Beach Ball

You remember that routine that they used to do on NBC'S Saturday Night, the "Sixties Movie" thing? This is it. The lighting, the music (though persuasive... the Righteous Brothers kick butt), the chicks, the cars, the comic relief. It has "1965" scrawled all over it.

Best part of movie outside the rock cameos is the cars. Two featured: Bill Cushenberry's Silhouette which later became an AMT model and one of the original HotWheels miniatures. Typical early Sixties custom with open hood, bubble top and tuck and roll interior.

The movie also featured a car show that included Bob Urquhart's 1927 Model T Roadster which appeared on the cover of the October 1962 Hot Rod magazine and numerous other magazines through 1964. Car was powered by a 1954 DeSoto hemi and also featured a Cadillac transmission and Corvette rearend. Car is iconic of the "custom rod" era and is currently owned by Jim Gilliam of Des Moines and is being restored to original condition.

Because of Edd Byrnes, anyone in this movie rates a "3" on the Kevin Bacon scale.

I only tuned into this film for a few minutes, but it was worth it...to see the Supremes (from Detroit's Motown label) singing surfing songs. Anyone who knows the geography of Detroit and the color of the Supremes knows why this is so fascinating.

Of particular splendor is Diana Ross' hairdo -- a beehive with what I can only guess is supposed to be a "wave" on one side.

This movie is common for it's species, it's terrible. If there were a writer, a director, or a plot then it would not even have mattered because the cast is so terrible that whatever this is (or could have been) is so far beyond help that it needs never be mentioned as a film, or even a mild stupid form of entertainment.

That said, I have the whole thing on tape and will preserve it forever in my archive.

Besides, the fact it was made for one reason and for one moment in time for a cotton-candy world where teens got their little fix of good-looking boys and girls in swim-suits while set to a compilation of hit songs that made for a perfect Saturday night with the girl next door...it was in essence a time like today where stupid teen movies and bad music dominate the entertainment needs of dumb kids. MTV madness!!!

So, I freaking hate this movie but...

Enough negativity. Let's now focus on the good points, no, Great points. Mixed into this soundtrak of terrible baby music are two moments of greatness. Number one is an appearence by the Walker Brothers. They do a terrible song but for those us of who are huge Scott Walker fans or admireres of the Walker Brothers it is a huge treat to simply look at them, at Scott while he breezes through this odd little movie shoot.

The other moment of pure genius is the performance of the legendary Supremes. We all know the three black girls and Diana and all of those hits etc...but here in this movie there is a song that is amazing, very dark, tonally intriguing, and to my ear one of the most serious pop songs of the early sixties. I have looked hard for this song on any Supremes product but cant find anyhing about it. The words "Surfer Boy" repeat in the chorus but I dont know the actual title of the song.

Without this movie life would be a little less good.

... with mixed results. Edd Byrnes stars as Dick, who's trying to manage his buddies' rock trio (Robert Logan, Aron Kincaid, and Don Edmonds) into a successful act. When they come up short for paying their instrument rental fees, Dick comes up with a plan to hoodwink a university for the money to buy their own equipment. The school sends four young ladies (Chris Noel, Mikki Jamison, Brenda Benet, and Gail Gilmore) to oversee the expenditure, with the expected romantic results. Also featuring Anna Lavelle, James Wellman, Jack Bernardi, and Dick Miller as "Cop #1".

With musical performances by The Supremes, The Four Seasons, The Righteous Brothers, The Walker Brothers, and the Hondells. The fictitious band in the film, "The Wrigglers", perform the most songs, generic surf-rock/teen idol stuff. The comedy is bad, Edd Byrnes is terrible and brings nothing but his meager name recognition to the table, and the movie looks cheap. However, the women are gorgeous and often in bikinis, the music is pretty good if silly and imminently forgettable, and there's a big custom hot rod show at the end.

Tell yourself you are studying lesser cinematic history to get through it all.