destiny-17
Joined Apr 2005
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destiny-17's rating
This Beach movie actually tells a story, asking the question - would Frankie be happier surfing all over the world as the singing protégé of a rich woman who wasn't Dee-Dee? But don't worry - it's conveyed in short snatches of hipster-y dialog ("Solid-gold surf boards don't float too well!") between songs, hijinx, and some well-edited surfing footage.
Enjoy the "leisurely" pace - footage of the kids' cars arriving at the beach, establishing shots of the beach at night, even the kids settling in for a night of sleeping and no hanky-panky... (Frankie doesn't believe it, either.) Annette gets another good slow song - which, unfortunately, Frankie also decides to sing later on. Frankie's fast song is better,and Stevie Wonder sings a joyful "Happy Street". (And then sings it again in the closing credits.) I just wish Dick Dale had done a guitar solo instead of singing..
Buddy Hackett is a lot of fun, but also gets a poignant point-making monologue at the end. Peter Lorre does one of the better end-of-the-movie cameos as "the Boss," and there's the usual turns by Don Rickles and Morey Amsterdam. For the ladies, there's a line of genuine California beach muscle-men, including future "Grizzly Adams" star Dan Haggerty. (He jiggles his chest muscles and whistles!)
And I think Annette is actually wearing a two-piece!
Enjoy the "leisurely" pace - footage of the kids' cars arriving at the beach, establishing shots of the beach at night, even the kids settling in for a night of sleeping and no hanky-panky... (Frankie doesn't believe it, either.) Annette gets another good slow song - which, unfortunately, Frankie also decides to sing later on. Frankie's fast song is better,and Stevie Wonder sings a joyful "Happy Street". (And then sings it again in the closing credits.) I just wish Dick Dale had done a guitar solo instead of singing..
Buddy Hackett is a lot of fun, but also gets a poignant point-making monologue at the end. Peter Lorre does one of the better end-of-the-movie cameos as "the Boss," and there's the usual turns by Don Rickles and Morey Amsterdam. For the ladies, there's a line of genuine California beach muscle-men, including future "Grizzly Adams" star Dan Haggerty. (He jiggles his chest muscles and whistles!)
And I think Annette is actually wearing a two-piece!
This version seems low on Disney magic... Too much of the movie revolves around Ray Bolger's burlesque villain and his henchmen. (One's skinny and one's fat - but they're a poor substitute for the real Laurel and Hardy, who'd done their own version of Babes in Toyland in 1934.)
The second half is better - when the characters arrive in Toyland, with Ed Wynn as a bumbling Toymaker and Tommy Kirk his helper. The super-lightweight plot is a weakness and a strength, with twists that are unpredictable and occasionally odd. The movie culminates with a bizarre battle where the villain is attacked by animated toys...
Some of the dialog rhymes, but no one seems enthusiastic about it. Annette isn't particularly winning in this one, and even the dancing is hard to see, because the dancers' legs are covered by long storybook dresses. (And bad lighting, casting a few extra shadows.) On the plus side: Tommy Sands has a great voice, and the Disney chorus sings lush harmonies. And young Ann Jillian, as Bo-Peep, sings her few lines wonderfully...
The second half is better - when the characters arrive in Toyland, with Ed Wynn as a bumbling Toymaker and Tommy Kirk his helper. The super-lightweight plot is a weakness and a strength, with twists that are unpredictable and occasionally odd. The movie culminates with a bizarre battle where the villain is attacked by animated toys...
Some of the dialog rhymes, but no one seems enthusiastic about it. Annette isn't particularly winning in this one, and even the dancing is hard to see, because the dancers' legs are covered by long storybook dresses. (And bad lighting, casting a few extra shadows.) On the plus side: Tommy Sands has a great voice, and the Disney chorus sings lush harmonies. And young Ann Jillian, as Bo-Peep, sings her few lines wonderfully...