The Worst Film Ever

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Frankie Avalon, on naval-reserve duty in Tahiti, does not trust Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) to stay faithful, so he hires Bwana (Buster Keaton), a witch doctor, to help. Bwana conjures up a floating bikini, "stuffs" it with Cassandra, and sends her to distract advertising executive Ricky from Dee Dee.What to make of this beach movie from American International... it has Mickey Rooney, which is good... and Buster Keaton, which is very good (how AIP convinced him to play these roles is beyond me). And most interestingly, we have the Kingsmen performing.I liked the running gag with the pelican, but was just confused by the "Healthy Girl" song. And why they even cast a pregnant Funicello is a mystery. I am not knocking her for being pregnant, but it is weird to cast someone pregnant in a beach movie -- she is sitting on the sand in baggy clothes, quite in contrast with everyone else.

I was very sad because after seeing the ending of Beach Blanket Bingo for so many years where it lists this film as an upcoming sequel I had High hopes for it! It started sucking right when John Ashley starting singing "Healthy Girl". What the hell John Ashley is not supposed to be singing!!. (Healthy Girl is actually one of the better cast songs in this film.) This film stopped sucking for 3 minutes while The Kingsmen sang "Give Her Loving" and then afterwards pretty much started sucking right up again. What ever gave the people who made this film the idea that Harvey Lembeck and Micky Rooney should sing a bunch of tunes? God Awful! I do like Dwane Hickman but I think he did a much better and funnier performance in Ski Party. I'd like to know who came up with the idea (and why) to add musical style numbers. Awful, awful, awful! Annette really stinks in this movie and she really aged quick from Beach Party (where she was super sexy, innocent, young, and hot!) to this movie where she looks like a mother of a 5 year old who bakes cookies and shops at Kmart.OK so that's the bad now I'd like to talk about the good. The good Erik Von Zipper when he's not singing. The very hot Casandra, who needs Annette when you have Casandra! The Beach girls singing "How About me" because they are so yummy looking. The kingsmen of course is always good. And maybe The race at the end because it's goofy.Over the years I have how ever grown to somewhat like this movie and I'll watch I'll sit through it now and then. I mean it's the worst AIP beach party movie but it still beats watching Murder She Wrote, plus Casandra is Hot. Maybe if Bone Head would of had more parts in this film it would of been better.

Fairly desperate "Beach Party" entry (the sixth in the series!) has Annette Funicello contemplating a new boyfriend while Frankie Avalon is overseas. Enter...Dwayne Hickman? Frankie actually has a rather large cameo role for not receiving a livelier billing, and there's a cute ending, but these kids are starting to look more mature and their hijinks are starting to get musty. Annette sings two solo numbers and a duet, and she's perky and attractive despite being covered up to conceal her real-life pregnancy. The rest is mediocre, particularly leading man Hickman (eternally bland) and supporting player Mickey Rooney (game but charmless). ** from ****

I purchased the DVD version of this movie and would like to inform other 'Beach Party' movie lovers that MGM has done a great job on the video and sound. I have in the past had to suffer through very low quality VHS copies of the Beach Party movies, where I wound up throwing away the tape and putting a VHS tape that I recorded off TV into the box. That won't be the case here! (even if I could record a DVD) As for the movie ... Well, it is my least favorite of the Frankie and Annette Beach Party movies ... And I think I'm in the majority there. But if you love the Beach Party genre of movies you have to have this one too and you don't need me to tell you about it.<standing salute to MGM>