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Bikini Beach

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For "Bikini Beach Race", seeEric Louzil.
Bikini Beach
theatrical release poster
Directed byWilliam Asher
Written by
  • William Asher
  • Robert Dillon
  • Leo Townsend
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyFloyd Crosby
Edited byFred R. Feitshans, Jr.
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byAmerican International Pictures
Release date
  • July 22, 1964(1964-07-22)(U.S.)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$500,000[1]or $175,000[2]
Box office$4.5 million (US rentals)[3]

Bikini Beachis a 1964 Americanteen filmdirected byWilliam Asherand starringFrankie AvalonandAnnette Funicello.The film belongs to thebeach partygenre of movies, popular in the 1960s. This is the third in the series of seven films produced byAmerican International Pictures(AIP).[4][5]

Plot

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School is out and the teenagers head for the beach. All is well until millionaire Harvey Huntington Honeywagon III (Keenan Wynn) comes around, convinced that the beachgoers are so senselessly obsessed with sex that their mentality is below that of aprimate– especially Honeywagon'swunderkindpetchimpClyde (Janos Prohaska), who can surf, drive, andwatusibetter than anyone on the beach. With the teenagers demoralized and discredited, Honeywagon plans to turn Bikini Beach into asenior citizensretirement home.

Meanwhile,foppishBritish rocker and drag racer Peter Royce Bentley, better known as "The Potato Bug" (played byFrankie Avalonin adual role), has taken up residence on Bikini Beach. Annoyed by Frankie's reluctance to start their relationship towards marriage, Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) becomes receptive to Potato Bug's advances. In a jealous rage, Frankie challenges The Potato Bug to a drag race, in hopes of winning Dee Dee back.

Cast

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Production notes

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Script

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In aFILMFAXplus(April/June 2004) interview, director William Asher revealed that the script was originally written forThe Beatles.According to Asher's claim, the group had agreed to act in the film but later dropped out as their rapidly growing fame (especially after their 1964 appearance onThe Ed Sullivan Show) caused their fee to exceed the film's budget. Asher was forced to rework the script. Frankie Avalon's dual role as an English singer named "The Potato Bug" was created to replace the four Beatles in the story.

United Artistshad signed a three-movie deal with the Beatles in late 1963. This casts doubt on the veracity of Asher's claim.

According to Avalon, AIP "did a survey because they wanted to know how much surfing they should put in these pictures after the first and second one. It really wasn't the surfing that was the attraction in those films. It was the fun and the puppy love between Frankie and Annette."[6]

Cast

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Don Ricklesplays Big Drag, proprietor of The Pit Stop, a teen hangout where several musical numbers are performed. He also manages a garage for dragsters and is the announcer at the Bikini Beach Drag Strip. When Deadhead says he looks familiar, Big Drag admits he was once Jack Fanny, his character from the earlier film,Muscle Beach Party.

Pop singerDonna Lorenappears for the second time. She was previously inMuscle Beach Party,and also appeared inPajama PartyandBeach Blanket Bingo.She sang at least one solo in each movie.Little Stevie Wonder,also fromMuscle Beach Partyreturned for a bit part as well.

Unusual character actorTimothy Careyappears briefly in this film as "South Dakota Slim", and has a larger part as the same character inBeach Blanket Bingo.His character is replaced by "North Dakota Pete" (played byLen Lesser) inHow to Stuff a Wild Bikini.

Nineteen-year-old Val Warren, who is billed as Teenage Werewolf in the film's closing credits, was the first prize winner inForrest J Ackerman'sFamous Monsters of Filmlandmagazine's National Horror Makeup Contest (beating outRick Baker,who would later go on to win three Oscars for makeup artistry). Included in first prize was a trip to Hollywood and an appearance inBikini Beach.Warren stated in a reply to theLos Angeles Timesreport of Ackerman's death, "When directorWilliam Asherrequested that I growl during my brief sequence, my ever-protective agent, 'Uncle' Forry quickly reminded him that said role had now become a 'speaking part' and, as such, I was entitled to a cast credit as well as theScreen Actors Guildpay standard of an additional 250 bucks. When Asher consented, Forry, like the big kid he was, expressed his delight by turning to face me with a beaming smile and an exaggerated wink. "[7]

During filmingHedda Hopperreported that Jody McCrea had been annoying girls on set. "He acts as though they're just there for his pleasure", said one person connected to the film.[8]

At the end of the previous filmMuscle Beach Party,end titles revealed thatPeter Lorrewould reprise his character inBikini Beach.Lorre's death led toBoris Karloffreplacing him.

Props

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The dragsters used in the drag racing scenes (shot at Pomona Raceway) were very popular – and successful – at the time. They include:Dean Jeffries' "Manta Ray", Larry Stellings' "Britannica", the Greer, Black and Prudhomme fuel dragster "Freida" – driven byDon Prudhomme,'TV'Tommy Ivo's fuel dragster and four-Buick-engined "Showboat" dragster – the one Clyde drives to a new speed record. Ivo was also a technical advisor for the film, as well asgo-kartchamp Von Deming – billed in the credits with the title, "West Coast Go-Kart Champion".

The surfboards used in this film (as well as the earlierMuscle Beach Party) were by Phil of Downey, California – aka Phil Sauer, the maker of "Surfboards of the Stars".[9]Sauer was also the stunt coordinator for anotherbeach party filmthat used his surfboards,Columbia Pictures'Ride the Wild Surf,which was released the following month. Sauer was even portrayed in that film as a character by Mark LaBuse.

Music

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The original score for this film, likeMuscle Beach Partybefore it, was composed byLes Baxter.

Guy Hemric andJerry Stynerwrote several songs for the film:

  • "Bikini Beach" – performed by the cast;
  • "Love's a Secret Weapon" – sung byDonna Loren;
  • "Gimmie Your Love" – sung by Avalon;
  • "This Time It's Love" – sung by Funicello;
  • Because You're You "– sung by Avalon and Funicello.

Hemric and Styner also wrote two songs that featuredThe Pyramidsdoing back up:

  • "How About That?", – sung as a duet by Avalon
  • "Happy Feelin’ (Dance and Shout)" – sung byLittle Stevie Wonder.

The Pyramids performed two additional songs – both which were written byGary UsherandRoger Christianfor the film:

  • "Record Run"
  • "Bikini Drag" – Instrumental

Candy Johnson's band,The Exciters,perform:

  • "Gotcha Where I Wantcha" – written by Jack Merrill and Red Gilson.

Cultural references

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  • The Potato Bug name is a not-so-subtle reference to The Beatles. The character is apermutationofJohn Lennon,albeit with a persona based on Britishstereotypesas perceived by Americans, and made popular by English comics likeTerry-Thomas.
  • Keenan Wynn's character's surname, "Honeywagon" is a reference to the so-namedportable toiletsused in the film and television industry and at campgrounds and marinas – thus Frankie's reply upon hearing Honeywagon's name: "I'd keep that quiet if I were you."
  • Timothy Carey's pool-playing character's name "South Dakota Slim" is a play on the pool shark character "Minnesota Fats"thatJackie Gleasonplayed three years previous in the film,The Hustler.
  • Boris Karloff's cameo (seen only from behind until the end) is a riff onVincent Price's commercials for "the Vincent Price Collection of Fine Art" being offered atSearsat the time.[10][11]Price wore a similar costume (red cape, black hat) in his commercials, and after appearing inBeach Partydoing a similar gag (and a few other AIP films over the last year), the audience would assume they would be seeing Price again, thus creating a punchline when fellow spookster Karloff is revealed.[12]

Reception

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Eugene Archer ofThe New York Timespanned the film as "a horrible juvenile comedy."[13]Kevin Thomasof theLos Angeles Timeswrote, "A couple of truckloads of good-looking healthy kids, plenty of singing and dancing, and solid comedy from some old pros add up to two hours of mindless relaxation at theaters and drive-ins everywhere."[14]Varietystated, "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."[15]The Monthly Film Bulletinnoted that "this new film, which merely repeats some of the features ofBeach Party,with some uninventive new material, is a good deal less attractive. "[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Peter Bart (December 13, 1964). "Hollywood Beach Bonanza".The New York Times.p. X9.
  2. ^Lamont, John (1990)."The John Ashley Filmography".Trash Compactor(Volume 2 No. 5 ed.). p. 26.
  3. ^Tom Lisanti,Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959–1969,McFarland 2005, p86
  4. ^Gary A. Smith,The American International Pictures Video Guide,McFarland 2009 p 25
  5. ^Vagg, Stephen (December 6, 2019)."A Hell of a Life: The Nine Lives of John Ashley".Diabolique Magazine.
  6. ^TIANEN, DAVE (Nov 3, 2002). "Beach movies were all about pretty girls".Milwaukee Journal Sentinel(Final ed.). p. 2A.
  7. ^"Hero Complex".5 December 2008.
  8. ^Hopper, Hedda (May 2, 1964). "Honors, Film Bids Heaped on Poitier: Star Favors Doing Columbia's Subject, 'To Sir, With Love'".Los Angeles Times.
  9. ^"Surfguide Magazine - the rise and fall".
  10. ^Sears and Fine Art: Vincent Price Collection of Fine Art.Searsarchives.com. Retrieved on November 3, 2011.
  11. ^Laura J. Kells, Paul Colton, and Allyson JacksonVincent Price Papers: A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of CongressManuscript Division, Library of Congress. Washington, D.C.. (1994). Latest revision: 2006 April
  12. ^Stephen Jacobs,Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster,Tomahawk Press 2011 p 466
  13. ^Archer, Eugene (September 17, 1964). "Couple of Horrors".The New York Times.52.
  14. ^Thomas, Kevin (August 21, 1964). "Younger Set Frolics Again in 'Bikini Beach'".Los Angeles Times.Part IV, p. 10.
  15. ^"Film Reviews: Bikini Beach".Variety.July 8, 1964. 6.
  16. ^"Bikini Beach".The Monthly Film Bulletin.32(379): 122. August 1965.
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