Ski Party (1965)* (out of 4) College buddies Todd (Frankie Avalon) and Craig (Dwayne Hickman) are constantly wondering how one of their classmates is constantly able to bring in the ladies. They decide to follow him to a ski resort where they hope to learn but instead they both end up in drag.SKI PARTY is, apparently, connected to the BEACH PARTY series but I personally find that to be somewhat of a stretch. Either way, this is a really awful movie on many levels and it has only a few things that keeps it from being a complete disaster. The highlight of the film is a sequence where James Brown shows up to sing "I Feel Fine" and it's like a shot of energy because up until then the movie was a real drag. There are also a couple fine jokes but that's about it.The rest of the movie is a complete mess that seems to have been thrown together using leftover jokes from previous movies. The entire premise is a rip-off of SOME LIKE IT HOT but it just doesn't work. Avalon and Hickman contain no chemistry together and their comic timing is just awful. Neither Deborah Walley or Yvonne Craig bring much to the picture and the supporting players are just as bland.The entire movie has a very cheap feel to it but the biggest problem is that it's just never funny. The movie is a complete bore from start to finish and should be avoided.

A friend of mine came over last night and we were both feeling kind of run down after the holidays, so we wanted something "light". He brought three "Frankie and Annette" films over (this, plus MUSCLE BEACH PARTY and BIKINI BEACH) and I figured they had to be fun, and with some cute chicks and all.... but oh, brother! Since it's winter we decided to watch this first, even though it comes later in this series, and Annette Funicello isn't in it except for a really quick cameo where she plays a teacher at the beginning. The thing plays like another version of SOME LIKE IT HOT, with Frankie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman as two buddies who go on a skiing trip and wind up dressing in drag while they try to make time with Yvonne Craig and Deborah Walley. Hell, they even mention SOME LIKE IT HOT in the movie! This film doesn't have much to recommend in it, and I figured going in that it had to be the least of the three movies we'd watch... but who knew it would turn out to be the "best"? At least this film had a story, even if it's clichéd. My favorite moment involved Lesley Gore popping up on the bus trip to sing her big hit "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows", and then later on getting to enjoy James Brown belt out "I Got You (I Feel Good)". These two musical performances were the shining light. ** out of ****

Teenagers loved this "epic" baby boomer classic. Best part: Lesley Gore singing her huge 1965 hit "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows" on the bus! Gore had many better hits, but this one fit this movie perfectly. Some funny and interesting scenes.

Even by the usual leave-your-brain-at-the-door-and-have-a-good-time standards of the beach party movies, this movie REEKS!The actors all deserve purple hearts of valor for even leaving this one on their resumes! Watch the film only to catch rare film appearances by James Brown and Lesley Gore.