Okay, leave your brain behind. After all, this is the first installment of moviedom's biggest celebration of mindless fluff. Okay, no one's expecting Oscar bait from a title like Beach Party, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. Between the sunny swimsuit foreplay and California's sand, sea, and surf, it's the peak of pre-Vietnam hedonism. And a heckuva lot of fun it is for those unashamed to say so. Annette and Frankie, Frankie and Annette, he loves her, she loves him. But first they have to find each other amid all the other shaking' and wigglin' going on. And, oh yes, there's one-finger warrior Bob Cummings to carry the acting load, along with a perfectly groomed Dorothy Malone to keep him company. Add a goofy Jody MacCrea and a fractured Harvey Lembeck, and there're chuckles aplenty. Then there's perpetual motion Candy Johnson. Hook her up to a power plant and she'll light up LA. And catch those sunsets over the glorious Pacific. Hard to believe there was ever a carefree time like this for teens. But then, isn't this what the Hollywood Dream Machine is for. Here, it's hitting on all eight, and happily so. (It seems not fair to rate this ad for Surfin' USA on the usual scale. But on the Fluff Meter it rates a '10'.)

I find it very difficult not to like Beach Party. While it may seem dated by today's standards, it is interesting to see surfing done this way and how people acted and I thought it added to its charm. My only real problem with Beach Party actually is the banal subplot between Sutwell and Marianne that seemed to come from a completely different movie altogether. Bob Cummings however is very likable, and Dorothy Malone is resourceful with some nice lines. Her character may seem somewhat worthless compared to this subplot, but not because of her performance. The rest of the performances are also fine, Harvey Lembeck seems to be enjoying himself, and the leads Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello(it's easy why anybody would have a crush on her) are really charming and sweet. Vincent Price also has a nice if brief cameo. The film looks colourful, and the soundtrack is very catchy and drives it wonderfully. The pacing is zippy, the characters are appealing and the story is rarely dull. The dialogue has its wit and fun too, if perhaps very of the time. All in all, charming, likable and fun, very difficult not to enjoy regardless of whether it's perfect or not. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This 1963 movie was a prequel of sorts to the 1964 "Bikini Beach", using many of the same characters and some continuation of story lines, like Eric Von Zipper and his RATZ motorcycle gang. But Avalon and Funicello, even though experienced actors, had not become the the "beach lovers" yet, and this is the movie that made them that. It brings back good memories for me in particular, 1963 was the year I graduated from high school and turned 18. I didn't see this movie back then, but seeing it now is a certain type of fun that can't be explained unless you too were a teenager back then.This movie really focuses on established star Robert Cummings, who was in his early 50s, as Professor Sutwell. He landed his small high-wing plane on the beach and stuck around to study this strange species, the teenage surfer crowd. His able assistant and eventual love interest is Dorothy Malone as Marianne .Frankie Avalon is Frankie and Annette Funicello is Dolores (called 'Dee-Dee' in the next movie). They are boyfriend and girlfriend, but as was custom back in the 1960s, she wanted him to ask her to get married. She was graduating from high school and wanted to be a wife. (It really was that way back then, all the girls from my 1963 graduating class that didn't go to college got married pretty quickly, and many of them have lasted through the years. It was a different time.)So most of the story is Dolores trying to make Frankie jealous so that he will ask her to marry him. She does that by taking an interest in Professor Suttwell, even with the age difference. She misinterprets his interest as a romantic interest.Another really fun blast from the past is Morey Amsterdam as Cappy who ran the local hangout. Harvey Lembeck is Eric Von Zipper and we see how Professor Suttwell first paralyzes him with "the finger" to his temple. Soon after to become obscure was Eva Six as Ava , who some described as 'a face like Marilyn Monroe's and a body like Jayne Mansfield's, which she did but I suppose she wasn't much of an actress.The movie is mostly ridiculous and slapstick, it never was intended to be high art, just fluff of entertainment for the times. And for that it hits that mark quite well.

*Spoiler/plot- 1963, A young couple rents a secluded romantic summer beach house but their friends 'crash' the house only to use it for a beach party and crash pad. The couple is furious at the gang and themselves. They attempt to make each other jealous with concocting summer romantic 'flings' with many beach area locals. A local motorcycle gang intervenes in this lover's spat when it's leader gets infatuated with the lead female character. Only through the intervention of the young couple's beach gang and a mysterious anthropologist temporarily living at the beach to study the summer 'surf youth' culture does the film resolve itself with a pie-throwing conclusion and Big Daddy finally speaking to the beach locals.*Special Stars- Bob Cummings, Dorothy Malone, Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Harvey Lembeck, Jody McCrea, Meredith McRea, Candy Johnson, Morey Amsterdam, and Dick Dale and the Del Tones.*Theme- Kids just want to have fun at the beach.*Based on- Southern California 'Surf' culture and Motorcycle culture.*Trivia/location/goofs- The first of the southern Californian "surf and beach" film genre. Features many pop songs by Avalon, Funicello, and Dick Dale & his band. Funicello was still under contract to Walt Disney from her Mouseketeer Days and got Uncle Walt's permission to do the beach shows in an un-revealing matronly bikini. Two new actors (kids of major movie stars) are featured: Jody McCrea and Meredith McRea. 'Candy' Johnson is the Go Go Dancer of special note. Harvey Lembeck's comedy motorcycle character is a spin-off of Marlon Brando's "The Wild Ones" role (Jonnie) and Lembeck's real son will become a famous and wanted TV sitcom director. An interesting cameo role is Vincent Prices near the end of the film as "Big Daddy". Mr. Price was a American International main star and made his career in its horror genre films with other classic actors. Eva Six plays the "Frankie" bar waitress love interest in a delivering a confusing "Marilyn Monroe V.S. Zsa Zsa Gabor" performance. The beach sequences were shot at Leo Carrillo and Latigo Beach above Malibu Beach. Look for some continuity goofs with the Yoga Girls wearing their wrap-around sunglasses, Ava's black hosiery 'changes' in mid café dance, and some obvious microphone boom shadows in the café "Big Daddy's".*Emotion- An enjoyable but rather crazy surf movie featuring the sights, dances and songs of that early 60's era. It's a vintage American International (Orion Pictures now) B-Movie drive-in comedy laced with laughs, morality & music fun. A bouncy musical about the 60's beach party vacation break society with some exposure of the rough motorcycle club crowd. This film is a comedic 'slice of life' for the era and age group.