The Girls on the Beach

Forget those AIP Hollywood Beach movies with Annette and her girl friends wearing those Mother Hubbard swimsuits along with Frankie Avalon who somehow never came across as a true hodad, try as he might.

Trust a major studio like Paramount Pictures (yeah, go figure) to deliver a teen beach movie that rocks. Not only does this movie deliver less swimsuit per girl per frame, but the music scores as well.

Featuring The Beach Boys during their initial crest atop the surf/custom car sound (complete with a handsome,tanned and confident Brian Wilson at the helm), they provide the theme song as well as a casual lip-sync to their breezy 'Little Honda' lifting this movie genre beyond the usual Hollywood Tin Pan Alley vs.America's teenagers.

Lesley Gore(the perfect singing role model in handling teen angst) captures the mood of this movie which clearly represents the feminine point of view through a group of bubbly, buxom girls who need to raise money for their sorority. Sure, familiar plot but it glides past the viewer like the swirl on Noreen Corcoran's bottled blond bouffant styled hair. No longer John Forsythe's niece to his 'Uncle Bentley', Noreen fills her role as a California college cutie in this flick as well as she fills her bikini. Not to be outdone, Lori Saunders(credited as Linda Saunders,soon to be the prim and proper Bobbie Jo Bradly on 'Petticoat Junction')delivers a bumpin' bikini belly dance in a beauty contest judged by a group of hot and bothered middle-aged men. Well, no wonder those poor judges are working up a sweat, wearing dark suits and ties on the beach. Anyway, that scene is worth its weight in woodies.

Add the constantly peeved Dick Miller performing yeoman duty as a bartender at the beach hangout and Sonny Curtis revving up the house band(the original 'Crickets'no less),well, you won't find any gremmies on this stretch of sand.

Surf's Up!