For Those Who Think Young

I saw this movie during a dusk until dawn show at a Drive-In theater many years ago. These shows would keep you up all night watching all kinds of stuff. I can't remember the entire show that night but to me this was one of the ultimate drive-in movies. It is a beach movie without Frankie & Annette.

When you weren't old enough to be in the back seat of the car with someone, there were enough women on the screen to keep your attention. The comedy in this is sophomore stuff, and to me the most interesting thing is the casting. Woody Woodbury had a comedy LP album at the time this was released. Bet that is a collectors item now as it set a martini mood & really dovetails with this movie as his routines here are watered down versions of that album.

What is most surprising about the women in this film is how many would become famous but yet none of them really ever did a block buster film. Never realized until I looked at this cast that Tina Louise is older than Nancy Sinatra. This was before both of them would achieve their greatest fame, Nancy with music, & Tina with Bob Denver as this is an earlier place to find them in the same film. Tina is a stripper in this movie, & Denver is James Darren's assistant & a bit of a playboy. Bob Denver leads the Ho Daddy Chorus but this song is not about calling women by that name. I would call most of them attractive.

Paul Lynde is pretty much his usual self here. There were worse fillers for these dusk till dawn drive-in films of the earlier 1960's fillers.

Although they share no on-screen time, Bob Denver and Tina Louise (reported rivals on TV's "Gilligan's Island") make their one and only film together, with Denver playing a beatnik and Louise stealing the show as a tone-deaf dancer. Acting accolades are really quite scarce here as the movie--a comedy about college kids awakening to civic rights while partying on the beach--is fairly dim-witted and slow on laughs. As one of the adults on hand, Ellen Burstyn (née McRae) does a drunk act with the best of them, but romantic leads James Darren and Pamela Tiffin are easily forgotten. Brunette Nancy Sinatra (pre-"Boots") is cute as Denver's girlfriend, and it is fun to catch all these stars together in one place. Few of them ever crossed paths again. ** from ****

Can't find better escapism! James Darren & Pamela Tiffin as the hotties, Tina Louise breathily trying to sing while sticking out her breasts, Nancy Sinatra with her natural hair color (the not-yet-blonde days), grumpy parents who don't understand "kids these days" & Paul Lynde as the "bachelor uncle" (yeah, right?) all combine for a wild, mindless romp. And who can unsee that weird number with Bob Denver, buried in sand except his makeup mouth & chin, singing "Ho Daddy"? Great with a bottle of wine and/or some 420.

This horrendous mish-mash of "Beach Party" movie, showcase for "comedian" Woodbury and love story between Darren and Tiffin has so much excess junk in it that none of the elements succeed. The cast list is jaw-dropping. There's Burstyn (doing an admirable enough job) in a role far removed from the meaningful work she would later do. Middleton plays Lee's father even though he is TWO YEARS older than her in real life. "Gidget" TV co-star Nader wiggles and jiggles around next to Darren (who starred in the original movie "Gidget".) Denver has the camp highlight of the movie. He paints his chin to look like a person, buries himself in the sand and sings a surfing chant while curvy, tan teens gyrate everywhere. Louise is shown stripping (which is one of the few acceptable things about the movie!) It's hard to believe that Denver and Louise appeared in a feature film together the year that "Gilligan's Island" premiered. (For decades, she groused about how she was a star who got stuck on TV. If this is what she was making, she didn't miss much from her film career!) The delectable Tiffin looks spaced through much of the film (or is her eye makeup too heavy to keep her eyes open?) She promotes Pepsi in this film after promoting Coke in "One, Two, Three". Her career was through before she could do one for RC. Woodbury is agonizing. Not only are most of his jokes just plain awful, the way he delivers them is abysmal. He is yet ANOTHER of the "Introducing ________ as_______" who was scarcely heard from again....for good reason! He's what Tab Hunter would look like with a gap in his teeth, a hellacious comb-over, wrinkles and even less talent. Beyond all these people, toss in Raft, Hart and Dino and Frank's daughters! You'd think something interesting could have come of all these personalities. But no...... The biggest crime the film makes (and one that it just can not be forgiven for) is billing Lynde third and giving him absolutely nothing to work with. He barely appears on screen and is exactly what this film needs. HE should have played Woodbury's part! He and Woodbury are amusing in that they are brothers, but they live and act like two old queens. They sit on the beach like two old sisters and even sleep together in one scene! Another scene has Louise handing them some dangerously phallic hot dogs. Woodbury, after toying with it briefly, hands his to Lynde and says, "Here...keep this warm." That moment alone causes one of the few laughs in the film. They should have run with it!

Having reviewed a number of beach movies, I can say that I have not seen one yet that has high reviews. So going into this movie, I was not expecting too much form the offering. Yes, the movie is corny and had a beatnik feel but you have to remember that was most American kids in the early 1960's. It is something that a person born after 1970 cannot relate in life.

For a beach movie the film had an almost regular plot where a parent or guardian is not wanting their child involved in a relationship. But I found that this script was more interesting than others. We have a rich grandfather not wanting his child hanging around 'bad-blood'. So he sets off to discredit people with some far-reaching, but humorous, activity.( I mean the slot machines in the place should have been a small hint.) Everything is going fine until the very end when the entire cast breaks out in a 'surf's-up' type musical that also includes some zesty arm movements. Something that may be all right for young people but this far-out scene including the aged actors which proved more embarrassing than entertaining. Plus I was never sure why the old man just made a 180* turnabout about his kid's partner.

For me, the bright spot of the movie was Woody Woodbury, Sure his jokes were even old for that time period and most were so corny that Hee-Haw could have used - but for some reason the exchange with the audience made me laugh. Was not expecting that type of humor from the show but it worked.

This is far from a classic but it did exactly what it was intended. People having a good time is suppose to reflect to the viewing audience. For the most part the viewer feels good about the people involved in the program. How groovy is that!