The Cool Ones (1967)

A young, millionaire rock promoter decides to create a new boy/girl duo team for his teen TV dance show by teaming up an ambitious go-go dancer and a has-been pop star and presenting them to the public as a new romantic pair.

Director:

Gene Nelson

Writers:

Joyce Geller (screenplay), Gene Nelson (adaptation)

Stars:

Roddy McDowall, Debbie Watson, Gil Peterson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roddy McDowall	...	Tony Krum
Debbie Watson	...	Hallie Rodgers
Gil Peterson	...	Cliff Donner
Phil Harris	...	Fred MacElwaine
Robert Coote	...	Stanley Krumley
Nita Talbot	...	Dee Dee Howitzer
George Furth	...	Howie
Mrs. Miller	...	Mrs. Miller
The Bantams	...	The Bantams
Glen Campbell	...	Patrick
The Leaves	...	The Leaves
T.J. and The Fourmations	...	T.J. and The Fourmations
Jim Begg	...	Charlie Forbes
James Millhollin	...	Manager
Phil Arnold	...	Uncle Steve

Storyline

Hallie Rogers is a pent-up go-go dancer itching for her big break. She's up for a spot on the network rock'n'roll show "Whizbam," a detailed send-up of both "Shindig" and "Hullaballo," but the studio bosses keep giving her the shaft. So Hallie wigs out, escapes from her go-go cage, and steals the mike from Glen Campbell, who's singing onstage at the time. While Glen does all he can to stop this crazy girl on live TV, Hallie shakes and shimmies her way out of impending handcuffs. The audience goes wild, imitating her moves, and when a misdirected camera sends a message out to the nation, a new dance craze is born - the Tantrum! Tony Krum, a teen tycoon begins to manage her booming career. Hallie gets fired from "Whizbam," but her go-go dancing pals take her to Palm Springs, where they see the Leaves perform. She soon meets out-of-step teen idol Cliff Donner, with whom she forms a duo.

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Plot Keywords:

teen idol | cable car | scene before opening credits | go go girl | private jet | 

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Taglines:

Baffling... bewildering... bizarre... it's the TANTRUM world of THE COOL ONES

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cool Baby, Cool!

Filming Locations:

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Palm Springs, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

William Conrad Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the last feature for Director of Photography Floyd Crosby, father of musician and singer David Crosby.

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Quotes

Sandy: This is a boys' world. Isn't it enough to be with *them* all the time... and get paid for it?

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Connections

References Password (1961)

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Soundtracks

This Town
(uncredited)
Written by Lee Hazlewood
Performed by Debbie Watson
[Hallie sings the song as she wanders the streets of LA after she is fired from Whiz-Bam]

User Reviews

Hip adults and old-fashioned teenagers...

Would-be pop singer Debbie Watson inadvertently creates a dance craze on television, quickly dubbed "The Tantrum"; she pairs up with a has-been rock-and-roll star to form a new act that's sure to wow the teenagers! Gene Nelson directed this instantly-dated piece of overripe nostalgia from writer Joyce Geller, whose pale script was also worked on by Robert Kaufman and by Nelson. Eternally-girlish Watson and Gil Peterson (outfitted like a Ken doll) are a laughably tone-deaf pair. If you can believe them as teen-sensations, you may buy Roddy McDowall as a superstar music producer who has his own jet, sits on a purple throne, and has a lackey pick the dirt off his boots. The most bizarre aspect of the movie may be the depiction of young adults acting as direct copies of their own grandparents: they dance and sing, but what they're really pining for is love and the institution of marriage. ** from ****