Ski Party
Encyclopedia
Ski Party is a B-movie
, directed by Alan Rafkin, and released in 1965 by American International Pictures
. Ski Party is part of the 1960s Beach Party film
genre, with a change of setting from the beach to the slopes - although the final scene places everyone back at the beach. The plot is loosely based on the classic comedy, Some Like It Hot
.
college
undergraduates who unsuccessfully date co-eds Linda Hughes (Deborah Walley
) and Barbara Norris (Yvonne Craig
). Arrogant, handsome, athletic classmate Freddie (Aron Kincaid
) has no such problems and chooses not to fight off all the women chasing after him. As president of the Ski Club, Freddie organizes a midterm vacation trip to ski
country (in gorgeous Sawtooth National Forest
) in Idaho
. Although they know nothing about skiing, Todd and Craig follow Linda and Barbara on this bus
trip, to try to learn "the secret of Freddie's technique."
Once at the rustic ski resort
, Todd and Craig pose as frumpy, non-threatening, young English
women, Jane and Nora, with terrible accents
. When not interrupted by a mysterious ice-skating, yodeling
polar bear
, or toying with psychologically-imbalanced and lederhosen
-clad lodge manager Mr. Pevney (Robert Q. Lewis
), they observe the girls in their group up close, to learn how to succeed with women, and figure out how they have gone wrong
.
To make Linda jealous
, Avalon attracts the attention of gorgeous, curvy Swedish
ski instructor Nita (Bobbi Shaw) when he's dressed as himself. But Freddie becomes obsessed with Hickman when Hickman is dressed as a woman, not accustomed to girls who play "hard to get." Nita persuades Avalon, over Freddie's goading, to compete in a ski jump against Freddie. Avalon's jump, featuring absurdly comical special effects, forces Hickman to shoot him down, breaking Avalon's leg
.
Avalon crawls through miles of deep snow
, late at night, with his broken leg covered in a plaster
cast, to Nitfa's house. Toting a bottle, he learns that Nita is not the exotic minx she pretends to be but aspires to be treated like an "American
girl," that is, with much "talk" and little "action."
Back at the lodge, Freddie, still obsessed with Hickman's "female" character, Nora, tries to break down "Nora's" room door. Stuck inside, Avalon and Hickman contemplate their next move as they escape through a window. Somehow they hail a taxi
, and rack up an enormous fare to Santa Monica, California
. Freddie follows on a moped
piloted by fur-coated lodge manager Pevney. The rest of the group abruptly ends its spring break and follows behind on the bus.
Avalon and Walley, and Hickman and Craig arrive, with the rest of the group and Pevney, at Avalon's parents' beachfront house. There the two couples share their true feelings and the boys surprise the girls with their ruse.
Delusional Freddie swims into the Pacific Ocean
convinced that he will catch his beloved brunette-wigged "Nora" who swam off ahead of him and is "somewhere near Guam
."
published a 12 cent comic book
version of Ski Party in conjunction with the movie's release.
professor. AIP player Salli Sachse shows her usual pulchritude as ponytailed and bikini
-clad "Indian," and surfing
champion Mickey Dora plays a small part. Avalon and Hickman appeared together again - after trading their character names with each other - in AIP's Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine
.
(a two-year institution in East Hollywood) was the location used for the unnamed university in the film. The outdoor snow scenes were filmed in and around Sun Valley, Idaho
, and the film itself gives screen credit to Idaho's Sawtooth National Forest
.
(who sings Marvin Hamlisch
's "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows"
on the bus), and James Brown
& The Famous Flames
(who sing and shimmy through "I Got You (I Feel Good)
" in the lodge, having been humorously cast as the "white bread" resort's all-black ski patrol
).
The Hondells
sing two songs written by Gary Usher
and Roger Christian - the title track off-camera, then appearing in beach attire for the closing track, "The Gasser" on Sorrento Beach in Santa Monica
.
Avalon sings the surf-rock "Lots, Lots More," (by Richie Adams and Larry Kusik
) and is joined by Hickman, Walley and Craig for the Holiday-styled "Paintin' the Town," written by Bob Gaudio
.
Walley and Craig sing "We'll Never Change Them," a song by Guy Hemric and Jerry Styner, originally written as "I'll Never Change Him" and sung by Annette Funicello in a scene cut from Beach Blanket Bingo
for its wide release.
This is the only AIP beach party film
not scored by Les Baxter
- Edwin Norton is credited as the film's music editor and Al Simms as music supervisor.
for an upcoming AIP film, Cruise Party - a project that never materialised for AIP (although Crown International Pictures
did manage to release Scuba Party
in 1967 - after changing the title to Catalina Caper
).
Both Columbia Pictures
and Universal Studios
also produced their versions of snowbound beach party film
s: Columbia's Winter a Go-Go was released four months later in October of 1965, and Universal's Wild Wild Winter
was released in January of 1966.
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
, directed by Alan Rafkin, and released in 1965 by American International Pictures
American International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
. Ski Party is part of the 1960s Beach Party film
Beach Party film
Beach party movies were an American 1960s genre of feature films created by American International Pictures with their surprise 1963 hit, Beach Party, and copied by virtually every other studio...
genre, with a change of setting from the beach to the slopes - although the final scene places everyone back at the beach. The plot is loosely based on the classic comedy, Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot is an American comedy film, made in 1958 and released in 1959, which was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and George Raft. The supporting cast includes Joe E. Brown, Pat O'Brien and Nehemiah Persoff. The film is a remake by Wilder and I....
.
Plot
Todd Armstrong (Avalon) and Craig Gamble (Hickman) play CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
undergraduates who unsuccessfully date co-eds Linda Hughes (Deborah Walley
Deborah Walley
Deborah Walley was an American actress.-Biographical Information:Deborah Walley was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Ice Capades skating stars and choreographers Nathan and Edith Walley. She attended Central High School in Bridgeport. At fourteen she was playing summer-stock theatre. She...
) and Barbara Norris (Yvonne Craig
Yvonne Craig
Yvonne Joyce Craig is an American actress best known for her role as Batgirl from the 1960s TV series Batman, and as the Orion Marta in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Whom Gods Destroy”.-Early life and career:...
). Arrogant, handsome, athletic classmate Freddie (Aron Kincaid
Aron Kincaid
Aron Kincaid was an American actor perhaps best known for playing Killer Croc on Batman: The Animated Series and Sky Lynx on The Transformers. He also voiced characters for The Smurfs, and DuckTales, among others...
) has no such problems and chooses not to fight off all the women chasing after him. As president of the Ski Club, Freddie organizes a midterm vacation trip to ski
Ski
A ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
country (in gorgeous Sawtooth National Forest
Sawtooth National Forest
Sawtooth National Forest is in Idaho and Utah was protected in 1905 by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt as the Sawtooth Forest Reserve. Today the forest administers over 2.1 million acres of some of the most remote forestland in the lower 48 states, and there are over 1,000 lakes and 3,000...
) in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. Although they know nothing about skiing, Todd and Craig follow Linda and Barbara on this bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
trip, to try to learn "the secret of Freddie's technique."
Once at the rustic ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
, Todd and Craig pose as frumpy, non-threatening, young English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
women, Jane and Nora, with terrible accents
Accent (linguistics)
In linguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation.An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside , the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language In...
. When not interrupted by a mysterious ice-skating, yodeling
Yodeling
Yodeling is a form of singing that involves singing an extended note which rapidly and repeatedly changes in pitch from the vocal or chest register to the falsetto/head register; making a high-low-high-low sound.The English word yodel is derived from a German word jodeln meaning "to...
polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
, or toying with psychologically-imbalanced and lederhosen
Lederhosen
Lederhosen are breeches made of leather; they may be either short or knee-length. The longer ones are generally called Bundhosen....
-clad lodge manager Mr. Pevney (Robert Q. Lewis
Robert Q. Lewis
Robert Q. Lewis was an American radio and television personality, game show host, and actor. Lewis added the middle initial "Q." to his name accidentally on the air in 1942, when he responded to a reference to radio comedian F. Chase Taylor's character, Colonel Lemuel Q...
), they observe the girls in their group up close, to learn how to succeed with women, and figure out how they have gone wrong
Wrong
A wrong or being wrong is a concept in law, ethics, epistemology, and science. In a colloquial sense, wrongness usually refers to a state of incorrectness, inaccuracy, error, or miscalculation in any number of contexts...
.
To make Linda jealous
JEALOUS
"Jealous" is the first single by Dir En Grey and was released on May 10, 1998. The music videos of the title track and the B-side "Unknown･･･Despair･･･a Lost" are featured on the VHS Mousou Toukakugeki. A piano-vocal duet version of "Jealous" was later included on the "[KR] Cube" single...
, Avalon attracts the attention of gorgeous, curvy Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
ski instructor Nita (Bobbi Shaw) when he's dressed as himself. But Freddie becomes obsessed with Hickman when Hickman is dressed as a woman, not accustomed to girls who play "hard to get." Nita persuades Avalon, over Freddie's goading, to compete in a ski jump against Freddie. Avalon's jump, featuring absurdly comical special effects, forces Hickman to shoot him down, breaking Avalon's leg
Human leg
The human leg is the entire lower extremity or limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh and even the hip or gluteal region; however, the precise definition in human anatomy refers only to the section of the lower limb extending from the knee to the ankle.Legs are used for standing,...
.
Avalon crawls through miles of deep snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
, late at night, with his broken leg covered in a plaster
Plaster
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...
cast, to Nitfa's house. Toting a bottle, he learns that Nita is not the exotic minx she pretends to be but aspires to be treated like an "American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
girl," that is, with much "talk" and little "action."
Back at the lodge, Freddie, still obsessed with Hickman's "female" character, Nora, tries to break down "Nora's" room door. Stuck inside, Avalon and Hickman contemplate their next move as they escape through a window. Somehow they hail a taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
, and rack up an enormous fare to Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
. Freddie follows on a moped
Moped
Mopeds are a type of low-powered motorcycle designed to provide economical and relatively safe transport with minimal licensing requirements.Mopeds were once all equipped with bicycle-like pedals , but moped has been increasingly applied by governments to vehicles without pedals, based on their...
piloted by fur-coated lodge manager Pevney. The rest of the group abruptly ends its spring break and follows behind on the bus.
Avalon and Walley, and Hickman and Craig arrive, with the rest of the group and Pevney, at Avalon's parents' beachfront house. There the two couples share their true feelings and the boys surprise the girls with their ruse.
Delusional Freddie swims into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
convinced that he will catch his beloved brunette-wigged "Nora" who swam off ahead of him and is "somewhere near Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
."
Movie tie-in
Dell ComicsDell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
published a 12 cent comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
version of Ski Party in conjunction with the movie's release.
Cast
Annette Funicello contributes an opening cameo role as the boys' desirable but modestly dressed biologyBiology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
professor. AIP player Salli Sachse shows her usual pulchritude as ponytailed and bikini
Bikini
The bikini is typically a women's two-piece swimsuit. One part of the attire covers the breasts and the other part covers the crotch and part of or the entire buttocks, leaving an uncovered area between the two. Merriam–Webster describes the bikini as "a woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit" or "a...
-clad "Indian," and surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
champion Mickey Dora plays a small part. Avalon and Hickman appeared together again - after trading their character names with each other - in AIP's Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine
Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine
Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine is a 1965 American International Pictures film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Vincent Price, Frankie Avalon, Dwayne Hickman, Susan Hart and Deborah Walley...
.
Locations
Los Angeles City CollegeLos Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College, known as LACC, is a public community college in the East Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard...
(a two-year institution in East Hollywood) was the location used for the unnamed university in the film. The outdoor snow scenes were filmed in and around Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley is a resort city in Blaine County in the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum, lying within the greater Wood River valley. Tourists from around the world enjoy its skiing, hiking, ice skating, trail riding, tennis, and cycling. The population was 1,427...
, and the film itself gives screen credit to Idaho's Sawtooth National Forest
Sawtooth National Forest
Sawtooth National Forest is in Idaho and Utah was protected in 1905 by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt as the Sawtooth Forest Reserve. Today the forest administers over 2.1 million acres of some of the most remote forestland in the lower 48 states, and there are over 1,000 lakes and 3,000...
.
Music
Ski Party is punctuated with ski-sweatered musical numbers by Lesley GoreLesley Gore
Lesley Gore is an American singer. She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop hit "It's My Party", which she recorded at the age of 16. Following the hit, she became one of the most recognized teen pop singers of the 1960s.- Biography :Gore was born in New York City, New York. She was raised in...
(who sings Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch is an American composer. He is one of only thirteen people to have been awarded Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and a Tony . He is also one of only two people to EGOT and also win a Pulitzer Prize...
's "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows"
Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows
"Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows" is a popular song sung by Lesley Gore. It was originally released on Gore's 1963 album Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts. The song was composed by Marvin Hamlisch. It was arranged by Claus Ogerman and produced by Quincy Jones. The tune peaked at #13 on the...
on the bus), and James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
& The Famous Flames
The Famous Flames
The Famous Flames was an R&B vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd that recorded and performed with James Brown during the early years of his career...
(who sing and shimmy through "I Got You (I Feel Good)
I Got You (I Feel Good)
"I Got You " is a hit song by James Brown. Released as a single in 1965, it was one of Brown's signature songs, and is arguably his most widely-known recording.-Description:...
" in the lodge, having been humorously cast as the "white bread" resort's all-black ski patrol
Ski patrol
A Ski Patrol is an organization that provides Emergency Medical and rescue services to skiers and participants of other snow sports, either at a ski area or in a back country setting. Patrollers are trained in Basic or Advanced Life Support to stabilize and transport patients to definitive care,...
).
The Hondells
The Hondells
The Hondells were an American surf rock band who hit the Top 10 with the 1964 single "Little Honda"."Little Honda", written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love of The Beach Boys, was inspired by the popularity of Honda motor bikes in Southern California during the early 1960s. The band recorded the song...
sing two songs written by Gary Usher
Gary Usher
Gary Usher was an American surf rock musician, songwriter, and record producer.-Biography:Usher's early life was spent in Grafton, Massachusetts. He attended Norcross Grammar School with his sister, Sandra, who was in the same class and was likely his twin. Gary was kiddingly called "Chicken Feed"...
and Roger Christian - the title track off-camera, then appearing in beach attire for the closing track, "The Gasser" on Sorrento Beach in Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
.
Avalon sings the surf-rock "Lots, Lots More," (by Richie Adams and Larry Kusik
Larry Kusik
Larry Kusik is an award-winning lyricist.He is perhaps best known for writing the lyrics for the tune Speak Softly Love, the love theme from the 1972 film The Godfather, however he has also written lyrics to many other movie themes, including A Time for Us from the 1968 film version of Romeo and...
) and is joined by Hickman, Walley and Craig for the Holiday-styled "Paintin' the Town," written by Bob Gaudio
Bob Gaudio
Robert John "Bob" Gaudio is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist/backing vocalist for The Four Seasons.-Early career:...
.
Walley and Craig sing "We'll Never Change Them," a song by Guy Hemric and Jerry Styner, originally written as "I'll Never Change Him" and sung by Annette Funicello in a scene cut from Beach Blanket Bingo
Beach Blanket Bingo
Beach Blanket Bingo is an American International Pictures beach party film, released in 1965 and was directed by William Asher. It is the fifth film in the beach party film series...
for its wide release.
This is the only AIP beach party film
Beach Party film
Beach party movies were an American 1960s genre of feature films created by American International Pictures with their surprise 1963 hit, Beach Party, and copied by virtually every other studio...
not scored by Les Baxter
Les Baxter
Les Baxter was an American musician and composer.Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College. Abandoning a concert career as a pianist, he turned to popular music as a singer...
- Edwin Norton is credited as the film's music editor and Al Simms as music supervisor.
Legacy
The end credits feature a plugProduct placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
for an upcoming AIP film, Cruise Party - a project that never materialised for AIP (although Crown International Pictures
Crown International Pictures
Crown International Pictures is an independent film studio formed in 1959 by Newton P. Jacobs Jacobs was a former branch head of RKO Pictures until 1947 when he formed his own company "Favorite Films"; a film releasing organisation. Jacobs became one of the first franchises for showing American...
did manage to release Scuba Party
Catalina Caper
Catalina Caper is a 1967 comedy musical mystery film starring Tommy Kirk. It is one of the last in the beach party film genre. This entry blends the beach format with a standard crime-caper comedy...
in 1967 - after changing the title to Catalina Caper
Catalina Caper
Catalina Caper is a 1967 comedy musical mystery film starring Tommy Kirk. It is one of the last in the beach party film genre. This entry blends the beach format with a standard crime-caper comedy...
).
Both Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
and Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
also produced their versions of snowbound beach party film
Beach Party film
Beach party movies were an American 1960s genre of feature films created by American International Pictures with their surprise 1963 hit, Beach Party, and copied by virtually every other studio...
s: Columbia's Winter a Go-Go was released four months later in October of 1965, and Universal's Wild Wild Winter
Wild Wild Winter
Wild Wild Winter is a 1966 Universal Pictures comedy film in the beach party genre, starring Gary Clarke and Chris Noel. It is directed by standup comedian Lennie Weinrib and produced by Bart Patton and is notable for featuring Jay and the Americans and the duo of Dick and Dee Dee in their only...
was released in January of 1966.