Surf Party

With the success of American-International's "Beach Party" movie series, it was inevitable that other studios would try to cash in on that success. Some efforts were made by major studios, while other efforts were made by independents, "Surf Party" being one of these independent efforts (though it was picked up by a major studio for distribution.) It's interesting to compare this movie to the "Beach Party" movies. It's done on a much lower budget, for one thing, filmed in black and white instead of color. The song number are less polished for the most part as well. But the biggest difference is that this movie's tone is much more serious than what was found in the "Beach Party" movies; even the ending isn't all that upbeat. I can only imagine what youths in 1964 thought of the somewhat downer tone. Probably they would also object to a storyline that quite often feels like it was being made up as filming went along. The atypical scripting does give the movie some interest, but I would only recommend the movie to those researching beach movies of the 1960s as an odd example of the genre.

"Surf Party" (1964) is essentially a musical version of "Gidget" (1959), with stuntman Jerry Summers in the Big Kahuna role and singer Bobby ("Blue Velvet") Vinton playing Moondoggie. Terry Wells (Patricia Morrow) and her two girlfriends (think three Gidgets) tow a travel trailer to the beach where her black sheep older brother Skeet (Summers) holds court as the hottest surfer.

Len (Vinton) runs the local surfboard shop (like Bear in "Big Wednesday" but not as spiritual) and interfaces with the resident fuzz (Richard Crane). Milo (Ken Miller-a sort of poor man's Nick Adams) is a gremmie (overeager novice) who aspires to membership in the surfer lodge; the rite of passage being a dangerous ritual called running the pier. Junior (singer Jackie DeShannon) serves as a love interest for the hapless Milo.

But the main story centers on adoring little sister Terry. This is her coming of age story and she is romanced by Len while learning (with the rest of the beach crowd) some unpleasant things about Skeet. Morrow was quite a beauty with a lot of natural charm. She would become relatively famous a couple years after this film, playing one of the main characters on television's "Peyton Place".

The production design is pure 1964 southern California but Skeet's beach house is a far cry from The Big Kahuna's hut. One glance at his bedroom furnishings will have you thinking Ed Wood, but all of this is eventually explained.

Like a standard musical these characters will burst into song at the drop of a hat and there are several numbers by actual singing groups. The Routers play "Crack Up". The Astronaunts play "Fire Water" and the title song. Almost everyone gets a song. Obviously this stuff is dated but some is rather good and even the worst is not unpleasant.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

I was hoping this Beach Party knock-off would have a similar campy charm as the Frankie & Annette AIP pictures or that it would be a cool surf picture like "Ride the Wild Surf," but it was sadly neither. Shot in black & white, this film lacked those films' vibrant colorful charms, both visually and textually. Three gals from Arizona hit the beach at Malibu and pair off with different local surfers, including Bobby Vinton. There's teen strife and the group also runs afoul a decidedly anti-surfing police sergeant. I did like some of the music, most all of the period surfing footage, and the teenybopper drama is kind of charming in a Archie/Riverdale sort of way, but overall it wasn't nearly as fun as the corny but highly entertaining Frankie & Annette pictures (which are movies that I'd secretly like to pull a "Purple Rose of Cairo" and step into).

Southern California surf shop proprietor teaches three giggly girls from Phoenix to surf, but the flirty little blonde he's attracted to is the sister of Skeet Wells, the beach big shot and hot-dogger (he doesn't even answer his doorbell when his baby sister arrives...he's busy entertaining!). Black-and-white surf-genre entry from Twentieth Century-Fox has awkward segues from comedy to drama (usually involving Richard Crane as the local law), and from narrative into the music numbers (which include a faux calypso ditty and a hand-waving spiritual!). Singing stars Bobby Vinton and Jackie DeShannon are among the kids surfing, fighting, necking...and being warned to stay on the north side of the pier! Some of the cinematography is good (particularly at the beginning), but the repeated shots padding the movie give it a cheap, crummy feel. *1/2 from ****

I understand that film producers are greedy, lazy SOB's, and when they see a way to make an easy buck they jump at it. Such was the case with this film Surf Party which failed miserably from the get go with the horrible songs included in this film and the lousy doo wap singers who couldn't act if they had trained with Lee Strasberg or Stella Adler.

I did not laugh once, and the film quality must have been put together with minimal editing and no concern for the final product being released to theaters. It was definitely rushed to get released as a black and white film while the surf party movies starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon were so highly appreciated and accolades for their fun beach party mood and great songs sung by real singers with great voices.

I hate to rain on this Surf Party and singer Bobby Vinton's first film but it is a bummer and only deserving of an IMDB rating of 5 out of 10. I gave it one IMDB rating notch up from two (4) as the film did have the lovely Patricia Morrow included in some swim suit scene(s).