Good Times (Avalon), It Only Hurts When I Cry (Donna Loren), the instrumental Freeway (The Hondells) and I'll Never Change Him (Funicello). The latter was in initial prints of the movie but removed when the film had a wider release when the decision was made to use the song, retitled We'll Never Change, in a future AIP film, Ski Party.

Reviews were even more scathing for Beach Blanket Bingo with The New York Times writing, "We simply can't believe, no matter what the reports say, that the teenagers buy such junk. It's for morons." Variety were not impressed either, "No one can blame Nicholson and Arkoff for continuing a pattern that has made them money, but this is ridiculous. Are teenagers responding to such drivel as good natured satire of themselves rather than identifying with it? Let's hope so."

Although no actual soundtracks are available on CD, there are a few that feature some of the music from the films. Muscle Beach Party/Beach Party and Bikini Beach/Golden Surf brings together four of Annette Funicello's albums on two CDs  while Summer Beach Party is a compilation that features 'Songs From The Classic Beach Movies Of The '60s' by artists including Avalon, Funicello, Dick Dale, Jan & Dean, Donna Loren and The Kingsmen.

Many of the AIP films have been released on DVD or Blu-Ray although a blu-ray box set featuring at least the four movies covered in this article along with extras like trailers, a photo gallery and movie posters, lobby cards and memorabilia would be welcome. 

Summer is here, the weather is hot so time to watch the girls (and boys) on the beach.