Ride the Wild Surf

Shoot the curl, man! Three hotshot surfers from Malibu hang-ten down in Honolulu; all find the usual quota of romance, teen competition, and gnarly waves. Director Don Taylor does competent work (as usual) and he gives the surf-sand-&-suntans material a little kick. Unfortunately, all the back-projection gives the film a cheesy, dopey look, which is incongruous to the seriousness with which it takes the sport of surfing. The youthful, beaming cast (most in their prime) are certainly a great drawing card, and Fabian, Tab Hunter, a blonde Shelley Fabares, Barbara Eden, Susan Hart, and surly Jim Mitchum all look terrific. An instant hit at drive-ins circa 1964, the movie features gorgeous location footage, but also a corny, unnecessary voice-over narration and far too much moony-eyed boy-girl drama. ** from ****

Ride The Wild Surf once again proves my notion that it is impossible to make a bad film in and about Hawaii the place is that beautiful. The story is not Academy Award stuff, but it's an easy to take story of three surfers who come to Hawaii to challenge what the film says are the best and most dangerous waves in the world.

The three guys are Fabian, Tab Hunter, and Peter Brown and in addition to waves the guys also find love on the island. Fabian is a young hotshot who rubs the rest the wrong way and they love seeing him wipe out in the first tests. His attitude also is a big impediment with a romance between him and Shelley Fabares.

Tab Hunter falls in love with Hawaii and Susan Hart and just wants to stay. But Sue's mom has a grudge against surfer bums, she married one who up and left her. She's not about to let that happen to her little girl.

And kookie Barbara Eden thinks that Peter Brown is a big old square and a poser. That's not going to get him anywhere and to prove her wrong he does some dangerous and foolhardy things. All these guys are looking to knock off champion surfer Jim Mitchum.

Also in the cast is Australian Olympic swimmer Murray Rose who would probably say that the waves on Bondi in his native country are more dangerous than anything Hawaii has to offer.

The title song sung by Jan & Dean will stick with you for some time after you watch Ride The Wild Surf. I think if you like beautiful people in bathing suits you'll enjoy this film.

This is a great film, much better than the other campy beach movies. Good story, good music and a young Barbara Eden.....yahoo. Beautiful Hawaiian scenery with huge waves that any surfer would drool over are prominent throughout the film. The story is set around a surfing contest of who will be bravest and toughest to ride the wild surf, the biggest waves in the world that come in only once in a long while. The vintage look and sound of the movie will bring you to the 1960's surf scene where girls look cute in bikinis and the guys are all tan and muscular. Even though you can easily spot the studio filmed scenes, the real footage of surfers tackling giant waves is truly exciting. After watching this movie you are going to want to by a Willy's and a long board and hit the beach. Aloha!

The opening scenes of this beach & surf film seem like the prototype for early 1980's gay porn! Three cute guys looking at the ocean while cheap music plays and then deciding to get in the car together to change into their swimsuits. Only this movie steers clear of any sordidness and the guys actually get out of the car and catch a wave! Where was Jerry's "Springer-Break" when ya needed it?! Everything is swell as the three pieces of meat (Porterhouse Hunter with his seasoned body, Sirloin Strip Brown with his lean, low-fat cut and Ribeye Fabian with his adorable baby fat cheeks--both sets!) paddle out to the ocean amidst a bevy of tan surfer boys. Unfortunately, it isn't long before some pesky girls enter the picture and spoil all the fun. The film's main goal (aside from attempting to add a little seriousness and reality to the beach movie genre) seems to be to switch everyone from their previously established hair color! Tab's hair is light brown instead of blonde, Fabares' is platinum blonde instead of brown (she is half-Scandinavian in the flick so she has to be an almost albino blonde?!), Eden ("Jeannie" for cryin' out loud) is a dark auburn and Brown lightens his natural brown hair and winds up with a shocking. brassy, golden-yellow 'do. Bizarre! (It has since been revealed by Hunter that the guys' hair was changed to match their stunt doubles' hues.) Surprisingly, the surfing footage is pretty decent--especially for it's time. The horror is that interspersed with some great footage featuring stunt doubles, there are rear-projection shots of the leads standing in a studio with water splashed on them as they're teetering back and forth!! Sometimes they actually carry on conversations while "riding" the wild surf! Hilarious! It is interesting to note that the trio of surfer dudes are presented as peers of college age. In truth, one was 21, but the other two were 29 and 33 (!) years old! But they all look pretty darn cute in their suits and with their now-politically incorrect tans. Fabares unexpectedly resembles Sandra Dee very much with her new hair and even sounds like her several times. Look for her first scene in which her headlights are on......HIGH BEAMS! Also on board is Robert Mitchum's son Jim who resembles his father so much it almost seems like Bob popped in for a cameo! It's a pleasant, occasionally interesting, always attractive film which depicts a time that is gone forever. Check it out!

These guys really need to learn to paddle their boards correctly. They really look lame "out there" when they are paddling into the lineup. Occasionally, you will see the real surfers in the stock footage who are knee paddling their Wiamea guns unlike the actors who look more like midwestern tourists learning to surf at Waikiki. Tab Hunter is, as always, awesome in a romantic lead role; he's just so natural with the opposite sex. Why didn't her mother just come out and say it: I don't want you having a gay boyfriend; it will cause you nothing but grief! The camp value of Tab Hunter resucitates this rag doll of a film after a trip over the falls at Wiamea. There is also stock footage of real surfers like Greg Noll (Eskimo's double) and Mickey Dora (Jody Wallis' double). Believe me, they didn't handle themselves like the actors did when out in 25 foot plus Wiamea.