Surf party
Encyclopedia
Surf Party is a 1964 beach party film
directed by Maury Dexter. It is notable for the musical acts showcased onscreen, as well as for being the first direct imitation of AIP
’s hit Beach Party
, which was released six months earlier. It also notable for being one of the few films in the genre shot in black and white. It is rarely screened, and has never been commercially released in any home-viewing format.
(and a former football star whose career was ended with a skull injury).
While the girls are learning to surf, Terry falls in love with Len (Bobby Vinton), the operator of a local surf shop; Junior falls in love with Milo (Ken Miller), a new surfer; and Sylvia falls in love with Skeet (Jerry Summers).
Milo takes the girls to Casey’s Surfer, the hangout on the pier where the surfers and their ilk gather. While the girls get into the club on the virtue that Terry is Skeet’s sister, Milo is kept out because he is just a “gremmie
”.
In an effort to qualify for membership into Skeet’s unruly surfing club (called “The Lodge”), Milo attempts to “shoot the pier” (surfing through the pier - called “run the pier” in the film) and is injured when he smacks into one of the posts. As a result of Milo’s smash-up, Len gets into an argument with Skeet, and just as they are about to fight, Terry warns Len that Skeet's football injury is still dangerous. Throughout all the proceedings, Sgt. Wayne Neal (Richard Crane), the decidedly “anti-surf” police sergeant, is on Skeet’s back, waiting for him to screw up so he can either throw him in jail or out of town. Terry soon learns that her brother’s reputation is greater than the reality.
Skeet is further humiliated when he throws a party and Pauline (Martha Stewart) - the wealthy older woman who apparently owns the beach house that Skeet has been living in - finds him in her bedroom with Sylvia. Pauline reveals that Skeet is indeed a “kept man
”. To the delight of Sgt. Neal, Skeet decides to return to Arizona with Sylvia when he realizes how much he loves her; and the girls enjoy the rest of the vacation with their boyfriends.
Ken Miller, who plays the fresh-out-of-highschool “gremmie” Milo, was 33 years old at the time of filming.
Legendary surfer Mickey Dora doesn’t have a speaking role, but is a featured extra in a sequence in the Casey’s Surfer restaurant – playing the bowling-shirted
surfer who follows Skeet’s signal to lead the crowd in a clap-out.
was a Boulder, Colorado-based surf band
who had a Billboard Top 100
hit in 1963 with their song “Baja.” They also appeared in Dexter’s later beach party movie, Wild on the Beach
, as well as two other beach party films, Wild Wild Winter
and Out of Sight
– more than any other surf band.
The Routers
was a band formed by Mike Gordon
, whose first release in September 1962 was "Let's Go (Pony)", which reached # 19 on the Billboard
charts
.
composed the score and also co-wrote five songs for the film.
Jackie DeShannon performs two songs in the film, "Glory Wave" and “Never Comin' Back," with Patricia Morrow and Lory Patrick (both written by Haskell and 'By' Dunham).
Bobby Vinton performs (twice)"If I Were an Artist," and Patricia Morrow sings "That's What Love Is" (both written by Bobby Beverly and Dunham).
The Astronauts
perform two songs, the instrumental "Surf Party," LISTEN heard over the opening and closing credits (written by Beverly and Dunham); and the onscreen performance of "Fire Water" (written by Haskell and Dunham).
The Routers
perform "Crack Up" (written by Haskell and Dunham) onscreen.
Ken Miller performs "Pearly Shells" (written by Lani Kai, Jericho Brown and Dunham).
Dunham and Haskell also wrote "Great White Water," which is heard as source music on a jukebox in the sequence at Casey’s Surfer restaurant.
Although the poster shouted “Hear ‘em Sing These Surfin Hits!” and listed nine tracks, only two tracks can be deemed as “surf music.” In It's Party Time: A Musical Appreciation of the Beach Party Genre, Stephen J. McParland writes: “The commissioned song-writing team of Jimmie Haskell and By Dunham were hard-pressed to come up with enough convincing items to carry the soundtrack to the masses. What cognizance they possessed of ‘surf music’ was scant at best and only the Astronauts’ instrumentals ... bore any real resemblance to the musical genre.” For example, “Never Comin’ Back” is written as a folk song
, “Pearly Shells” is in the style of a Hawaiian folk song, "That's What Love Is" is a country & western song
, and “Glory Wave” is written and performed in the style of a Negro spiritual
.
Regarding the two tracks by The Astronauts
, the book Pop Surf Culture states, “The Astronauts bang out a thick, reverb-laden instrumental called ‘Firewater,’ and their theme song ‘Surf Party’ happens to be one of the best surf instrumentals ever recorded.”
Contemporary author Tom Lisanti writes, “Surf Party is [a] realistic, albeit melodramatic, look at the surfing craze and Malibu surfers in particular. It is also an obvious rip-off of Beach Party without the zaniness. There is some neat surfing footage featuring pros like Mickey Dora and Johnny Fain but the flat black-and-white photography doesn’t do it justice though it buoys the story. The female leads all do well but Bobby Vinton and Kenny Miller fail miserably trying to pass themselves off as surfers.”
Pop Surf Culture states “It was in the crummy-but-perfectly-named Surf Party that true beach crud reached its peak”
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...
directed by Maury Dexter. It is notable for the musical acts showcased onscreen, as well as for being the first direct imitation of AIP
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...
’s hit Beach Party
Beach Party
Beach Party was the first of several beach party films from American International Pictures aimed at a teen audience. It was directed by William Asher and written by Lou Rusoff. The main actors included Robert Cummings, Dorothy Malone, Frankie Avalon, and Annette Funicello...
, which was released six months earlier. It also notable for being one of the few films in the genre shot in black and white. It is rarely screened, and has never been commercially released in any home-viewing format.
Plot
Arizonians Terry (Patricia Morrow), Sylvia (Lory Patrick), and Junior (Jackie DeShannon) drive to California’s Malibu Beach to vacation, to learn how to surf, and to look up Terry's brother “Skeet,” Malibu’s Big Kahuna bad boyBad boy (archetype)
The bad boy, cad or bounder is a cultural archetype of a male who behaves badly, especially towards women.Being a promiscuous rogue may be as successful a reproductive strategy as the strategy of being a reliable provider. Evolutionary psychologist Professor Bill von Hippel claims that women are...
(and a former football star whose career was ended with a skull injury).
While the girls are learning to surf, Terry falls in love with Len (Bobby Vinton), the operator of a local surf shop; Junior falls in love with Milo (Ken Miller), a new surfer; and Sylvia falls in love with Skeet (Jerry Summers).
Milo takes the girls to Casey’s Surfer, the hangout on the pier where the surfers and their ilk gather. While the girls get into the club on the virtue that Terry is Skeet’s sister, Milo is kept out because he is just a “gremmie
Grommet (sportsperson)
"Grommet" is a term used to describe a young participant in extreme sports. The term originally was used in the sport of surfing for anyone under the age of 16. However in recent years, the term has been expanded to include other extreme sports, most notably skateboarding and snowboarding...
”.
In an effort to qualify for membership into Skeet’s unruly surfing club (called “The Lodge”), Milo attempts to “shoot the pier” (surfing through the pier - called “run the pier” in the film) and is injured when he smacks into one of the posts. As a result of Milo’s smash-up, Len gets into an argument with Skeet, and just as they are about to fight, Terry warns Len that Skeet's football injury is still dangerous. Throughout all the proceedings, Sgt. Wayne Neal (Richard Crane), the decidedly “anti-surf” police sergeant, is on Skeet’s back, waiting for him to screw up so he can either throw him in jail or out of town. Terry soon learns that her brother’s reputation is greater than the reality.
Skeet is further humiliated when he throws a party and Pauline (Martha Stewart) - the wealthy older woman who apparently owns the beach house that Skeet has been living in - finds him in her bedroom with Sylvia. Pauline reveals that Skeet is indeed a “kept man
Kept man
A kept man is a man who is financially supported by a wealthy, usually older, person who is neither the man's spouse nor close relative. Men may be kept by either a woman or by another man. Being "kept" could be seen as a form of male prostitution, especially if the relationship has a sexual...
”. To the delight of Sgt. Neal, Skeet decides to return to Arizona with Sylvia when he realizes how much he loves her; and the girls enjoy the rest of the vacation with their boyfriends.
Cast
Popular singer Bobby Vinton, who plays Len, only appeared in three movies, this being his only one in the 1960s.Ken Miller, who plays the fresh-out-of-highschool “gremmie” Milo, was 33 years old at the time of filming.
Legendary surfer Mickey Dora doesn’t have a speaking role, but is a featured extra in a sequence in the Casey’s Surfer restaurant – playing the bowling-shirted
Bowling shirt
A bowling shirt is a men's shirt that resembles an Aloha shirt in construction, but not appearance, typically being more conservative and not incorporating tropically themed prints. They are loose-fitting, collared, short sleeved, buttoned shirts, with a straight hem designed to be worn not tucked...
surfer who follows Skeet’s signal to lead the crowd in a clap-out.
Surf bands
The AstronautsThe Astronauts (band)
The Astronauts were an American rock and roll band, who had a minor hit in 1963 with "Baja" and remained successful for several years, especially in Japan...
was a Boulder, Colorado-based surf band
Surf music
Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...
who had a Billboard Top 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
hit in 1963 with their song “Baja.” They also appeared in Dexter’s later beach party movie, Wild on the Beach
Wild on the Beach
Wild on the Beach is a 1965 beach party film directed by Maury Dexter. It is notable for the musical acts showcased onscreen, being the film debut of Sonny & Cher in particular...
, as well as two other beach party films, 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...
and Out of Sight
Out of Sight (1966 film)
Out of Sight is a 1966 beach party film with elements of the spy spoof. It is the third and last of a series of films geared at teenagers by director Lennie Weinrib and producer Bart Patton for Universal Pictures...
– more than any other surf band.
The Routers
The Routers
-Career:Formed in 1962 by Mike Gordon, the Routers recordings sometimes used session musicians in addition to the actual group with the exception of Gordon who played on most the sessions. The Routers first release in September 1962 was the guitar-driven instrumental "Let's Go ", which reached #19...
was a band formed by Mike Gordon
Michael Z. Gordon
Recognizing the start of a new era in music, the surfing craze, Michael Z. Gordon wrote his first hit song, "Surfer's Stomp" almost immediately after he formed his first rock & roll band, The Marketts. Barely able to play the guitar, he taught himself how to play as he toured with his group...
, whose first release in September 1962 was "Let's Go (Pony)", which reached # 19 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
.
Stunts
In addition to appearing as extras, surfers Mickey Dora and Johnny Fain, who appeared in several of AIP’s beach party films, performed the surfing stunts for this film.Exterior Locations
The pier featured throughout the film is the historic Malibu Pier near Surfrider Beach. The exterior of “Casey’s Surfer” on the pier is now the Beachcomber Café. “Len’s Surf Shop” was situated near the intersection of Malibu Road and Webb Way in Malibu.Music
Jimmie HaskellJimmie Haskell
Jimmie Haskell born Sheridan Pearlman 1936 in Brooklyn, New York is a prolific American composer and arranger for a variety of popular singers and motion pictures.-Biography:...
composed the score and also co-wrote five songs for the film.
Jackie DeShannon performs two songs in the film, "Glory Wave" and “Never Comin' Back," with Patricia Morrow and Lory Patrick (both written by Haskell and 'By' Dunham).
Bobby Vinton performs (twice)"If I Were an Artist," and Patricia Morrow sings "That's What Love Is" (both written by Bobby Beverly and Dunham).
The Astronauts
The Astronauts (band)
The Astronauts were an American rock and roll band, who had a minor hit in 1963 with "Baja" and remained successful for several years, especially in Japan...
perform two songs, the instrumental "Surf Party," LISTEN heard over the opening and closing credits (written by Beverly and Dunham); and the onscreen performance of "Fire Water" (written by Haskell and Dunham).
The Routers
The Routers
-Career:Formed in 1962 by Mike Gordon, the Routers recordings sometimes used session musicians in addition to the actual group with the exception of Gordon who played on most the sessions. The Routers first release in September 1962 was the guitar-driven instrumental "Let's Go ", which reached #19...
perform "Crack Up" (written by Haskell and Dunham) onscreen.
Ken Miller performs "Pearly Shells" (written by Lani Kai, Jericho Brown and Dunham).
Dunham and Haskell also wrote "Great White Water," which is heard as source music on a jukebox in the sequence at Casey’s Surfer restaurant.
Although the poster shouted “Hear ‘em Sing These Surfin Hits!” and listed nine tracks, only two tracks can be deemed as “surf music.” In It's Party Time: A Musical Appreciation of the Beach Party Genre, Stephen J. McParland writes: “The commissioned song-writing team of Jimmie Haskell and By Dunham were hard-pressed to come up with enough convincing items to carry the soundtrack to the masses. What cognizance they possessed of ‘surf music’ was scant at best and only the Astronauts’ instrumentals ... bore any real resemblance to the musical genre.” For example, “Never Comin’ Back” is written as a folk song
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, “Pearly Shells” is in the style of a Hawaiian folk song, "That's What Love Is" is a country & western song
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, and “Glory Wave” is written and performed in the style of a Negro spiritual
Spiritual (music)
Spirituals are religious songs which were created by enslaved African people in America.-Terminology and origin:...
.
Regarding the two tracks by The Astronauts
The Astronauts (band)
The Astronauts were an American rock and roll band, who had a minor hit in 1963 with "Baja" and remained successful for several years, especially in Japan...
, the book Pop Surf Culture states, “The Astronauts bang out a thick, reverb-laden instrumental called ‘Firewater,’ and their theme song ‘Surf Party’ happens to be one of the best surf instrumentals ever recorded.”
Critical response
Upon release, The New York Times’ Eugene Archer wrote: “Flaming youth may be passé, but you'd never know it from Surf Party … It's only the attitudes that seem archaic, as they bounce into passionless love affairs, take reckless surfboard risks in pointless tests of courage and display an alarming lack of inhibitions and not a trace of social responsibility.”Contemporary author Tom Lisanti writes, “Surf Party is [a] realistic, albeit melodramatic, look at the surfing craze and Malibu surfers in particular. It is also an obvious rip-off of Beach Party without the zaniness. There is some neat surfing footage featuring pros like Mickey Dora and Johnny Fain but the flat black-and-white photography doesn’t do it justice though it buoys the story. The female leads all do well but Bobby Vinton and Kenny Miller fail miserably trying to pass themselves off as surfers.”
Pop Surf Culture states “It was in the crummy-but-perfectly-named Surf Party that true beach crud reached its peak”