Week of May 31 – June 6, 2020
Many people seem happiest when they are on a beach somewhere (not me, but that’s not important right now). Thus, beach movies became a popular fixture of 1960s cinema, especially when American International Pictures discovered that they could be produced rather cheaply, and they paid big dividends. A whole school of teen idols, both actors and singers, found lasting stardom in these films, and moviegoers remember their films fondly, even though many of them are not particularly noteworthy. Now I could spotlight one of those original beach movies, but the only one I remember with any affection is Beach Blanket Bingo (1965). It stars Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello (in their fourth teaming for AIP) and has a great supporting cast: Linda Evans, Deborah Walley, Marta Kristen, Don Rickles, Harvey Lembeck, Paul Lynde, Donna Michelle, Donna Loren, Jody McCrea, John Ashley and others. It’s certainly worth a look, dated as it is. But my choice for a happy movie is the affectionate satirical spoof that arrived two decades later, Back to the Beach (1987).
I’m a big fan of Back to the Beach even though the beach movies they celebrate and lampoon have little interest for me. This nostalgic spoof is wittier and funnier than the silly beach movies it satirizes; the music is better; the guest stars are more interesting (and somewhat criminal; I’ll get to that later); and the script definitely has an edge to it. Seeing it again recently reminded me how contemporary it is, especially when compared to those original beach movies. It also doesn’t hurt that all the people it brings back from the 1960s have aged really well, especially the beautiful women.
The admittedly thin story finds Ohio housewife Annette (the always perky Annette Funicello) and Annette’s husband (Frankie Avalon; that’s how he is billed in the credits and addressed in the film, as “Annette’s husband” or, once in a while, as “The Big Kahuna”) needing and taking a vacation to Hawaii with their teenage son Bobby (Demian Slade). Only they never make it to Hawaii; their stop in Los Angeles to check on their daughter Sandi (Lori Loughlin) results in the couple breaking up temporarily, with romantic and musical shenanigans to follow. Eventually they realize that they belong together, naturally, and the requisite happy ending ensues. But not before a lot of sand, surf, sun, and really good music.
Although the story is flimsy it has a lot of charm for two reasons. First, it spoofs the wholesome image and careers of its stars. Annette is described by son Bobby as “the most cheerful person on Earth,” a fact which drives him batty, and she is seen as the perfect homemaker, doing chores in dresses and opening cabinets stocked with peanut butter (a hilarious nod to her Skippy peanut butter saleslady days). Pragmatic and always charming, Annette has never met a problem that could not be faced and conquered by a smile. That is not the case with Annette’s husband, who, twenty-five years after his beach-bopping days as The Big Kahuna, is now a harried car salesman. It’s a living, I guess, and it’s funny to see how things worked out (or didn’t) for the guy.
The second aspect I really like about the script is the narration by Bobby. Having been raised by these two, he’s a bit neurotic. He really wants to rebel, but doesn’t really know how. His comments about his family are darn funny and right on the money, and the first half of the film truly benefits from having him describe things from time to time. But then he disappears for about half an hour, and the story lags a bit without him. When he returns, Bobby is in his first gang. Even that is played for laughs, when he tells everyone his new gang name (s). Bobby is the film’s funniest character and Demian Slade nails it. Great job, dude!
Trouble stars in Los Angeles when they drop in on daughter Sandi, who is keeping her live-in boyfriend Michael (Tommy Hinkley) a big secret from her family, thinking (rightly) that they will object. Daddy, anyway. The charade doesn’t last long, and pretty soon the two women are loveless, but planning to make their men jealous enough to come back to them. This takes time and leads to silliness and romance and such, just like the old beach movies did. The difference here is that while Sandi only has eyes for Michael, Annette is attracting the stares of younger men, while Annette’s husband flirts with old buddy Connie Stevens, who has always carried a flame for him.
Much of this is played for laughs, as when the girls stage a boardwalk pillow fight, or a night-time beach barbecue is interrupted by the arrival of none other than Pee-Wee Herman, singing “Surfin’ Bird” before flying away into the distance on a surfboard. One of this movie’s perks is the list of guest stars, which besides Pee-Wee include Don Adams (from “Get Smart”) as a harbormaster, Bob Denver and Alan Hale, Jr. in their “Gilligan’s Island” attire, Jerry Mathers, Tony Dow and Barbara Billingsley (from “Leave it to Beaver” as surfing judges and an announcer, respectively, Edd “Kookie” Byrnes as a valet, and even O. J. Simpson in the airport scene. Of course, nobody then could have foreseen how things would work out, but it is kind of weird, perhaps very weird, that three of these performers would end up doing time in prison later on (Pee-Wee, O. J. and Lori). That fact might change the way you see the movie, if you care.
Also present are some top notch musicians who play their own songs and accompany Annette, Annette’s husband and Connie during their songs. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Dick Dale team up on a kick-ass version of “Pipeline,” while Dick Dale joins Annette’s husband and Connie during “California Sun.” Annette and Fishbone (!) perform “Jamaica Ska” on the beach, and the soundtrack features several other songs, most notably Eddie Money’s “Catch a Ride,” Jan and Dean’s “Catch a Wave,” Marti Jones’ “Sun, Sun, Sun, Sun, Sun” and snippets of older Frankie and Annette classics. Even John Williams’ “Raiders March” makes an appearance!
I think this film works so well because of its modern sensibilities; it doesn’t date as nearly as much as the original 1960s movies do. Director Lyndall Hobbs and her team of writers did a wonderful job of hitting and maintaining the right tone for this light-hearted romp. It is well-paced and bursts with energy. This is Lyndall Hobbs’ only feature film as a director; it’s a shame she never had another opportunity. In 2016 she published a memoir titled “The Girl from Oz” (she is Australian), which I will have to get and read; hers seems like a very interesting story.
Even if nostalgia isn’t what it used to be, revisiting titles like this is a great way to rekindle memories of how things were and how they have changed. Back to the Beach displays a genuine appreciation for its stars, its special brand of “California” music and the beach movie genre. It’s absurdly clever and lots and lots of fun. If you want to take a trip down memory lane, you can’t go wrong with this movie. ☆ ☆ ☆. Backdated to May 31, 2020.
Similar films include Beach Blanket Bingo (1965); The Nude Bomb (1980); Strange Brew (1983); Return to Mayberry (1985 TVM); Indian Summer (1993).