Wild on the Beach
Encyclopedia
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. In addition, it is distinguished as being one of the few films in the genre to be filmed in black and white.
Although some sourcesstate that the film was also released under the title Beach House Party, to date no prints or posters have surfaced with such a title.
Meanwhile, Adam Miller (Frankie Randall), plans to turn the beach house into a boys' boardinghouse, claiming that he received permission to do so while Lee's uncle was still alive. Adam secretly files first for an off-campus housing permit, and the boys take up residence in the house. Lee also receives a permit, and naturally, problems develop when both male and female students decide to co-habitate - this administrative mix-up also makes for much ducking and dodging of the university authorities.
In spite of being at odds with each other, a romance blossoms between Lee and Adam.
, this was director/producer Maury Dexter’s third teen flick - and second effort to imitate AIP’s Beach Party
formula. AIP would later hire Dexter to direct Maryjane and The Miniskirt Mob.
While promoted as a standard beach party film with posters showing most of the female stars in bikinis and a title song with the lyrics "...only two steps down to the nearest wave, and surf's up every night!", no one in the cast actually wears swimsuits in the film, nor do any of them do anything on the beach - except walk on it - fully clothed. In fact, Frankie Randall, the male lead, wears a windbreaker on top of his shirt for most of the film.
Although little surfing is shown in the film apart from a few random shots of extras on surfboards, the "surfing coordinator" for Wild on the Beach was Phil Sauer, who had also worked on AIP
’s Muscle Beach Party
and Bikini Beach
(both 1964); Beach Blanket Bingo
and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini
(both 1965); as well as Columbia
’s Ride the Wild Surf
(1964).
This was also the second time Dexter used the Boulder, Colorado-based surf band The Astronauts.
composed the score and co-wrote two songs; associate producer ‘By’ Dunham received a writing credit for six songs in the film.
Frankie Randall performs two songs, "The House on the Beach" and "The Gods of Love" (both written by Bobby Beverly and ‘By’ Dunham).
The Astronauts
perform four songs in the film: the rockabilly "Rock This World" (written by Beverly and Dunham); and the three surf tunes "Little Speedy Gonzalez" (written by Stan Ross and Beverly); "Pyramid Stomp" (written by Haskell and Dunham); and "Snap It" (written by Haskell)
Sonny & Cher (backed by The Astronauts) sing "It's Gonna Rain" (written by Sonny Bono); and Jackie & Gayle sing "Winter Nocturne" (written by Eddie Davis and Dunham).
Cindy Malone sings "Run Away from Him" (written by Beverly and Dunham); Russ Bender sings the country & western song "Yellow Haired Woman" (written by Eddie Davis and Dunham); and Sandy Nelson performs "Drum Dance" (written by Joe Saraceno and Frank Warren).
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, being the film debut of Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher were an American pop music duo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife team Sonny and Cher Bono in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector....
in particular. In addition, it is distinguished as being one of the few films in the genre to be filmed in black and white.
Although some sourcesstate that the film was also released under the title Beach House Party, to date no prints or posters have surfaced with such a title.
Plot
Co-ed Lee Sullivan (Sherry Jackson), a student at an unnamed California college, inherits a house on the beach from her late uncle. She wants to use the building as boarding house for girls, thus both alleviating the student housing shortage and financing her education.Meanwhile, Adam Miller (Frankie Randall), plans to turn the beach house into a boys' boardinghouse, claiming that he received permission to do so while Lee's uncle was still alive. Adam secretly files first for an off-campus housing permit, and the boys take up residence in the house. Lee also receives a permit, and naturally, problems develop when both male and female students decide to co-habitate - this administrative mix-up also makes for much ducking and dodging of the university authorities.
In spite of being at odds with each other, a romance blossoms between Lee and Adam.
Production notes
After making 1963's The Young Swingers and 1964's Surf PartySurf party
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...
, this was director/producer Maury Dexter’s third teen flick - and second effort to imitate AIP’s 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...
formula. AIP would later hire Dexter to direct Maryjane and The Miniskirt Mob.
While promoted as a standard beach party film with posters showing most of the female stars in bikinis and a title song with the lyrics "...only two steps down to the nearest wave, and surf's up every night!", no one in the cast actually wears swimsuits in the film, nor do any of them do anything on the beach - except walk on it - fully clothed. In fact, Frankie Randall, the male lead, wears a windbreaker on top of his shirt for most of the film.
Although little surfing is shown in the film apart from a few random shots of extras on surfboards, the "surfing coordinator" for Wild on the Beach was Phil Sauer, who had also worked on AIP
AIP
-Computing:* Adaptive Internet Protocol, a protocol used by Sun Secure Global Desktop* Application Infrastructure Provider, an IT role for software support-Financial:...
’s Muscle Beach Party
Muscle Beach Party
Muscle Beach Party is the second of seven beach party films produced by American International Pictures. It was made in 1964 and was directed by William Asher, who also directed four other films in this series...
and Bikini Beach
Bikini Beach
Bikini Beach is a 1964 teen film directed by William Asher and starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. The film belongs to the beach party genre of movies, popular in the 1960s. This is the third in a series of seven films produced by American International Pictures .-Plot:School is out and...
(both 1964); 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...
and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini is a 1965 beach party film from American International Pictures. The sixth entry in a seven-film series, the movie features Mickey Rooney, Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, and Beverly Adams...
(both 1965); as well as Columbia
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...
’s Ride the Wild Surf
Ride the Wild Surf
Ride the Wild Surf is romantic drama in the beach party style. It was filmed in 1963 and distributed in 1964. Unlike most films in the genre, it is known for its exceptional big wave surf footage – a common sight in surf movies of the time, but a rarity in beach party films...
(1964).
This was also the second time Dexter used the Boulder, Colorado-based surf band The Astronauts.
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 co-wrote two songs; associate producer ‘By’ Dunham received a writing credit for six songs in the film.
Frankie Randall performs two songs, "The House on the Beach" and "The Gods of Love" (both written by Bobby Beverly and ‘By’ 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 four songs in the film: the rockabilly "Rock This World" (written by Beverly and Dunham); and the three surf tunes "Little Speedy Gonzalez" (written by Stan Ross and Beverly); "Pyramid Stomp" (written by Haskell and Dunham); and "Snap It" (written by Haskell)
Sonny & Cher (backed by The Astronauts) sing "It's Gonna Rain" (written by Sonny Bono); and Jackie & Gayle sing "Winter Nocturne" (written by Eddie Davis and Dunham).
Cindy Malone sings "Run Away from Him" (written by Beverly and Dunham); Russ Bender sings the country & western song "Yellow Haired Woman" (written by Eddie Davis and Dunham); and Sandy Nelson performs "Drum Dance" (written by Joe Saraceno and Frank Warren).
Critical response
“The third (and last) of Maury Dexter’s Beach Party rip-offs, Wild on the Beach is so third-rate and low-budget that an unintentional sense of ‘realism’ creeps into it.”External links
- The Video Beat http://www.thevideobeat.com/store/monster-teenage-movies/wild-on-beach-1965.html
- The New York Times http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/117069/Wild-on-the-Beach/overview
- Film.com http://www.film.com/movies/wild-on-the-beach/21099390
- Inbaseline.com http://www.inbaseline.com/project.aspx?project_id=108493
- OVGuidehttp://www.ovguide.com/movies_tv/wild_on_the_beach.htm