Customer Reviews

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

HOW TO STUFF A WILD BIKINI was one of the last 'Beach Party' films to be released (and it was Annette Funicello's last appearance as Dee Dee). The fatigue is evident in this average - but no less enjoyable - outing.

Frankie (Frankie Avalon) is serving his time in the Navy, and worried that some guy back home will steal Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) away from him. A grumpy old witchdoctor (Buster Keaton) conjures up the stunning red-headed Cassandra (Beverly Adams) to distract every self-respecting male on the Malibu Beach! However, down-to-earth Ricky (Dwayne Hickman) is immune to Cassandra's charms, and slowly starts courting Dee Dee...

Then, the dumb-as-sticks Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) and his "Rats" come back into town, to teach the others a thing or two...

There are great cameo roles by Mickey Rooney, Brian Donlevy and Bobbi Shaw (repeating her role as Buster Keaton's dizzy sidekick).

Annette Funicello was heavily pregnant with her first child at the time of making what was to be her last 'Beach Party' film. She wears obviously-baggy ponchos and blouses to cover up. You will also notice that she NEVER wears an actual swimsuit on the beach!!

Also starring John Ashley, Jody McCrea, Patti Chandler and Mary Hughes.

The DVD includes both full-frame and widescreen versions of the film as well as the trailer and a trivia booklet. (Double-sided, single-layer disc).

I loved this movie.It was hillarous and great.Meet the characters-DeeDee,Frankie,the witch doctor and meet his daughter,Eric Bon Zipper,his gang,Peachy,Casondra,and the big beach party gang.Watch it and enjoy it.

The Best scenes are Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello singing a song together and there is a good scene with Elizabeth Montgomery in her role of Samantha from Bewitched sending Frankie home to Annette who plays Dee Dee and also Annette singing songs.Although Frankie isn't in many scenes with Annette since his character is away he is in the story and Frankie does come home to Annette.If you like Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello and Elizabeth Montgomery and Bewitched then you would enjoy this.The scene with Elizabeth Montgomery in her role of Samantha from Bewitched makes this film more fun.Frankie and Annette are always good together and though they don't have many scenes together in the film it is a good film and they do have scenes together later in the film.

Frankie Avalon was growing tired of the beach movies, and only agreed to appear in this film if he could get a starring vehicle of his own. In this movie, Frankie is a member of the naval reserve and stationed on a tropical island, thus limiting his screen time. Dwyane Hickman (Ricky) ably serves as a new love interest for Annette Funicello (Dee Dee). Their scenes together were reminiscent of the first beach movie, when boy meets girl, boy wants girl, but the girl is playing hard to get. Beverly Adams is the voluptuous redhead Cassandra, filling out the wild bikini very nicely, who magically appears to keep Ricky away from Dee Dee. Mickey Rooney is hilarious as Peachy Keane, the ad executive who wants to hire Cassandra to be the girl next door and to be Ricky's partner for their sponsored motorcycle race. The only problems are that Ricky wants Dee Dee to join him, and Cassandra is nervous and very clumsy around Ricky. However, there is a cyclist she feels very comfortable with.

She takes a shine to Eric Von Zipper, played to perfection by Harvey Lembeck. He is an expert cyclist from his years of being the leader of the Rat Pack. He is more than happy to keep Cassandra away from Ricky and the bad influence of "them beach bums." When Dee Dee finds out that Frankie is playing around with a native girl, she decides to join Ricky for the motorcycle race. Since Cassandra has signed a contract with the ad agency, it's decided to pair her with Eric Von Zipper. Peachy decides that an image makeover is necessary. Thus, Eric trades in his leather outfit and chains for a gray business suit! This entry in the beach movie series shows off Eric Von Zipper to best effect. Despite the Rat Pack's best efforts at sabotage, Ricky and Dee Dee end up winning the motorcycle race. However, Dee Dee doesn't want to go on a cross country promotional tour. Frankie is magically reunited with Dee Dee on the beach for a happy ending. This is the last of the classic beach movies to have Frankie and Annette together, and also features the most musical numbers. As for the movie Frankie starred in shortly afterwards, it was entitled "Sergeant Deadhead." To give you an idea of how successful that was at the box office, "Sergeant Deadhead" has yet to be commercially released on video!

And yet another chapter in the sunny adventures of Frankie and Dee Dee. This one has Frankie going off to war, and no. . . he won't be riding the waves while in combat. Actually, that wouldn't be too far-fetched for these beach movie spoofs. But alas, in all seriousness Frankie has a bigger problem than trying to find the perfect camouflage swim trunks to take with him. What will he do while apart from his favorite beach bunny? And will Dee Dee be faithful amongst all those suntanned surfers and Dwayne?! Of course! There's only one way to ensure that she remembers him until his tanless self returns: hire a witch-doctor to keep her under his thumb and away from. . . well you know who. The legendary comic Buster Keaton plays the witch-doctor in tow with a sea beauty, Cassandra, who not only captivates Dwayne (hurray for Frankie!), but also manages to captivate every other male as well. It turns out that Frankie's plan works. . . Dee Dee does remain faithful, but whether or not she will be happy to see him when he returns is a different story. Would you be happy if your best guy ruined your summer with his jealous antics? It becomes a blundering mess when all the attention is on the siren Cassandra, and yes, even the feared motorcycle gang joins in on Frankie's soiled plan. These movies may be silly, but who cares? I still find them to be very amusing and lighthearted! Although many of you will think they are too cheesy and inept, I still give this one a double-bubble rating!

The sound quality and video quality are pretty good on this DVD, better than anything you would see on VHS. The DVD disc plays on both sides, full screen on one side and wide screen on the other. But as most people know, this was the least popular Annette beach movie. The only reason I purchased this was to see what could be possible for the other beach movies on DVD. But currently, this is the only one on DVD. Where are the rest?

I was IN this movie, as an extra. I was one of the kids on the beach in the background, and in the beach dancing scenes. My scenes were shot in June 1965 right after my Artesia High School Class of 1965 graduation. The beach scenes were mostly shot in Malibu and Santa Monica Beach. I was on the picture for almost a week. It was my first extra part in a Hollywood movie, I have been in many others since then. We all had a great time, I met Annette and Dwayne Hickman and Frankie Avalon was on the scene too. I also became friends with Jody McCrea (Bonehead). Five years later he invited me to appear as an Apache Indian on horseback in a movie he made with his famous Dad, Joel McCrea, called CRY BLOOD APACHE. However, the director cut out my scenes and put them in another movie when they changed the script while shooting. It was great to meet both father and son McCrea!
I like the animated bikini logo for this movie, and The Kingsmen did some songs. This was the last real Beach Party movie, sixth in the series of 8.

Sure it's silly, cheesy, corny, with a ridiculous plot, and simply empty-headed juvenile comedy fluff, but you have to remember, it was a different world back then. If you just watch it as light comedy entertainment it isn't that bad.
However, it could have been so much better...

Too silly. Too leering.

Even more hackneyed than others. Bad songs. Little cleverness.

A supporting cast of lesser interest, to me anyway. (No Susan Hart, no Don Rickles, no Donna Loren, darn little Buster Keaton and Bobbi Shaw- and she's a brunette here).

Watchable at best.

What's amazing to me was how little actually went into these Beach Party movies. If you stacked them all up--and to answer the drill sergeant's question from FULL METAL JACKET, they CAN stack it pretty high--you'd see just how little effort went into these movies. The same costumes, the same recycled sound effects and wretched jokes, the same lame, mugging actors--they even reused the same stock footage of ocean sunsets for every movie.
They could have shot all the Beach Movies in about a week's time. Erich Von Zipper's scenes are identical in every single one of these movies.
"Paul Lynde doesn't want to play the Suit this time? How about Don Rickles? He said no, huh? Well, let's ask Mickey Rooney. He might even sing some dopey songs."

But the chicks are hot. That's all that's lasted: the chick's are hot.

Did anybody catch that North Dakota Pete was Uncle Leo from "Seinfeld"?

This amazing film has everything you want from a beach party movie. As well as Frankie and Annette, there's great songs (the title track is a standout), once proud stars humiliating themselves (Keaton and Rooney) and the most jaw droppingly fake looking dummy you'll ever see during the first motorbike ride.