User reviews

Despite lots of musclemen in the supporting cast, "Muscle Beach Party" could maybe use some steroids. The first follow-up to "Beach Party" is a bit lackluster and talky, and the pacing drags. Frankie (Frankie Avalon) and Dee Dee (Annette Funicello, no longer 'Dolores') feud over another woman who's out to snare the cocky surfer-boy (when Dee Dee tells Frankie how selfish he is and that all he ever does is 'take', the movie touches on some surprisingly prickly teen emotions). But the witty lines and funny repartee of "Beach Party" have mostly been replaced by wan slapstick and too many characters (and too much of Don Rickles). Candy Johnson does her version of dancing ("Man, she's really got the power!"), "Little" Stevie Wonder sings "Happy Street", and the surfing footage is fun, but Harvey Lembeck's Eric Von Zipper is AWOL (there wasn't room for him, what with Luciana Paluzzi as a millionairess, Buddy Hackett as her manager, and a dozen musclemen lining the beach). Annette is lovely singing forlornly as Frankie paddles out to sea, but she's far too patient with him (in one scene alone, he makes up with her, then drops her, then makes up again!). Not the strongest entry in the series, but with a few colorful compensations. **1/2 from ****

I wouldn't think you could go far wrong with both Don Rickles and Buddy Hackett, but I was mistaken. Rickles plays an unfunny coach who never gets any laughs while he works with a group of oily muscle men (that may be your thing; it's not mine). Hackett (whom I don't believe I've ever seen looking so trim and normal) is no more than the aide to a rich heiress (Luciana Paluzzi) who sets her sights on Frankie Avalon, much to the disapproval of his girl Annette Funicello. All the vignettes going on herein are disjointed and tiresome, and Candy Johnson (who reminds me of a young Polly Holiday from the ALICE TV series) isn't as alluring as she thinks she is when regularly shaking her booty and causing men to freeze-frame and fall off their surfboards... and not even having the indecency to wear a bikini while doing it. John Ashley is present too. Don't ask me what the point of having Morey Amsterdam in this mess was. Peter Lorre pops in for a short time in a humorous cameo, and at the end we get to enjoy the very young Little Stevie Wonder do his stuff, but it's not enough. It's not very often you can say the end credits sequence is the best thing about a film, but that was the case here. *1/2 out of ****

"Frankie" (Frankie Avalon), "Dee Dee" (Annette Funicello") and the other characters who make up the surfer gang are back in this sequel to "Beach Party". Sharing the beach is a group of bodybuilders led by their trainer, "Jack Fanny" (Don Rickles) who has little regard for those who aren't part of his team. Also interested in a particular bodybuilder is an extremely rich and beautiful countess by the name of "Julie" (Luciana Paluzzi) who wants "Mr. Galaxy" (Peter Lupus) for her very own. Yet, just when she manages to buy the entire bodybuilding team she just happens to hear Frankie sing and everything suddenly changes as she quickly forgets all about Mr. Galaxy and falls madly in love with Frankie instead. But before Julie can get Frankie she has to first contend with Dee Dee. At any rate, rather than reveal any more of the story I will just say that this particular movie wasn't nearly as good as "Beach Party". For starters, other than the performances of Frankie, Annette, Luciana and possibly Buddie Hackett (as Julie's manager, "S.Z. Matts") there really wasn't anything that remarkable about this film. Clearly, the inordinate amount of time spent on "Candy" (Candy Johnson) didn't help in that regard as she didn't add anything new or different than her previous appearance. Personally, I would have preferred to have seen a bit more of Valera Noland (as "Animal") or a couple of other attractive ladies. But that's just my opinion. In any case, I rate the movie as slightly below average.

Perhaps unappreciated in its time, William Asher's 1964 saga about the tribulations of living jobless and care-free on California's sunny coast, surfing whenever "Surf's up," and dancing for no apparent reason at all (whether it be on the beach or in some restaurant), really captures teen angst during the sixties. Frankie Avalon shines as "Frankie," the glossy-haired, young, ambitious, and maybe a little naive, leader of the beach gang. His counterpart, "Dee Dee," played by Annette Funicello, gave an Oscar-caliber performance. Through a heartbreaking scene that opens with Frankie surfing at night, Dee Dee loses Frankie to an older, richer woman. During the entire film, when I wasn't laughing hysterically at the shear absurdity or chuckling over the image of a producer actually signing on to such golden garbage, I was cheering for Annette. Why Frankie ever decided to ditch his one true love is a mystery. Also noteworthy is Don Rickles' performance as a man-breeder, Buddy Hackett's role as the sensible accountant, and an introductory appearance by "Little" Stevie Wonder. This film comes highly recommended.

Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello witness the invasion of their beach - by a troupe of "Muscle Men" being trained by Don Rickles (as Jack Fanny). Buddy Hackett (as S. Z. Matts) wants "Muscle Man" Peter Lupus (using the name Rock Stevens) for his wealthy client Luciana Paluzzi (as Judy), but she gets a hankerin' for Frankie...

The soundtrack songs are a highlight, appropriately sounding like Brian Wilson's Beach Boys; moreover, Frankie and Annette are joined by Dick Dale and Stevie Wonder. Morey Amsterdam should have been retained as a series regular. The Eric Von Zipper motorcycle gang is missing. The regular players are still fresh, but the elements are not up to par, relatively speaking. It's a fair "Beach Party" film; obviously, it's not as good as the first.

*** Muscle Beach Party (3/25/64) William Asher ~ Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Don Rickles

The gang from the previous year's hit 'Beach Party' are back only to find that their favourite sea-side haunt has been taken over by a bunch of overly-muscled macho-men lead by 'Jack Fanny' (the always entertaining Don Rickles) while off-shore a wealthy, beautiful and man-hungry Italian countess (Luciana Paluzzi) lurks. The sandy-sequel brings back Frankie Avalon as Frankie and Annette Funicello as Dee Dee (perhaps short for Delores (her name in the previous film) or maybe a sneaky reference to how the former mousketteer fills out her bikini top), as well as big, goofy Deadhead (Jody McCrea), shimmying siren Candy (Candy Johnson) and several other familiar-looking beach bums/bunnies. The story, which has Frankie falling for the countess and for her promise of making him a music star is a bit more complex than usual for the series and the secondary cast, which includes comedy stalwarts Morey Amsterdam and Buddy Hackett is very good (Hackett's scene in which he describes the life Frankie can expect as the 'consort' of a rich Euro-babe is quite well done, he and Paluzzi are the best part of the film IMO). Needless to say, there is lots of music, none of which is particularly memorable despite performances including Dick Dale, Donna Loren, and 'Little' Stevie Wonder, and song-writing credits to Brian Wilson. The comedy is generally broad and silly, especially the cartoonish climactic brawl but there are some amusing scenes involving self-absorbed muscle-man 'Mr. Galaxy' (Peter Lupus, billed as Rock Stevens) and Rickles is always good for a laugh even when given mediocre material. Like the others in the series, this is a genial 'teenage' sex-romp with lots of good-looking kids jumping around and gyrating on the beach in baggies or bikinis, nice (but badly matched) surfing footage, a few laughs (some 'with', most 'at'). All in all, a harmless way to take a 90 minute trip to a '60s that never really existed (plus there is a late appearance by the great Peter Lorre who is always worth watching). Not great, but who would expect it to be.

I'm just a few years younger than the original intended audience for the Frankie and Annette movies, but I have always been amused by them. However, as others have said, this is easily the weakest of them all. The biggest problem is that it spends far too much time focused on peripheral characters and events that have nothing to do with the beach or even Frankie and the gang. Instead we get long stretches of Don Rickles and his crew of shirtless body builders just acting stupid. Evidently someone in charge either meant to pander to the gay audience (in 1964?) or thought that teen girls would be fascinated by all that oiled, tanned, rippling maleness. However, this element was mostly just weird.

Perhaps even weirder was the duo of Luciana Paluzzi and Buddy Hackett as a young, widowed Italian countess and her major domo, or whatever Hackett is supposed to be. There's nothing wrong with their performances when considered in isolation (indeed, it's perhaps the most restrained performance of Hackett's career). It's just that neither has any business in this movie. Besides, Lucianna's role as a sexual predator who is looking to recruit new boy toys seems really odd in a series that is mostly as chaste as driven snow. However, this movie had a number of more adult-themed moments, not least of which was Annette's extended session rubbing suntan oil on Frankie's back, which is far more sensuous than one might expect here, especially if you turn off the sound.

Probably the best example of everything wrong with this movie can be seen in the multiple scenes of dialogue between Hackett and Rickles. Here you had two of the most iconic stand-up comics of the era, both famous for their improvisational skills and well known for their particular individual schticks. Indeed, we might have expected these two to go to war, each trying to one-up the other with insults and outrageous energy. Instead, they stick to a dull, unimaginative script that made no effort to play to either man's strengths. Indeed, you could just as easily have put Fred McMurray and Vincent Price in those scenes with the same effect -- boring.

Of course, music is usually at the center of these films, and this one offered several numbers. But like everything else, they were flat (with the notable exception of 12 year-old Stevie Wonder's appearance). Annette sings one of the worst songs I've ever heard (although I could see her styling as the inspiration for David Lynch's favorite crooner Julie Cruz and her weird warblings), and Frankie later echoes it with only slightly better results. Then Dick Dale and The Del Tones appear, and Dale proves to be even more tone deaf than Funicello. The band was okay, but its eponymous front man was incredibly bad.

So, more bikinis, more surfers, and maybe even Eric Von Zipper would have vastly improved this entry in the venerable AIP series. Like the melody of Annette's song, the movie just wandered around without anything anchoring its center or guiding it in a coherent direction. For some reason, this one was just released on Blu-Ray. Hopefully Beach Blanket Bingo or Bikini Beach will also appear to remind viewers of how much fun this series could be.

I think the most enjoyable part of this second installment of the beach movies with Annette and Frankie is the introduction of Little Stevie Wonder. I really enjoyed his singing, on his way to huge success he is today.

As for the plot, typical of beach movies, carefree life, days at the beach and boys and girls wanting each other, along with the jealous plots, but if course, happy ending for Frankie and Annette! I think the first time I saw this movie I may have been around 7 or 8 years old. I remember seeing it in tv. Anyway, I would just laugh at the body builders, clearly only interested in their own muscles and not the girls fawning all over them. Jump head fifty years later, the lightbulb went off in my head....they were gay! Of course, in the sixties it was never spoken of, but the clues were there. Not only were they not interested in the girls, with the exception of carrying them to show off those muscles,but they were wearing hot pink shorts/bathing suits! No male ever dared to wear pink in the 1960's.

Once again, we're treated with Candy, the dancer who could clear out a room of body builders or the surfers off of their boards. Just hilarious. Plus we get Donna Loren singing again.

The one thing missing was Eric Von Zipper. How I missed those Rats and the rest of the gang. "You stupids" . I'm so happy Harvey Lembach returned for other installments of the beach movies. I found his character so funny.

Time for more popcorn and just sit back and enjoy. I date these beach movies as they probably should be rated, but to me they're all a 10!

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!

Frankie (Frankie Avalon), Dee Dee (Annette Funicello), and their friends are back at the beach house. Jack Fanny (Don Rickles) and his bodybuilders move in next door. Rich Italian contessa Julie is obsessed with bodybuilder Flex Martian aka Mr. Galaxy. S. Z. Matts (Buddy Hackett) is her lackey. She ends up getting between Frankie and Dee Dee.

This is the sequel to Beach Party (1963). I'm not expecting Shakespeare, but I am hoping for some actual comedy. Apparently, the bodybuilders are supposed to be funny simply by their physical being. I certainly don't see much humor despite Don Rickles' desperate work. Along with Buddy Hackett, it's all a little desperate to be funny. In addition, they keep going back to manufactured drama for the couple's relationship. This still has the clean cut beach vibes and the second rate music. There is one big get. It has a super young Stevie Wonder and that's worth something.

I taped this hoping to be something to show my high school video classics students. But while watching it, maybe I will call it "What NOT to watch as a classic". I think they made some better ones, than this one, I am just not sure which one those are. Annette was cute. Frankly is hot. It was fun to see some of the stars when they were so much younger. Buddy Hackett and Stevie Wonder, wow that was a while ago. I never did figure out who the girl in the white frilly dress was thou? I laughed at how silly it was at times. I then realized that this was the extent of comedy at that time. So all and all it was OK. I would not put it on my top 100 but it was fun to watch.

A tidal wave of a surprise here: Director William Asher, on hiatus from the television show "Bewitched," delivers a tightly packed surf romp. Very interesting twist: "Little" Stevie Wonder appears and sings two songs, one with surf-guitar guru, Dick Dale--and his Dell Tones. Cowabonga. And that's not all. Frankie Avalon is the hero and he smokes. And it's pot! (Watch closely for this.) Groovy. He also sings and swings with a bevy of beauties in Morey Amsterdam's coffee house. But the biggest surprise for me was the performance by Buddy Hackett. Controlled. Sympathetic. How many times have you left the living room screaming after viewing Hackett, sometimes wearing a god awful-looking Neru jacket and maybe appearing on "Hollywood Squares" or the "Tonight Show, talking some totally incomprehensible nonsense that he thinks is funny? Plenty. But here he plays his role straight and it pays off. And in spades, too. Wannabe Bond Girl Lucianna Paluzzi, always underrated in my opinion, is superb as the spoiled "Contessa." She nails the tiresome, hoary part with an effusive zest for life. Down on the beach, the enemy is massing for battle. The muscle men have a cranky leader in Don Rickles. He is clever and devious, but the strong men fall squarely into the "knucklehead" category. Strangely, one fellow resembles Kevin James from "King of Queens" on the boob tube. Donna Loren, always a joy and no relation to Sophia, wails the title tune. She has a soulful sound and a much better "clause" in her contract than superstar Annette Funichello. How else could you explain the fact that Loren doesn't have to sport a swimsuit? Funichello has to model a sexy, white mesh-bikini. So enjoy the sun and music. And away we go all you surfers and beach bunnies. Surf's up!

This proved to be the first "Beach Party" entry I watched, actually the second of the 7-movie series: I guess it has all the required elements – teenage boys and girls, their interaction/clashing with other members of society (in this case, aristocracy and muscle-men!), surf, songs, and even a touch of the bizarre (in the mysterious but erratic figure of Mr. Strangdour and his monstrous henchman).

The tone is that of a light romantic comedy with the expected evocative beach setting (though much of the surfing that's seen is actually stock footage!). What little plot there is concerns an Italian princess (a fresh-faced and appealing Luciana Paluzzi) looking for a prospective groom – first, she settles on a muscle-bound winner of the "Mr. Galaxy" title, but then draws her attentions over to idle teen (as opposed to teen idol!) Frankie Avalon who happens to be able to carry a tune. This, however, doesn't sit well with his wholesome girlfriend Annette Funicello – which leads to the two kids splitting, and the three factions at constant loggerheads (sometimes within the same camp). While the muscle-men are managed by Don Rickles and Paluzzi has Buddy Hackett for an adviser, the teens' resistible comic relief is provided by the goofy "Deadhead" – played by Jody McCrea (Joel's son!); even worse, they number among them a blonde whose specialty is a literally overwhelming hip-shaking routine (the producers seemed to be particularly fond of this character since she's all over this film, and the one that followed at least!).

The songs are nothing special (though we are introduced to 'Little' Stevie Wonder!) and the climax involves a free-for-all at a club run by the eccentric Morey Amsterdam; however, there's a delightful surprise at the end involving a cameo by none other than Peter Lorre (a device which was retained for future "Beach" installments as well): incidentally, the end credits inform us that Lorre would return for BIKINI BEACH (1964) – but, unfortunately, he was dead by this time…and another great horror star turned up in his place (read my review for that film to find out his identity).

Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello certainly had one of the rockiest romances ever on screen. It seems in every film someone is either cutting in with one or both of them. Muscle Beach Party is certainly no exception.

In fact the whole beach crowd is being crowded by this gang of body builders who've got a gym at the beach that is managed by Don Rickles and his silent partner, reputed to be the strongest man in the world.

The beach is even getting more attention as rich Italian princess Luciana Paluzzi and her business manager Buddy Hackett are scoping out the beach for one particular muscle dude, Peter Lupus. Lupus is the self proclaimed Mr. Galaxy and one look at him is enough for any heart to skip a beat. But Luciana skips two beats when she hears Frankie Avalon sing.

I think you can see where this one is going especially if you've seen any of the beach films before this. Add to this Morey Amsterdam as a loopy club owner, Dick Turgeon as Paluzzi's attorney who can't close a deal and the mysterious and unbilled Peter Lorre.

One thing I do have to say, does anyone really believe that Frankie and his surfers would stand any chance going head to head with the bodybuilders?

Just began watching as a goof, was expecting to lose interest. But ended up being well entertained by the goofy surfer tomfoolery, Italian muscle-man star. the Contessa was well played. Anette was disappointing but Frankie was in good form. The appearance of Stevie wonder singing "clap your hands" sealed the deal. Don Rickles is always a cool presence. And there was even a surprise appearance of Peter Lorre at the end. Of course I ended up fast forwarding through several boring musical numbers but having the power to ignore the boring parts gave the rest of the movie high praise from me for being pretty entertaining. Peace

No one sits down (or should sit down) to a Beach Party film expecting anything high-brow or even challenging. These are the epitome of fluff, corniness and escapism. Title credits play out over a kooky, mildly amusing drawing of various caricatures soaking up the sun and sand then the stars of the film (Avalon and Funicello) and their cronies are shown en route to the beach. Immediately, it's clear how times have changed as the teens are crammed into old-time convertibles with more than a few of the kids hanging onto the sides or backs of the vehicles with nary a seatbelt in sight! Without even stopping off to the bathroom to brush their teeth, the kids set up their patchwork of sleeping bags on the floor of the hacienda (with a couple of hanging blankets separating the girls from the boys!) As the gaggle of kids begins to surf and sun themselves into heaven, a parade of beefy, tan, oily bodybuilders comes out to strut their stuff. When the coach (Rickles) steps on one of the beach bums' towels, a rivalry is kicked off with one of the teens (Ashley) unwillingly providing the demarcation line of the beach with his behind! From a fancy yacht anchored offshore, heiress Paluzzi sets her sights on the most prime slab of body-building beef (Lupus) and enlists her helper (Hackett) to secure him for her. Before she can even recover from an evening in the considerable arms of Lupus, however, she's already moved on to scrawny, but cute Avalon, much to Funicello's dismay. From here, things get increasingly complicated (and silly) as the film builds to an all-out fracas at Amsterdam's night club. Naturally, it all works out in the end with everyone winding up happy. Interspersed with the shenanigans are several musical numbers, some better than others. Various songs come out of people's mouths while their sitting on the wide open beach, yet they sound like they were recorded in the bottom of a steel barrel. Avalon is as tan and boyishly handsome as ever, even if his character can sometimes be a real lout. Funicello has a few amusingly indignant moments as she lays into Paluzzi for stealing her man. Oh, and her hair moves once or twice during the course of the film, too. Paluzzi (at about the 12 minute mark on her 15 minutes of fame) gets to wear a few fun 60's get-ups and tries to inject a little feeling into her man-eating role. Fans of Rickles and Hackett may derive some pleasure out of seeing them in action. Rickles seems to get more opportunities to mug here than Hackett. There's a lot of eye candy for both men and women. Lupus and his muscular friends are often seen in TIGHT satin shorts and Ashley is always cute. Funicello wears a mesh two piece that shows why IL' Walt Disney was nervous to let her be seen in a bikini. No one anywhere, ever, danced like Johnson. She goes bananas in a couple of fringed outfits. The camera lingers occasionally on some healthy, nubile young bodies in motion. These films can provide some real surprises now that a little time has passed. For one thing, everyone assumes that these flicks are squeaky clean, and they are, but Avalon is shown smoking (Smoking!) Also, the lily white cast really tears into Paluzzi with all sorts of slurs towards her Italian background, continuously referring to pasta and pizza where she's concerned.

Then there's the ungodly product placement, which many people feel is a more modern hazard of the cinema. Every other frame has someone drinking or standing next to Dr. Pepper! As for the music, Wonder does an admirable job in his first film appearance, but everything that comes out of Dale's mouth is worthless. He can't sing and has no charisma at all. Future celebs Nader and Haggarty can be glimpsed in the beach and bodybuilder scenes, respectively. Lorre had intended to appear in the next Beach Party sequel but died before he could do so.

Maybe it's for the obvious reason - no Eric Von Zipper and his Rats and Mice, with the strange substitution of bodybuilders as the bad guys - but I think of this one as a slight step down from the others. (At least it had Alberta Nelson, in a different part.) Until reading the listing here, I never recognized Dan Haggerty, without the long hair and beard. I did recognize the bodybuilder named Larry Scott, thanks to countless comic book ads. This movie had Luciana Paluzzi as the heiress who collects men - the only small problem for me is that, I've always typecast that actress as a "femme fatale" of the physically dangerous kind (instead of that kind), because of the Bond movie Thunderball. One strange thing is that the Delores character hurls some mild anti-Italian remarks at that character - I know I'm talking about "Delores", not "Annette", but it's still strange to hear those lines from someone named Funicello. And of course this one goes for just a little seriousness, unlike the others - "Frankie" as a kept man! Maybe the best one-time character was Buddy Hackett's. And I couldn't say enough about Don Rickles, in any role.

There's a lot of reasons this is my favorite beach party film: Don Rickles, John Ashley, Buddy Hackett, Dick Dale, Morey Amsterdam -- all the best elements are here. Add into that a bizarre cameo by horror legend Peter Lorre, who plays an aryan superman (???), and you have quite a mix! Good, clean fun, suitable for anyone, and suitably strange for a modern party. I'm a big sucker for Don Rickles' comedy, so maybe that's why I like this one so much, but it's even zanier than "Beach Party", so only "Beach Blanket Bingo" comes close for me in this series.

Despite it's title, "Muscle Beach Party" is a pretty weak entry in Beach Party series. This time around, Frankie, Annette and the gang battle with a group of Muscle men led by their trainer, Don Rickles. All the while, an Italian Countess is trying to steal Frankie from Annette. Unlike the others in the series, "Muscle Beach Party" seems to have an overall negative tone. Every character seems angry at somebody. Most of the film's good moments belong to Buddy Hackett. Harvey Lembeck as Eric Von Zipper isn't around this time and he is missed.

This has to be the weakest entry in the entire series. Even though the muscle heads make great adversaries for our favorite beach bums they aren't as interesting as Eric Von Zipper and his gang, the Rats. The main story has been done a thousand times in many other pictures. Also, the music in this film isn't as good as it was. Dick Dale's scenes are a waste and the rest of the songs are just filler. One saving grace for this film is Don Rickles.

He really is the one saving grace of this film. To me the next two films in the series, "Bikini Beach" and "Beach Blanket Bingo", were much better than this one. However, this film isn't as bad as the final Avalon/Funicello film in the series, "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini".