Beach Party (1963)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

William Asher

Writer:

Lou Rusoff (writer)

Release Date:

7 August 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

When 10,000 kids meet on 5,000 Beach Blankets ... something's bound to happen!

Plot:

The first of the five official American-International "Beach Party" movies. Anthropology Professor Robert...

Plot Keywords:

Teen | Beach | Beach Party | Surfing | Singing

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Robert Cummings	...	Prof. Robert 'Bob' Orwell Sutwell (as Bob Cummings)
Dorothy Malone	...	Marianne
Frankie Avalon	...	Frankie
Annette Funicello	...	Dolores / DeeDee
Morey Amsterdam	...	Cappy
Harvey Lembeck	...	Eric Von Zipper
Eva Six	...	Ava
John Ashley	...	Ken
Jody McCrea	...	Deadhead
Dick Dale	...	Himself (as Dick Dale and The Del Tones)
Andy Romano	...	J.D. (Rat Pack member)
Jerry Brutsche	...	Rat Pack member
Bob Harvey	...	Rat Pack member
John Macchia	...	Rat Pack member
Alberta Nelson	...	Rat Pack member

Runtime:

101 min | Germany:94 min (TV)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Malibu, California, USA

Company:

Alta Vista Productions

Trivia:

Was intended as a low-budget imitation of Elvis Presley's musical movies, with added teen appeal, but the series took on a life of its own.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sutwell succeeds in surfing, the long shots show him with his cap still on. In close-ups he is bareheaded.

Quotes:

Big Daddy: Bring me my pendulum, kiddies, I feel like swinging!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Horrors of Spider Island (#11.11)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Don't Stop Now

Sand, girls, rock 'n' roll, girls, surfing, girls, etc.

Okay, I'm a sucker for ALL the old "Beach Party" movies, starring Frankie and Annette. How 'bout that? They're like Fred and Ginger, Hope and Crosby and William Powell and Myrna Loy: They're icons! This movie, the ORIGINAL "Beach Party," is the BEST of the lot if you're asking me. Besides Frankie and Annette, Bob Cummings and Oscar winner ("Written on the Wind") Dorothy Malone, also star. I can't believe that someone on this thread actually described the WONDERFUL Bob Cummings as "offensive." Apparently, this person NEVER saw this actor on his old "Love that Bob" TV sitcom from the '50's. I did. A more lighthearted and fun actor I've never seen; decidedly NOT "offensive."

THIS movie is just like the old Beach Boys song, "Fun, Fun, Fun." NOTHING to take seriously. Pure fluff, just like the old Doris Day and Rock Hudson comedies from a more innocent time. Not too much in the way of plot (hot-blooded and red-blooded American girls and boys, sand, surfing, rock 'n' roll, a little harmless sex (c'mon, this IS 1963!), a couple of middle-agers (Bob and Dorothy) and the most tame, inept and funny "outlaw" motorcycle gang you've EVER seen! Also, a GREAT supporting cast: Morey Amsterdam, Harvey Lembeck, John Ashley, Jody McCrea, Eva Six and EVEN Vincent Price!

Look, upon reaching puberty, Annette Funicello was my very first "crush." I'm 55, now, and I STILL love her! This movie didn't re-define the American cinema, but there are FAR worse ways to kill 101 minutes!