Pajama Party

I was shocked (SHOCKED!) that this movie rated only a three. I mean WTF? I consider all of the beach party movies as at least 6 or more stars, if for nothing more than sheer historical value. Add to that that these movies are definitely entertaining, then add in some now-nostalgic music and you have a wonderfully amusing bit of film. And does anyone realize that Annette Funicello was the original Disney teen queen? She was Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, and Miley Cyrus' original predecessor. If that's not worth a few stars, what is?

Perhaps I am understandably biased, but I don't think I am being too unfair about this. This particular romp finds Tommy Kirk as a Martian scout sent to prepare the way for a Martian invasion. Annette is his reluctant love interest (she thinks he's nuts), and all the other usual clowns are here as well. If you like beach movies, you'll enjoy this one as well. If 60's nostalgia cinema doesn't float your surfboard, then you should stay away. Great flick!

"Beach Blanket Bingo" reigns as the best of AIP's "Beach Party" series, but "Pajama Party" takes the runner-up spot. True, there's no Frankie, but Tommy Kirk does fine as a teenaged alien trying to understand the ways of Earthlings (the plot was obviously inspired by "Visit to a Small Planet"). Annette has one of her best songs with the hilarious "Stuffed Animals" number. The often under-used Susan Hart looks terrific, especially when her dancing causes a toy volcano to erupt. In short, "Pajama Party" is a very entertaining piece of nostalgia. It's a shame that Tommy Kirk and Susan Hart were both wasted in the later lame series entry "Ghost in the Invisible Bikini".

GoGo (Tommy Kirk), a somewhat incompetent Martian agent, is sent to infiltrate Earth's teenagers in anticipation of an invasion from the Red Planet. Needless to say he promptly falls for Terran tart Connie (Annette Funicello, whose Disney-mandated bathing-suit is the most demure on the beach). This sci-fi-comedy, the fourth in AIPS popular 'beach' series, is full of scantly-dressed, energetically dancing youngsters (including a youthful Terri Garr), spontaneous singing, slapstick yucks, a touch of meta-humour (usually referring to the 'absent' Frankie Avalon), and an interesting secondary cast including silent-movie icon Buster Keaton (as Indian chief Rotten Eagle, a role that these days would be considered near blasphemous cultural appropriation, "Ugh!"), Dorothy Lamour (the sexy sarong-clad sidekick from the "Road to..." series) who has the best musical number (asking the classic generation-gap question 'Where Did I go Wrong?') and the lonely Maytag repairman himself, Jesse White, as the ridiculously named 'J. Sinister Hulk'. The barely existent plot makes little sense and serves primarily to set up comedic or terpsichorean set-pieces. The film also features the great Elsa Lanchester as a wealthy but ditsy dress-shop owner and a number of the usual beach-movie crowd (including Mr. Warmth himself, Don Rickles as 'Big Bang' a disgruntled Martian and Harvey Lembeck's brainless-biker Eric Von Zipper). The first part of the film is amusing in a goofy way but the story soon degenerates into a lengthy, time-killing, chase-sequence before climaxing at the titular party, a silly and not particularly funny series of predictable sight-gags and faux-teenage shenanigans. The 60's go-go style dancing is fun to watch but other than Lamour's song, the music (especially Annette and Tommy's duet) is unmemorable. Needful watching for all fans of beach movies and for obsessive sci-fi completists, otherwise, OK fluff for anyone in the mood to get nostalgic for a kinetic 1960s than never really existed. Kirk returned to Earth as a Martian in Larry Buchannan's penurious but evocatively entitled time-waster 'Mars Need Women' (1968).

This was what passed for entertainment when I was a teen. Speaking of which, I saw very few, if any, actual teens in this production. Did see the Maytag man though: this guy always leaves me in stitches for some reason. How well I remember his portrayal of Honest John in a segment of "Beverly Hillbillies". As to exactly why I remember this so well is well beyond me, I just do. Another highlight of this film was Don Rickles, one of my all time fave comics. But the ultimate high point of this or any of the sand and surf epics is none other than Eric Von and his cycle Ratz. They are without peer and I'll fight to the death over this belief. Ok, not to the death, but I do love Von Zipper. I have seen several of the beach pictures and this may be the zaniest one yet....you stupids!

American International Pictures at their goofy best, hitting a "Beach Party" high-point with this insane slapstick opus. Having seen all the "Beach Party" flicks (including "Ski Party" and "The Ghost In The Invisible Bikini"), I have to say this may be my favorite. Frankie Avalon is relegated to a cameo playing a Martian leader--in scenes tinted red!--but Annette Funicello is here, having trouble with a new beau who says he's from Mars. Annette is very appealing warbling the title cut poolside (she gets dunked!) or crooning "Stuffed Animal" to a colorful toy monstrosity who winks at her. There are some big laughs: Buster Keaton's battle with the perfume spritz girl, Dorothy Lamour getting a lesson in today's fashions, Susan Hart's slow shimmy making a volcano erupt, the kid who hates "mush!", and Elsa Lanchester flitting around the teenagers, casting caution to the wind (one of the bikers calls her an "older doll"). Fun stuff! *** from ****