Muscle Beach Party (1964)

Director: William Asher

Writers: William Asher, Robert Dillon

Composer: Les Baxter

Starring: Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Luciana Paluzzi, John Ashley, Don Rickles, Peter Gurgeon, Jody McCrea, Dick Dale, Morey Amsterdam, Candy Johnson, Donna Loren, Stevie Wonder, Buddy Hackett, Dan Haggerty, Peter Lorre, The Del-Tones

More info: IMDb

Tagline:  SPREAD THOSE BEACH BLANKETS!

Plot:  Local beach-goers find that their beach has been taken over by a businessman training a stable of body builders.

My rating: 6/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

These Beach pictures are a mixed bag.  They're dumb teen comedies but they're also goofy.  There's usually a few old timer actors in the cast that make it more palatable for the older audience.  Now if I were the target age for this film when it came out I might like it just a little more but I've never been much for dumb teen comedies even in my teens but with few exceptions.  What makes this more watchable is the inclusion of Rickles, Hackett and Lorre.  Then you've got music from The Del-Tones, Dick Dale and Stevie Wonder.  They're always fun.  What hurts these flicks is both some REALLY dumb characters and slow pacing that makes the 90 minutes feel like two hours or more.  It's hard to recommend these films but there are some funny bits and it's a blast to see Buddy Hackett & Don Rickles with starring roles.  Oh, and Candy Johnson's dancing is out of sight!

The MGM Midnite Movies double feature comes with SKI PARTY.  This film is presented with a nice anamorphic widescreen print and the theatrical trailer (also A-wide).