Bikini Beach

great "Beach Party" film
Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon are back for a second dose of beach frivolity in this sequel to the smash-hit BEACH PARTY, the aptly-titled BIKINI BEACH.

Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) and Frankie (Frankie Avalon) are about to settle into a romantic summer when the beach that they occupy comes under the scrutiny of a stuffy retirement-villa owner (Keenan Wynn). There is also the arrival of the new British pop-superstar Potato Bug (played as a cameo by Frankie Avalon), and the ever-annoying Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) to contend with!

Soon, Dee Dee finds herself being romanced by both Frankie AND Potato Bug, while Von Zipper challenges Potato Bug to the drag race to end all drag races!

Featuring great guest appearances by Martha Hyer, Don Rickles and Boris Karloff in his walk-on bit as the art collector. There are also great musical numbers performed by Stevie Wonder (under his original name of "Little Stevie Wonder") and Donna Loren.

With Candy Johnson, John Ashley and...

Great Job MGM!
I purchased the DVD version of this movie and would like to inform other 'Beach Party' movie lovers that MGM has done a great job on the video and sound. I have in the past had to suffer through very low quality VHS copies of the Beach Party movies, where I wound up throwing away the tape and putting a VHS tape that I recorded off TV into the box. That won't be the case here! (even if I could record a DVD). These MGM DVD's have the clearest, sharpest picture and sound I have ever seen in 'Beach Party' movies. This DVD is also double-sided, one side plays the full screen version (I hate wide screen format where the top third and bottom third of the screen is blacked out), the other side plays the widescreen version (Some people hate missing out on the side action and would rather watch movies in the widescreen format), This DVD is clearly meant to satisfy everyone. As for the movie ... Well, if you found this review you probably already know about the movie. This is good 'Beach...

SEE FRANKIE & ANNETTE'S BEACH TRILOGY
"Bikini Beach," "Beach Blanket Bingo" and "Beach Party." Most people when asked to name a beach movie, immediately refer to this Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello '60s trilogy ( I don't include the affshoot "Muscle Beach" flick as part of this authentic ouvre).

In 1963's "Beach Party" Annette went by the name Doris (an homage to Doris Day?). The plots, I use the term loosely, were almost interchangeable -- mostly surf, sand, rock 'n roll and sex -- well, mostly innocent tease really. But what's most remembered is the hope -- false as it turned out -- that the voluptuous Annette would reveal a tad more skin. And then there's Bob Cummings in a patently false beard, Harvey Lembeck as the hyper and astonishingly old juvenile delinquent Eric Von Zipper. And of course the tassled Candy Johnson shaking her bikini'd booty over, or is it under, the credits.

In "Bikini Beach" Annette is now Dee Dee (must be an homage to Sandra Dee) and Frankie stretches his chops by playing two...

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