'When the urge meets the surge…'

The Frankie and DeeDee adventures or, as they are better known,
'The Beach Movies' were made between 1963 and 1965, featuring
the adventures of a group of beach-crazy surfing friends and set in
the Malibu Beach area of California on the American West Coast.

Beach Party


Muscle Beach Party


Bikini Beach


How To Stuff
A Wild Bikini


Beach Blanket Bingo


They were all produced by William Asher and starred Frankie Avalon and
Annette Funicello supported by an ever-changing cast, sprinkled with famous guest appearances and cameo roles, with the backing of the West Coast surfing sound from artists like Dick Dale and The Deltones, The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, The Surfaris, The Hondells and many other classic surf music groups of the Sixties.



There were many similarly styled movies made and a lot of them starred Annette Funicello which probably gives her the title 'Queen of the Beach Movies'. Some of them have become individual cult films in their own right, but this series of five films with Frankie and DeeDee remain the definitive examples of the genre and are 'The Beach Movies'








 

"Beach Party"

1963


American International Pictures (AIP)


Producer: James H. Nicholson
Screenplay: Lou Rusoff
101 minutes colour ( Warner )

Directed by William Asher

Cast:

Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Robert Cummings, Dorothy Malone
Vincent Price, Harvey Lembeck, Morey Amsterdam, Jody McCrea
Eva Six, John Ashley, Candy Johnson, Dick Dale and The Deltones

Songs include:

Beach Party, Treat Him Nicely, Promise Me Anything, Don't Stop Now
Surfin' And A-Swingin', Secret Surfin' Spot

Storyline:

Frankie sets up a moonlight beach session with DeeDee only to find that the whole crowd turns up for a party. An anthropologist who is writing a book about the tribalism and mating habits of the Californian surf-dwellers takes to spying on them for new material. The story is punctuated by ho-daddy Eric Von Zipper doing his best to create havoc amongst the surfing pals















 

"Muscle Beach Party"

1964


American International Pictures (AIP)


Producers: James H. Nicholson and Robert Dillon
Screenplay: Robert Dillon and William Asher
94 minutes colour ( HBO )

Directed by William Asher

'When 10,000 biceps go around 5,000 bikinis
you know what's gonna happen'

Cast:

Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Luciana Paluzzi, John Ashley
Don Rickles, Candy Johnson, Dolores Wells, Donna Loren, Peter Lupus
Jody McCrea, Morey Amsterdam, Buddy Hackett, Rock Stevens, Peter Lorre
Dick Dale and The Deltones
Little Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, Gary Usher, Roger Christian

Songs include:

Muscle Beach Party, Happy Street, Surfers Holiday, Runnin' Wild
A Boy Needs A Girl, A Girl Needs A Boy, Muscle Bustle, My First Love

Storyline:

A visiting Italian Countess gets a crush on Frankie and things get complicated when her boyfriend, the highly muscled 'Mr. Galaxy' arrives on the scene. During the film Candy Johnson introduces a new dance, the Ebb'n'Flow, and Little Stevie Wonder does a gig at Cappy's Surf Club. All's well that ends well and Frankie and DeeDee are once again happily entwined by the end of the show


poster





 

"Bikini Beach"

1964

American International Pictures (AIP)

Producers: James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff
Screenplay: William Asher, Leo Townsend, Robert Dillon
99 minutes colour ( Embassy )

Directed by William Asher

Cast:

Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Martha Hyer, Don Rickles
Harvey Lembeck, Keenan Wynn, Jody McCrea, Candy Johnson
Donna Loren, John Ashley, Boris Karloff, Meredith McRae
Danielle Aubrey, Paul Smith, James Westerfield, Dolores Wells
Little Stevie Wonder, The Exciters, The Pyramids

Songs include:

Fingertips, Bikini Beach, Midnight Run, Because You're You
This Time It's Love, How About That, Secret Weapon, Gimme Your Love

Storyline:

A property speculator is planning to develop the haunt of the surfing buddies and they enlist the help of 'Potato Bug', an English, pop-singing drag-racer ( also played by Avalon ) to thwart his nasty little scheme


poster





 

"How To Stuff A Wild Bikini"

1965

American International Pictures (AIP)

Producers: James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff
Screenplay: William Asher and Leo Townsend
92 minutes colour ( Warner )

Directed by William Asher

'Thrills and spills in the wildest motorcycle race ever run'

Cast:

Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, Harvey Lembeck
Beverly Adams, John Ashley, Jody McCrea, Marianne Guba, Len Lesse
Irene Tsu, Elizabeth Montgomery, Bobbi Shaw, Buster Keaton
Mickey Rooney, Timothy Carey, Arthur Julian, The Kingsmen
Brian Wilson, Frankie Avalon

Songs include:

How To Stuff A Wild Bikini, Better Be Ready, Give Her Lovin'
The Perfect Boy, After The Party

Storyline:

Frankie is called up for Naval Reserve duty
( n.b. he was actually busy filming 'Ski Party' ) and hires the services
of a witch doctor to keep an eye on DeeDee while he is away.
The 'motorcycle race' in the tagline is actually held on the beach itself


poster














 

"Beach Blanket Bingo"

1965

American International Pictures (AIP)

Producers: James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff
Screenplay: William Asher and Leo Townsend
98 minutes colour ( HBO )

Directed by William Asher

Cast:

Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Deborah Walley, Harvey Lembeck
Jody McCrea, Donna Loren, Marta Kristen, Linda Evans, Donna Michelle
Earl Wilson, Darlene Lucht, John Ashley, Buster Keaton
Stephanie Nader, Paul Lynde, Timothy Carey, Don Rickles
Bobbi Shaw, The Hondells

Songs include:

Beach Blanket Bingo, The Cycle Set, You'll Never Change Him
I Think You Think, These Are The Good Times, Fly Boy, New Love
It Only Hurts When I Cry, I Am My Ideal

Storyline:

Deadhead loses his heart to a life-saving mermaid and Frankie is led astray by Sugar Kane, played by Linda Evans. The crowd enjoy some
sky-diving into the surf and there are more than the usual number of featured songs before the traditionally happy ending




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