Muscle Beach Party (1964)

Just began watching as a goof, was expecting to lose interest. But ended up being well entertained by the goofy surfer tomfoolery, Italian muscle-man star. the Contessa was well played. Anette was disappointing but Frankie was in good form. The appearance of Stevie wonder singing "clap your hands" sealed the deal. Don Rickles is always a cool presence. And there was even a surprise appearance of Peter Lorre at the end. Of course I ended up fast forwarding through several boring musical numbers but having the power to ignore the boring parts gave the rest of the movie high praise from me for being pretty entertaining. Peace

I like to watch old 60's movies for weirdo nostalgic reasons; the old cars, sets, musical instruments etc., usually I can stomach the shallow plots and bad acting but this one's just too much, it's just dumb plus I've never been able to stand Don Rickles. Buddy Hackett's also kind of annoying. The plot is so bad they've written in a girl who whenever she dances she shakes really fast and guys fall off their surfboards and the movie run backwards so they fly out of the water and back onto their boards, that kind of retarded thing so they actually had to put in novelties like that because they knew how lame the movie was. They used the shaky girl twice, once on the beach and once in a bar scene, how stupid. Actually, this movie is a lot like one of those Elvis Presley beach movies, very similar. Somebody said this was made by the same guy who did Bewitched. IMO, an episode of Bewitched is far more entertaining than this film which isn't saying much.

This proved to be the first "Beach Party" entry I watched, actually the second of the 7-movie series: I guess it has all the required elements – teenage boys and girls, their interaction/clashing with other members of society (in this case, aristocracy and muscle-men!), surf, songs, and even a touch of the bizarre (in the mysterious but erratic figure of Mr. Strangdour and his monstrous henchman).The tone is that of a light romantic comedy with the expected evocative beach setting (though much of the surfing that's seen is actually stock footage!). What little plot there is concerns an Italian princess (a fresh-faced and appealing Luciana Paluzzi) looking for a prospective groom – first, she settles on a muscle-bound winner of the "Mr. Galaxy" title, but then draws her attentions over to idle teen (as opposed to teen idol!) Frankie Avalon who happens to be able to carry a tune. This, however, doesn't sit well with his wholesome girlfriend Annette Funicello – which leads to the two kids splitting, and the three factions at constant loggerheads (sometimes within the same camp). While the muscle-men are managed by Don Rickles and Paluzzi has Buddy Hackett for an adviser, the teens' resistible comic relief is provided by the goofy "Deadhead" – played by Jody McCrea (Joel's son!); even worse, they number among them a blonde whose specialty is a literally overwhelming hip-shaking routine (the producers seemed to be particularly fond of this character since she's all over this film, and the one that followed at least!).The songs are nothing special (though we are introduced to 'Little' Stevie Wonder!) and the climax involves a free-for-all at a club run by the eccentric Morey Amsterdam; however, there's a delightful surprise at the end involving a cameo by none other than Peter Lorre (a device which was retained for future "Beach" installments as well): incidentally, the end credits inform us that Lorre would return for BIKINI BEACH (1964) – but, unfortunately, he was dead by this time…and another great horror star turned up in his place (read my review for that film to find out his identity).

Despite lots of musclemen in the supporting cast, "Muscle Beach Party" could maybe use some steroids. The first follow-up to "Beach Party" is a bit lackluster and talky, and the pacing drags. Frankie (Frankie Avalon) and Dee Dee (Annette Funicello, no longer 'Dolores') feud over another woman who's out to snare the cocky surfer-boy (when Dee Dee tells Frankie how selfish he is and that all he ever does is 'take', the movie touches on some surprisingly prickly teen emotions). But the witty lines and funny repartee of "Beach Party" have mostly been replaced by wan slapstick and too many characters (and too much of Don Rickles). Candy Johnson does her version of dancing ("Man, she's really got the power!"), "Little" Stevie Wonder sings "Happy Street", and the surfing footage is fun, but Harvey Lembeck's Eric Von Zipper is AWOL (there wasn't room for him, what with Luciana Paluzzi as a millionairess, Buddy Hackett as her manager, and a dozen musclemen lining the beach). Annette is lovely singing forlornly as Frankie paddles out to sea, but she's far too patient with him (in one scene alone, he makes up with her, then drops her, then makes up again!). Not the strongest entry in the series, but with a few colorful compensations. **1/2 from ****