I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

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

*Spoiler/plot- 1963, A young couple rents a secluded romantic summer beach house but their friends 'crash' the house only to use it for a beach party and crash pad. The couple is furious at the gang and themselves. They attempt to make each other jealous with concocting summer romantic 'flings' with many beach area locals. A local motorcycle gang intervenes in this lover's spat when it's leader gets infatuated with the lead female character. Only through the intervention of the young couple's beach gang and a mysterious anthropologist temporarily living at the beach to study the summer 'surf youth' culture does the film resolve itself with a pie-throwing conclusion and Big Daddy finally speaking to the beach locals.*Special Stars- Bob Cummings, Dorothy Malone, Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Harvey Lembeck, Jody McCrea, Meredith McRea, Candy Johnson, Morey Amsterdam, and Dick Dale and the Del Tones.*Theme- Kids just want to have fun at the beach.*Based on- Southern California 'Surf' culture and Motorcycle culture.*Trivia/location/goofs- The first of the southern Californian "surf and beach" film genre. Features many pop songs by Avalon, Funicello, and Dick Dale & his band. Funicello was still under contract to Walt Disney from her Mouseketeer Days and got Uncle Walt's permission to do the beach shows in an un-revealing matronly bikini. Two new actors (kids of major movie stars) are featured: Jody McCrea and Meredith McRea. 'Candy' Johnson is the Go Go Dancer of special note. Harvey Lembeck's comedy motorcycle character is a spin-off of Marlon Brando's "The Wild Ones" role (Jonnie) and Lembeck's real son will become a famous and wanted TV sitcom director. An interesting cameo role is Vincent Prices near the end of the film as "Big Daddy". Mr. Price was a American International main star and made his career in its horror genre films with other classic actors. Eva Six plays the "Frankie" bar waitress love interest in a delivering a confusing "Marilyn Monroe V.S. Zsa Zsa Gabor" performance. The beach sequences were shot at Leo Carrillo and Latigo Beach above Malibu Beach. Look for some continuity goofs with the Yoga Girls wearing their wrap-around sunglasses, Ava's black hosiery 'changes' in mid café dance, and some obvious microphone boom shadows in the café "Big Daddy's".*Emotion- An enjoyable but rather crazy surf movie featuring the sights, dances and songs of that early 60's era. It's a vintage American International (Orion Pictures now) B-Movie drive-in comedy laced with laughs, morality & music fun. A bouncy musical about the 60's beach party vacation break society with some exposure of the rough motorcycle club crowd. This film is a comedic 'slice of life' for the era and age group.

While not the best in the Frankie-Annette beach movies they made with their supporting cast of recurring characters including villain Von Zipper, lovable leader of his "stupid" motorcycle gang, dim-witted Deadhead and the human dancing machine Candy Johnson, it's still pretty good and has something to offer audiences of today. For one thing, it's a good chance to see the beaches of southern California before developers moved in and built homes all over the place. Then, there are some great surfing scenes. The songs and dancing are first rate,and the climactic fight scene is very good, although a lot of the pies thrown missed their marks. There's something for everybody in this entry: comedy, romance, music, hunky guys and pretty girls in bikinis. A film like this must have been a big boon to the tourism industry and for attracting new residents to the state. Who wouldn't want to go to a place where even the motorcycle gangs make nice? Dale Roloff

Even people who HATE these movies, who won't even watch them as "schlock", probably have second thoughts when it comes to Eric Von Zipper and his Rat Pack. Which is easy for me to say, since I've always been attached to the things IN GENERAL (a Summer wouldn't be quite the same without them). I never knew anything of The Bob Cummings Show for the longest time, and never SAW it until last year, so I never really got the inside joke of him (of all people) playing a straight-laced character trying to be a swinger. And speaking of inside jokes, I just saw it again yesterday, and at least THOUGHT I saw one. In one scene, Frankie Avalon hands a cigarette to John Ashley, after taking kind of a long drag on it. Regardless of what kind of cigarette it's SUPPOSED to be, this at least seemed like a little reference to something else. I glanced at someone's comments about it, and they said that Dorothy Malone had a thankless part, and that might be partly true, but she had some pretty good comeback lines, including yet another private joke - "Why don't you sell the movie rights to American International? They'll buy anything." Anyway, I don't like it QUITE AS MUCH as "Beach Blanket Bingo", or even a few of the other sequels (I guess it's one of those "Godfather / Godfather Part II" situations), but I'm still really attached to it.

Okay, I'm a sucker for ALL the old "Beach Party" movies, starring Frankie and Annette. How 'bout that? They're like Fred and Ginger, Hope and Crosby and William Powell and Myrna Loy: They're icons! This movie, the ORIGINAL "Beach Party," is the BEST of the lot if you're asking me. Besides Frankie and Annette, Bob Cummings and Oscar winner ("Written on the Wind") Dorothy Malone, also star. I can't believe that someone on this thread actually described the WONDERFUL Bob Cummings as "offensive." Apparently, this person NEVER saw this actor on his old "Love that Bob" TV sitcom from the '50's. I did. A more lighthearted and fun actor I've never seen; decidedly NOT "offensive." THIS movie is just like the old Beach Boys song, "Fun, Fun, Fun." NOTHING to take seriously. Pure fluff, just like the old Doris Day and Rock Hudson comedies from a more innocent time. Not too much in the way of plot (hot-blooded and red-blooded American girls and boys, sand, surfing, rock 'n' roll, a little harmless sex (c'mon, this IS 1963!), a couple of middle-agers (Bob and Dorothy) and the most tame, inept and funny "outlaw" motorcycle gang you've EVER seen! Also, a GREAT supporting cast: Morey Amsterdam, Harvey Lembeck, John Ashley, Jody McCrea, Eva Six and EVEN Vincent Price!Look, upon reaching puberty, Annette Funicello was my very first "crush." I'm 55, now, and I STILL love her! This movie didn't re-define the American cinema, but there are FAR worse ways to kill 101 minutes!