Bikini Beach ** (1964, Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Martha Hyer, Don Rickles, Harvey Lembeck, Keenan Wynn) – Classic Movie Review 6216

In 1964, American International Pictures released Bikini Beach, the third of its Beach Party movies with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. It is co-written and directed by William Asher. How is this for blatant advertising: ‘It’s where the girls are BARE-ing… the guys are DAR-ing and the surf’s RARE-ing to GO-GO-GO’. It follows Beach Party (1963) and Muscle Beach Party (1964).

The sexy sounding title cashes in on the craze for bikinis, which had become hugely popular as a result of Brian Hyland’s 1960 number one hit record Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini and bikinied Ursula Andress emerging from the water in Dr No in 1962.

Funicello and Avalon back on the beach, where their sandy Shangri La is interrupted by the arrival of surfers, bikers and a millionaire businessman Harvey Huntington Honeywagon III (Keenan Wynn) wanting to build an old folks’ home while trying to prove to Vivien Clements (Martha Hyer) that his chimp Clyde is cleverer than American teenagers.

Avalon plays ‘Frankie’ cheerfully, but is out of his depth in the shallows of his secondary role as Liverpool pop star ‘Potato Bug’. Funicello sails effortlessly through her role as Dee Dee, who is torn between Frankie and Potato Bug. The third beach party movie is an amusing enough romantic comedy musical, and par for the course of the durable, long-running Sixties nostalgia fun series.

Boris Karloff pops in as The Art Dealer, as does ‘Little’ Stevie Wonder as himself.

Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello publicise Beach Party. Funicello’s navel could not be exposed!

Also in the cast are Don Rickles as Big Drag, Harvey Lembeck as Eric Von Zipper, John Ashley, Jody McCrea as Deadhead, perpetual motion dancer Candy Johnson (with dialogue for the only time), James Westerfield, Timothy Carey, Danielle Aubry as Lady Bug, Meredith MacRae as Animal, Delores Wells as Sniffles, Timothy Carey as South Dakota Slim, Sheila MacRae and Paul Smith and James Westerfield as cops.

It is written by William Asher, Leo Townsend and Robert Diller, shot by Floyd Crosby, produced by Samuel Z Arkoff and James H Nicholson, scored by Les Baxter and Al Simms, and designed by Daniel Haller.

It is followed by Pajama Party (1964), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), Ski Party (1965), Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965), How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965), The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966) and Back to the Beach (1987).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6216

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

Louis Réard’s newly invented bikini is modelled in 1946.