Unhip even by the lowly standards established by Beach Party, Winter A-Go-Go is a predictable but enjoyable entry in the '60s teens-ploitation cycle. The film starts off in grand fashion with three leggy young ladies making their way to a job interview, each attired in colorful form-fitting dresses, but goes downhill once they hook up with aspiring ski resort operators Danny and Jeff (James Stacy and William Wellman Jr.). The wafer thin plot revolves around the efforts of two competitors trying to put the kibosh on the new resort, and amongst the film's highlights are the least convincing house cleaning scene of all time and the least convincing ski fight scene of all time. Add in bland and derivative music from the Nooney Rickett Four (who, just to be contrary, are actually five if you include bouffanted singer Joni Lyman) and the decent but well past their sell by date Reflections (oh, those sweaters!), and you have a jaw-droppingly bad picture with just enough colorful campiness to make it watchable.
9 Reviews
"Beach Party" hits the slopes with same results.
Hermit C-28 January 2000
This movie could be classified as a subgenre of the "beach party" flicks of the mid-1960's, the "ski party" movie. Looking to put out some seasonal fodder for the teen audience, I suppose, several of the Hollywood studios transposed the location of their pix from the beach to the ski slopes and the cast traded in bikinis and swimming trunks for ski pants and sweaters. The result was basically the same, though--a type of film only a dedicated fan could love. Frankie, Annette and that crew aren't around in this one, except in spirit, maybe. Instead, James Stacy and William Wellman, Jr. lead a spunky bunch of guys and gals in renovating and operating a run-down ski lodge. It's the usual story--the boys get in a punch-out or two and try to play the field with the girls, and the girls do their best to get their hooks into the boy of their dreams.
If you're watching for musical performers (almost never a winning proposition in these type of flicks), 'Winter a Go Go' is especially thin in that department. Appearing here are the Nooney Rickett Four with guest vocalist Joni Lyman and also a pompadoured vocal group, the Reflections. My research has yet to uncover anything remotely like a hit record in any of these artists' past except for a single top 10 hit for the Reflections. This movie is for fans only, or nostalgia buffs, or young people who like to laugh at their parents' old music and fashions. The girls are pretty cute, though.
If you're watching for musical performers (almost never a winning proposition in these type of flicks), 'Winter a Go Go' is especially thin in that department. Appearing here are the Nooney Rickett Four with guest vocalist Joni Lyman and also a pompadoured vocal group, the Reflections. My research has yet to uncover anything remotely like a hit record in any of these artists' past except for a single top 10 hit for the Reflections. This movie is for fans only, or nostalgia buffs, or young people who like to laugh at their parents' old music and fashions. The girls are pretty cute, though.
Another "Beach Party" knock-off without the comedy, the chemistry, or the charm...
moonspinner5511 July 2008
Columbia Pictures dipping deep into their teen bag, coming up with little more than a running advertisement for Coke and James Stacy in a series of ski fashions for men. Ultra clean-cut tale concerns a young man hiring entertainment (ski bunnies) and a work crew (a cook and a soda-jerk) to work at a mountain lodge which he recently inherited; his buddy promotes the place by putting a detour sign in the road and redirecting traffic their way. No script, no talent, no witty repartee--these dull 'kids' are a lazy lot. There's a pretty good fight scene in the chalet, a groovy wedding tag, and some mind-boggling musical numbers (psychedelic-sweater wearing foursome the Reflections croon a ridiculous ditty about sugary sweets while the bunnies pass out huge lollipops to the guests!). The dramatic tension in the plot is served by having two of the guests on secret assignment to ruin the place; the comedy comes after embarrassed-to-be-up-here Stacy worms his way into a gig as a ski-instructor and attempts to get into a young lady's bedroom at night (he trips the alarm and feigns sleepwalking!). This is another case of a major studio trying to ape the low-brow teens-on-their-own genre begun a few years before with A.I.P.'s "Beach Party". It isn't too awful, but nobody here shows any pizazz, nor any individual style; most of the girls try too hard for cute perkiness while the guys play aw-shucks with the women and big brother with each other. On the other hand, those Suzuki motorbikes are coolness defined. *1/2 from ****
The "Citizen Kane" of Sixties Teen Flix!
edsczesnak25 December 2002
My ten- and twelve-year-olds were in hysterics when "Winter A-Go-Go" ran on AMC a few years ago. They loved the dated, corny dialogue, the improbable plot twists and, especially, the repeated and ever-more-improbable confrontations with "The Man" -- the lame baddies who'll do just about anything to put a stop to the kids' ultra-low-fi rockin', ski-partyin' fun. Less like a time capsule these days than a visit to a strange, alternate teenage universe.
Very mediocre beach era entry
pocaborkus27 December 2021
With the exception of a bunch of hot chicks wearing skimpy outfits and playing waitresses there's nothing to offer here. In fact the curriculum vitae is so thin here that James Stacy stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Time for "Snow Blanket Bingo".
mark.waltz2 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
If it wasn't for "The Sound of Music" coming out this year, this fun "Beach Party" style movie would have been the best musical of 1965. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it that much, an innocent blast of winter weather where the girls still wear their bikinis, even on the ski slopes. James Stacy, William Wellman Jr. And Beverly Adams are running a ski lodge in the mountains which becomes a hotspot for the young Seth, and bringing in the sophisticated Jill Donohue who has a desire to warm up her chilly body with some young male companionship. They deal with a variety of guestdls their efforts to create a successful winter business, and that includes a few singing groups who aren't known at all today but provide some fun musical interludes.
Usually youth focused musicals of the 60's annoy me with their weak plots and corny dialogue, and while this one did have its share of cliched style of conversation and lingo of the era and a goofy story, I found myself smiling throughout. The songs are not really memorable but I did find my toes copying and my leg twitching in rhythm with the music. There's a stereotype Asian character, a cook that Stacy steals from a rival inn who gets a few awkward laughs, but at least he's played by an Asian actor, not Mickey Rooney. Fun for all the big bouffant hairstyle and quirky fashions, and the swedish-born Donahue who plays a character not unlike the lusty Mrs. Robinson from "The Graduate". I enjoy the recurring gag of one of the young men constantly caught by the alarm after lights out for trying to sneak into the women guests rooms, and always having an excuse.
Usually youth focused musicals of the 60's annoy me with their weak plots and corny dialogue, and while this one did have its share of cliched style of conversation and lingo of the era and a goofy story, I found myself smiling throughout. The songs are not really memorable but I did find my toes copying and my leg twitching in rhythm with the music. There's a stereotype Asian character, a cook that Stacy steals from a rival inn who gets a few awkward laughs, but at least he's played by an Asian actor, not Mickey Rooney. Fun for all the big bouffant hairstyle and quirky fashions, and the swedish-born Donahue who plays a character not unlike the lusty Mrs. Robinson from "The Graduate". I enjoy the recurring gag of one of the young men constantly caught by the alarm after lights out for trying to sneak into the women guests rooms, and always having an excuse.
Innocuous "ski party" with cute guys, girls
reelguy221 May 2002
Welcome to Snow Mountain Lodge, where the strongest drink at the bar is Coca Cola, cleanup tasks are best accompanied by rock 'n roll (apologies to Snow White!), and a kiss presumably must be followed by a marriage proposal. The attractive cast romps through the inane goings-on with surprising conviction. Not exactly a contender for the 1965 Academy Awards, but more entertaining in its innocent way than most of the nominees that year.
A Bad Movie That's Also Fun!
atexlee1 December 2000
This is one of those rare films that's so bad, it's almost good! A "beach party" flick that gets moved to the ski slopes, it's full of cliches of that genre: cool guys trying to score with scantily-clad ladies; scantily-clad ladies who seem to be around only to satisfy the needs of the cool guys; bad guys trying to muscle in on the action, only to get roughed-up by the cool guys; bad dancing to bad rock-and-roll (although a couple of the songs were written by Tommy Boyce and Bob Hart who had a hit in the '60's with "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight"). Actually, it all adds up to some campy fun!
I saw this film on the "Late Late Show" 20+ years ago and it stuck with me all these years. I could never remember the name of it and just knew it as "the movie where two guys ran a ski lodge with a bar that served only Cokes." Then one Saturday night about a year ago, this movie was shown on American Movie Classics' "American Pop". I was so surprised and excited that I recorded it when it was shown again about 3 AM!
Sure, this movie is hokey, cheesy, pretentious and even downright bad. It's also entertaining and a lot of fun- give it a try!
I saw this film on the "Late Late Show" 20+ years ago and it stuck with me all these years. I could never remember the name of it and just knew it as "the movie where two guys ran a ski lodge with a bar that served only Cokes." Then one Saturday night about a year ago, this movie was shown on American Movie Classics' "American Pop". I was so surprised and excited that I recorded it when it was shown again about 3 AM!
Sure, this movie is hokey, cheesy, pretentious and even downright bad. It's also entertaining and a lot of fun- give it a try!
Though it takes place high in the mountains, it's far from cool
Wizard-831 May 2012
In the 1960s, there were a string of youth-oriented beach movies, with plenty of sun, surf, and songs. When the formula started to get a little stale, some producers simply moved the location to snow-capped mountains, this particular youth-oriented movie being one example of. Unfortunately, the producers forgot to also bring in memorable characters, plenty of sports-oriented action, as well as good songs. "Winter A-Go-Go" is a movie that I'm pretty sure bored even the youth of the 1960s. There is almost no plot here - once the situation is set up, there is pretty much no more story until almost the one hour mark. The acting is nothing special, and the portrayal of women and Asians would be insulting if the movie wasn't so feeble-minded. There's plenty of reasons why this movie has been forgotten.
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