The Beach Party Movies: A to Z

A – It’s for Annette, of course! (Though Avalon is a fine choice, too.)

B – Beach Party, the 1963 movie that started it all. Or, it can also be for Bonehead, Frankie’s dimwitted pal played by Jody McCrea (Joel’s son).

Candy Johnson.

C – Candy Johnson, the fringe-dressed dancer who shimmies through most of the closing credits.

D – Dick Dale, the “King of the Surf Guitar,” who appeared in Beach Party and Muscle Beach Party with his band The Del-Tones. Quentin Tarantino used Dale’s “Misirlou” as the theme to Pulp Fiction.

E – Eva Six, the Hungarian bombshell who tries to lure Frankie from Annette in Beach Party.

F – “The Finger,” a self-defensive maneuver, also known as the Himalayan Time Suspension Technique, employed originally by Professor Sutwell (Robert Cummings) in Beach Party. Sutwell would place his index finger on a “complex pressure point” on his opponent’s temple. The victim’s body would then go into a state of “time suspension” for several hours. The most frequent victim was Eric Von Zipper.

G – Go Go (Tommy Kirk), a Martian teen who falls in love with Connie (Annette) instead of preparing for the Mars invasion of Earth in Pajama Party.

H – Dwayne Hickman, TV’s Dobie Gillis, who wooed Annette in How to Stuff a Wild Bikini. Or, it could be Susan Hart, the beauty who starred as The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini after an earlier appearance in Pajama Party.

Harvey Lembeck as
Eric Von Zipper.

I – “I Am My Ideal” a reprise of Eric Von Zipper’s “Follow Your Leader” music number that first appeared in Beach Blanket Bingo and then How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.

J – Jack Fanny, the bodybuilding trainer played by Don Rickles in Muscle Beach Party.

K – Sugar Kane, a singer played by Linda Evans in Beach Blanket Bingo (the song vocals are by Jackie Ward). Or, it can be for Buster Keaton, who appeared in Beach Blanket Bingo, Pajama Party, and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.

L – Lorelei (Marta Kristen), Bonehead’s mermaid girlfriend in Beach Blanket Bingo. It could also be for Donna Loren, who sings some of the best songs in the series, including “It Only Hurts When I Cry” (from Bingo).

M – Flex Martian, the bodybuilder played by Mission: Impossible's Peter Lupus (shown on right) in Muscle Beach Party. Or, it could be Dorothy Malone, the only Oscar winner in a BP movie (Beach Party).

N – The Nooney Rickett Four, an L.A. rock band that appeared in Pajama Party.

O – “O Dio Mio” a pre-Beach Party hit song for Annette.

P – The Potato Bug, a British rock singer played by Frankie Avalon in Bikini Beach (in addition to his regular role of Frankie).

Q – Quinn O’Hara, Scottish redhead who played Basil Rathbone’s homicidal daughter in The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini.

R – The Ratz, the name of Eric Von Zipper’s motorcycle gang. (The female members were known as the Mice.)

South Dakota Slim.

S – South Dakota Slim (Timothy Carey), the creepy pool shark from Bikini Beach and Bingo (where he kidnaps Sugar Kane). Or, it can for Bobbi Shaw, the curvaceous blonde with a fondness for taking baths in the final four Beach Party movies.

T – Toni Basil, one of the singer-dancers in Pajama Party. In 1982, she had a No. 1 hit song with "Mickey."

U – Gary Usher, the influential 1960s composer, who wrote tunes for four Beach Party movies when not collaborating with Brian Wilson, The Byrds, and others.

V – Vivian Clements, a teacher played by Martha Hyer in Bikini Beach.

Dick Dale and Stevie Wonder.

W – Little Stevie Wonder, who performed in Muscle Beach Party and Bikini Beach.

X - Francis X. Bushman, famous silent film actor and the first star labeled "King of the Movies." He had a supporting role in The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini.

Y – “Yoots,” which is how Eric Von Zipper pronounces “youths” as in the Ratz being a bunch of “good clean American yoots.”

Z – Eric Von Zipper (a bit of cheat to make it to “Z”). Eric’s most famous quote: “I like you. And when Eric Von Zipper likes someone, they stay liked.”

Harvey Lembeck Stays Liked

While some actors are acclaimed for the body of their work, others earn fame for creating a handful of indelible characters. Harvey Lembeck, like many fine comedians, toiled in minor roles for most of his career in film and television. However, when given a promising role, he seized the opportunity and created three classic characters:  Sergeant Harry Shapiro in Billy Wilder's film adaptation of Stalag 17 (1953); Corporal Rocco Barbello in The Phil Silvers Show (1955-59); and klutzy motorocycle gang leader Eric Von Zipper in the Beach Party movies of the 1960s.

Born in Brooklyn in 1923, Harvey Lembeck first entered show business as one-half of The Dancing Carrolls at a 1939 World's Fair exhibition. His partner, Caroline Dubs, eventually became his wife. 

After a stint in the armed services during World War II, Lembeck graduated from New York University in 1947, hoping for a career in radio broadcasting. Instead, he wound up on Broadway, playing the character Insignia for three years opposite Henry Fonda in Mister Roberts. (Robert Roark played Lembeck's role in the 1955 film version of Mister Roberts). 

Strauss and Lembeck in Stalag 17.

His work in Mister Roberts led to his breakout performance as the wisecracking Sergeant Harry "Sugar Lips" Shapiro in the original stage version of the P.O.W. drama Stalag 17. Along with Robert Strauss as "Animal," Lembeck balanced the play's serious aspects with unexpected humor (e.g., "I'm tellin' ya, Animal, these Nazis just ain't kosher!"). When Billy Wilder adapted Stalag 17 for the big screen in 1953, Lembeck and Strauss both recreated their stage performances--with Strauss earning an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Sgt Bilko and Cpl Barbello in The Phil
Silvers Show.

Two years later, Harvey Lembeck joined The Phil Silvers Show as Corporal Rocco Barbello, who usually found himself knee-deep in the conniving Sergeant Bilko's schemes (e.g., passing a desk clerk off as Bing Crosby at a military show). It was a more subtle variation of his Sergeant Shapiro character, but Lembeck created a perfect comic foil for the fast-talking Silvers.

Andy Romano as J.D. and Lembeck
as Eric Von Zipper in Beach Party.

A few years after the demise of The Phil Silvers Show in 1960, Lembeck made his debut as Eric Von Zipper in Beach Party (1963). I doubt if anyone expected Von Zipper to become a series regular. Yet, except for Muscle Beach Party, Lembeck plays the motorcycle gang leader--a parody of Marlon Brando's character in The Wild One (1953)--in six of the seven Beach Party films. Lembeck excels in the physical comedy bits and also gets to shine in a couple of musical numbers (the best being "I Am My Ideal" from Beach Blanket Bingo). But Eric Von Zipper is best remembered for his classic dialogue, perfectly delivered by Lembeck in an exaggerated Brooklyn accent. Two of my favorites: “Eric Von Zipper adores you. And when Eric Von Zipper adores somebody, they stay adored” and "Him, I like...you, I don't like."

In 1965, Harvey Lembeck founded The Harvey Lembeck Comedy Workshop to teach aspiring comedians. Lembeck explained: "“You can’t teach an actor to be funny. If the humor is innately there, we will give him the tools and nourish his own abilities to grow.” Over the years, the workshop has been attended by actors such as Robin Williams, John Ritter, and Mary Kay Place. Lembeck's children, director-actor Michael and daughter Helaine, run the workshop today.

Harvey Lembeck continued performing on TV series such as The Love Boat and Mork & Mindy right up until his death by a heart attack in 1982 at age 58. He left behind a successful acting school and a legacy of memorable film and television characters.

Chicks Dig Guys Who "Ride the Wild Surf"

This surprisingly entertaining teen pic sounds like a rip-off of American-International’s Beach Party films. Yet, while it was made in the midst of those movies, Ride the Wild Surf chose to catch an altogether different wave. Stars Fabian and Shelley Fabares don’t sing a single song—in fact, there are no musical numbers (though Susan Hart provides a provocative hula dance and Jan & Dean croon the closing song). In lieu of grainy stock shots of surfing, we’re treated to am amazing display by real-life champs like Mickey Dora gliding across huge waves. And most surprisingly, the young cast even manages a couple of effective dramatic scenes.

Fabian and Shelley Fabares.

The premise, borrowed freely from Three Coins in the Fountain, has three young men arriving in Hawaii in search of the “big wave” at Waimea Bay. What they find initially are three pretty girls and plenty of teen angst. Jody (Fabian) wants to be “surf bum” until college girl Brie (Shelley) convinces him there’s more to life. Chase (Peter Brown) is a stick-in-the-mud who clashes with the free-spirited Augie Poole (Barbara Eden as a redhead). Steamer (Tab Hunter) falls in love with island girl Lily (Susan Hart), but must convince her surf-hating mother that his intentions are honorable. And to top it all off, there are a couple of unlikable rival surfers (James Mitchum, who resembles his dad Robert, and Roger Davis) and a climatic surf championship.

Peter Brown and Barbara Eden.

None of the cast will be mistaken for great thespians, but they’re likable and energetic. They also hold a certain nostalgic appeal for me. Peter Brown, Barbara Eden, and Roger Davis all went on to star in TV series I watched (Laredo, I Dream of Jeannie, and Alias Smith and Jones, respectively…with Roger also in Dark Shadows). The lovely Susan Hart appeared in a handful of Beach Party movies, married AIP co-founder James Nicholson, and retired from acting. Fabian, after pleasant turns in films like Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, starred in some awful films and faded quickly. I was never a big Shelley Fabares fan, but she certainly established a lengthy career on television and had a #1 pop hit with "Johnny Angel."

Susan Hart.

Much of Ride the Wild Surf appears to have been shot in Hawaii. The tropical locales are scenic and the color photography exceptional for this kind of movie. The surfing scenes are incredible, although the big championship goes for about ten minutes too long. After about the seventh wipe-out, they all look the same!

James Mitchum (Robert's son).

I caught Ride the Wild Surf on late night TV in the early 1990s. I didn’t see it again until it was unexpectedly released on DVD about a decade later. To my delight, I found it as charming as the first time. It made me want to go out and taking surfing lessons. But, by the next day, I felt more practical and quenched my thirst for ocean waves by taking my wife to the Red Lobster for some tasty seafood.

Gidget: “How Cute Can One Girl Be?”

Sixteen-year-old straight A-student Francie (Sandra Dee) is coaxed into a beach excursion by her gal pals for some “man hunting.” A group of surfing guys pays little attention to the girls, which is blamed on the tomboyish Francie, who freely admits to disliking “smooching” and all that “pawing” from boys. When Francie takes a dip in the ocean, she’s caught in some kelp and is saved from a potential drowning by Moondoggie (James Darren). The girl’s short ride back to shore atop a surfboard spurs a newfound enthusiasm for surfing. She begs her father for the money to buy a used surfboard.

The next day, Francie returns to the beach and meets surf bum, Kahuna (Cliff Robertson), who lives in a shack on the sandy shore. Well beyond his teens (“He’s an older boy,” Francie tells her mother), Kahuna seems to take an instant liking to Francie, and she soon earns the respect of the other male surfers, who dub her “Gidget,” a merging of girl and midget (though she’s more affectionately called “Gidge”). Francie deftly handles the boys’ initiation and spends the summer honing her surfing skills. But it’s not long before smooching a boy doesn’t seem like such a bad idea, and the Gidge has her eyes set on Moondoggie.

Gidget (1959), helmed by TV/film director Paul Wendkos, was based on Frederick Kohner’s novel, Gidget, The Little Girl with Big Ideas (although more commonly known by the condensed title). The film not only popularized surfing (and surf culture in general, particularly surf rock groups) but was also a forerunner for the Beach Party films in the ‘60s.

While the Beach Party movies include crowds of guys ogling the girls in bikinis, the surfers in Gidget are a different breed. They care more for catching waves and even mock Francie’s friends when the girls “accidentally” hit a ball their way so that the boys will acknowledge them. Moondoggie and the others are there for the ocean, not the girls, one of whom is played by Yvonne Craig, who would later star as Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl) on the cult TV series, Batman, as well as Marta, the green slave girl from Star Trek recognizable even to novices of the show. The surf bum lifestyle that Kahuna lives and Moondoggie desires is a carefree, day-to-day existence. What makes Francie so appealing is that she seems to have the same attitude, unburdened by concern over what others think of her. From the beginning, she’s a surfer without a surfboard, and the surfing boys quickly accept her as one of them. The nickname with which Francie is bestowed seems like ridicule, but in little time, it’s abbreviated to Gidge, a moniker that Francie redefines with her generous nature and perseverance.

At the same time, Francie, in spite of being a tomboy, is still a teenager and prone to corresponding behavior. Francie, for instance, is smart enough to employ the “daddy’s little girl” routine to get what she wants. She asks her father to help her purchase a used surfboard, but he’s more precisely buying it for her, since he’s contributing over 80 percent of the 25-dollar price tag. Likewise, Francie tends to give too much significance to trivial things: she’s convinced that the surfboard is a “guarantee for a summer of sheer happiness,” while an invitation to a luau is something she wants “more than anything else in the whole wide world.” These characteristics are certainly not flaws, but instead make her seem more appropriate. As it happens, Francie is a little too perfect with her squeaky clean family life. She does occasionally argue with her parents, but no one ever seems truly upset or agitated, and there’s a distinct impression that there’s simply nothing wrong with Francie.

Despite its lightheartedness, Gidget is much more serious in overall tone than later films such as Beach Party (1963). Francie’s relationship with Moondoggie seems more meaningful because they began as friends and only later developed romantic feelings. At one point, Francie seems to question if a more shapely body would make boys take note. Though they never explicitly say it, she and her friend contemplate giving her an artificially bigger bust (fortunately the idea is almost immediately squelched). By the time this topic is addressed, Francie is already a surfer and a part of the boys’ clique. Her implication that a girl could so easily and superficially make boys aware of her presence seems highly critical of the male characters. Near the end of the film is a scene that’s more arduously dramatic. Had it been handled with any humor, it would have been far worse, but it remains a somewhat uncomfortable affair and is a relief when it’s over.

One of Francie’s friends, Betty Louise (Sue George), typically called B.L., is more a tomboy than Francie. B.L. is in the film’s first scene, and her short haircut and boyish attire initially make it difficult to determine whether or not she is a boy. More notable is the fact that B.L. never goes scouring for boys at the beach, and, unlike Francie, is apparently not even pressured to do so. She is, however, quite hilarious and a highlight of the movie. In one scene, Francie practices surfing on her bed, with B.L. reading a how-to book and shaking the mattress to replicate waves. When Francie insinuates that she should have spent more time surfing (or engaging in similar activities), B.L. accepts blame for congratulating Francie on her good grades: “I should have belted you one right then!”

The Four Preps performed the title song that plays over the opening credits, and the song later becomes diegetic when played on the radio. The band also performs “Cinderella” onscreen during the luau.

Gidget spawned two theatrical sequels, Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) and Gidget Goes to Rome (1963). Both were directed by Wendkos and featured a reprisal of Darren’s Moondoggie, but alas, Sandra Dee did not return. Deborah Walley, who starred in two of the Beach Party films, was Gidget in the first sequel, while Cindy Carol was the Gidget who went to Rome. Sally Field starred in the 1965-66 TV series, Gidget, while Karen Valentine played a slightly older Gidget in the TV movie, Gidget Grows Up (1969). Gidget really had grown up by the following TV films, Gidget Gets Married (1972), with Monie Ellis, and Gidget’s Summer Reunion (1985), with Caryn Richman. The latter inspired a TV series with Richman, The New Gidget, which lasted two seasons.

Sandra Dee is quite good as Gidget. Though she was sometimes mocked for her wholesome demeanor associated with her performances (see: the musical, Grease, and its 1978 film adaptation), Dee makes Francie a likable character. The title song instantly defines Francie, describing her short stature and her tomboy traits but stressing that she’s an ideal girl, with the refrain, “Gidget is the one for me,” and her “ring-sized” finger an unmistakable reference to marriage. When Francies wonders why she isn’t like her boy-crazy friends, her mom tells her that she is “too genuine.” That’s a perfect word for Francie, and when the opening credits song is praising a girl that the audience has not yet seen, she wins over the audience with minimal effort. Francie vies for attention in the film, but those watching the movie are hardly watching anyone other than the Gidge.

Beach Party Tonight!

Frankie surfing...in front of a rear screen.

With one notable exception, 1963's Beach Party--the first entry in American-International's seven-film series--provided the blueprint for a new genre: the teen sand 'n' surf musical. It wasn't the first teen movie with surfing (see Gidget) and certainly not the first teen musical (see Rock Around the Clock and many others). However, Beach Party combined both elements into one sunny, sandy, frothy mix.

Annette--pretty in pink!

The aforementioned exception in Beach Party is the presence of adult leads Bob Cummings and Dorothy Malone. Although integrated into the plot, I think they were added to draw an older audience that this genre ultimately didn't need. American-International apparently came to the same conclusion. Starting with Muscle Beach Party, the first stars listed above the title are Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. Their popularity grew to the point where just one of the two stars was enough to attract an audience. (In contrast, the only film with neither one, The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini, was the least successful entry in the series...and a bad movie, too.)

Beach Party opens with Frankie and Annette singing the catchy "Beach Party (Tonight)" as they cruise down a seaside road in Frankie's yellow jalopy, with surfboards protruding from the back. Their destination is a beachfront cabin where they will spend the summer together--although with different expectations as highlighted in this dialogue exchange:

Frankie (motioning to the cabin): There it is, Honey. It's all ours.
Dolores: Just you and me. All alone.
Frankie: Exactly.
Dolores: It's just like we were married.
Frankie: Exactly!

Thus, in the film's first scene, we learn the source of friction in the relationship between Frankie and Dolores: She wants to get married; he wants the sexual benefits of marriage without the commitment. This theme carries throughout most of the films in the series and results in each character going to extremes to make the other jealous.

Bob Cummings watching "tribal" teens.

In Beach Party, these "tribal customs" of the American teenager attract the attention of middle-aged anthropologist Robert Sutwell, who is writing a book titled The Behavior Pattern of the Young Adult and Its Relation to Primitive Tribes. His attractive assistant Marianne (Dorothy Malone) describes it more accurately as Teenage Sex. Sutwell’s plan is to observe the teenagers through his telescope and eavesdrop with his high-tech sound equipment.

Frankie gets cozy with Eva Six.

Meanwhile, Dolores confides to her friend Rhonda (Valora Noland) that she wants to be with Frankie, but take their relationship slowly. Frankie expresses his frustration to his friends, who advise him to dump Dolores. Frankie confesses that he can’t do that—because he loves her. They hatch a scheme to make Dolores jealous: When the gang goes to Big Daddy’s that night, Frankie will flirt with the voluptuous waitress Ava (Eva Six).

Everyone shows up at Big Daddy’s that evening, including Sutwell, who has decided he needs to get closer to his subjects. Unfortunately, Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck), an unpopular motorcycle gang leader, also makes an appearance. When Dolores decides to leave after watching Frankie flirt with several other girls (including Ava), Von Zipper approaches her. “Hey, baby, girls fall for Eric Von Zipper,” he tells her. “I like you and what Eric Von Zipper likes, he gets.”

Lembeck as Eric Von Zipper.

Hearing Von Zipper’s unwanted advances, Sutwell comes to Dolores’s rescue. When Von Zipper confronts him, Sutwell pushes his index finger against Von Zipper’s temple and the gang leader's body freezes immediately. Sutwell explains this is the “Himalayan time suspension technique” and that Von Zipper will be fine in a few hours. Sutwell then escorts Dolores back to her beach house, where she hatches her own scheme for making Frankie jealous.

Morey Amsterdam spouting
beatnik poetry.

It's a slight plot, but that doesn't matter, of course. If you're a fan of the Beach Party films--as I am--it's because of the casts and the music. Beach Party introduces many performers who would become regulars in the series:  the delightful Lembeck supported by Andy Romano as his crony J.D. (for Juvenile Delinquent); Jody McCrea as the dim-witted Deadhead (later renamed Bonehead); the shimmying Candy Johnson; and John Ashley as the other good-looking male in the gang. Morey Amsterdam became the first veteran comedian to appear in the series--and would be followed by Don Rickles (four films), Buster Keaton (three), Paul Lynde, and Jesse White. Likewise, Vincent Price became the first classic film star to make a cameo, paving the way for Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Dorothy Lamour, Elsa Lanchester, and Basil Rathbone.

Dick Dale jamming on his guitar.

As for the music, Dick Dale and the Del Tones perform the beach classic "Swingin' and a-Surfin'" while Frankie and Annette (as a duo and separately) croon the rest of the tunes. It's one of the best scores in the series with songs written by Bob Marcucci, Gary Usher and Roger Christian (who sometimes collaborated with the Beach Boys), and Guy Hemric and Jerry Styner (who wrote songs for several Beach Party pictures).

While Beach Party isn't the series' best entry (that'd be Beach Blanket Bingo), it's a pleasant diversion and deserves kudos for establishing the prototype for all subsequent 1960s teen sand 'n'surf movies. That makes it historically significant! And if that's not enough to convince you to watch it, then you might have to deal with Eric Von Zipper and the Ratz....