Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writers:

Robert Kaufman (screenplay)
James H. Nicholson (story)

Release Date:

6 November 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

See Cuddly BIKINI GIRLS Made To Order!

Plot:

Dr. Goldfoot has invented an army of bikini-clad robots who are programmed to seek out wealthy men and charm them into signing over their assets. Craig Gamble and Todd Armstrong set out to foil the fiendish plot.

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Plan | Millionaire | Secret Agent | Torture

Cast

Vincent Price	...	Dr. Goldfoot
Frankie Avalon	...	Craig Gamble
Dwayne Hickman	...	Todd Armstrong
Susan Hart	...	Robot #11 (Diane)
Jack Mullaney	...	Igor
Fred Clark	...	Donald J. Penney, SIC man
Patti Chandler	...	Robot
Mary Hughes	...	Robot
Salli Sachse	...	Robot
Luree Holmes	...	Robot
Sue Hamilton	...	Robot
Laura Nicholson	...	Robot
Marianne Gaba	...	Robot
China Lee	...	Robot
Issa Arnal	...	Robot

Also Known As:

Dr. G and the Bikini Machine (UK)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | Spain:13 | USA:G (1980 re-release)

Filming Locations:

San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

In this movie Frankie Avalon plays Craig Gamble and Dwayne Hickman plays Todd Armstrong. In Ski Party (1965), Avalon plays Todd Armstrong and Hickman plays Craig Gamble. They switched characters!

Goofs:

Continuity: When Craig comes to Todd's rescue in the Doctor's dungeon, Todd shouts instructions to him. A moment later, as Craig unties Todd, he removes a gag that is preventing him from speaking.

Quotes:

Dr. Goldfoot: The eyes of Goldfoot are upon you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "SexTV: Remote Control: Romancing the Robot/Hajime Sorayama (#8.4)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

The Bikini Machine

A tip o' the brim to Castro Street?

Our little group saw this on our own "Bad Movie Night" and speculated that this was a sly homage to San Francisco's gay community. Certainly there was no obvious reason to film it there, besides the fun involved in careening down Lombard Street between Hyde & Leavenworth (allegedly the crookedest stretch of paved road in the USA) during the chase scene.

Why? Because Frankie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman seem almost disinterested in Dr. Goldfoot's sex-bots at first, and, once they find each other, they hold on to each other for dear life. Vincent Price camping it up in silk smoking jacket doesn't help. All of us viewing in this session were straight, so those of you with acute pre-Stonewall Hollywood Gay-dar should check this out to see if we're just a clueless bunch of breeders. There may even have been clues we missed.

A few things that make us go "Hmmm": Why would someone who obviously has the means to construct an opulent underground lab with fancy decoration and fabulous machinery need to use it to soak rich guys? Why does Igor look and act like just a normal schlub pulled off the street, rather than a revived corpse (did the SFX budget run out after all those gold bikinis)? How does making her scrub the floor punish a robot? (Unless she's Marvin the Paranoid Android.) What ever became of Igor's impersonation of the SIC chief visiting the local department? And why does a movie that advertises "killer sex-bots" have little violence, and essentially no sex, in it -- not even of the off-screen early-60s sex-tease sort?

Aww, so the hell what? IT'S A REALLY STUPID MOVIE ALL ROUND. ***, one of them just because Vincent Price is simply mahvelous.