Tom Lisanti's - Sixties Cinema

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:43:00 +0000

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS DODIE MARSHALL?

Sixties starlet Dodie Marshall made her film debut in a small role as the girl who gets Elvis Presley at the end of Spinout (1966) after he barely escapes the marriage-minded clutches of heiress Shelley Fabares, author Diane McBain, and drummer Deborah Walley. Dodie then was bumped up to female lead opposite the King in Easy Come, Easy Go (1967) as a mod go-go dancer who helps him search for buried treasure in the Florida Keys. Then poof--she dropped off the face of the planet. It was always rumored that she married some millionaire and quit acting.

I tried to find Dodie to interview her and had no luck. An online friend and fan of hers named Martin is determined to locate her and found a recent photo. Click here to see. She looks fabulous and still must be in Hollywood somewhere. Dodie if you ever read this I still would love to interview you!

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:27:00 +0000

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HUH?

Click below to see one weird movie clip. Seems when I interviewed Lana Wood for my book Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema she neglected to tell me about an Armenian movie she appeared in called Sons of Sassoun in 1975. No, it is not a movie about a team of hairdressers led by Vidal. Though Lana more than lives up to being "The most beautiful girl in the world" as she is called, this is one strange flick and I can see why she forgot all about it.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:26:00 +0000

I WANT MY RTN

Click here to see the web site for a new cable network called RTN. It puts TVLand to shame. I would love to watch old epiosdes of Night Gallery, Ironside, The Bold Ones, and It Takes a Thief. Of course, Time Warner here in New York City doesn't offer it...yet.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:01:00 +0000

CINEMA RETRO

Believe it or not, I not only write about '60s starlets and movies. Click here for my online interview for Cinema Retro with character actor David Youse who is co-starring with Matthew Modine in the new comedy The Neighbor.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:08:00 +0000

LUNA LANDING

See below for a wonderful tribute to Film Fatale BarBara Luna one of the most versatile and busiest TV actresses of the 60s/70s. Included are clips from her memorable turns on The Wild Wild West, Mission: Impossible, Star Trek, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Below are some of Luna's remarks about working on some of these TV shows:

The Wild Wild West
“Bob Conrad was adorable—very macho and very cute. We laughed a lot. I was married to Doug McClure at the time. I think because we were all buddies it made a big difference. In fact, he used to date Doug’s first wife who is one of my closest friends. I really liked Ross Martin too. He was a very caring human being. When he said, ‘Good morning. How are you?’ You knew he really meant it.”

Mission: Impossible
"I was personally disappointed in the episode because it was too much of me. But most of my scenes were with Martin Landau [Rollin Hand] who I loved working with. He is so funny—he’s Mel Brooks. I am friendly with him to this day and I tell him that all of the time.”

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:50:00 +0000

AND THE WINNER IS...MARLYN MASON!

A big congratulations to Drive-in Dream Girl Marlyn Mason who copped the grand prize for Best Screenplay at the Rhode Island International Film Festival for Model Rules last week. It brings a tear to my eye when one of my Sixties gals is recognized for their talent.

Click here to visit the festival's web site.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:52:00 +0000

MORE MARIANNA PLEASE!

My friend Shaun is always forwarding me interesting starlet-related news, web sites, and video clips. One of his favorite actresses is the multi-faceted Marianna Hill, profiled in my book Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood.

A flaxen-haired beauty who was a natural with dialects and made a career playing various ethnic types as a blonde, brunette or redhead, Marianna was one of the busiest and most versatile actresses to rise from minor decorative roles (New Interns, Roustabout) to second leads (a French tease in the racecar drama Redline 7000, an island cutie in business with Elvis in Paradise, Hawaiian Style) during the Sixties while guest starring on numerous TV shows.

Throughout the Seventies, Marianna played lead roles in a number of cult movies including exciting violent western El Condor (1970) as the often undressed mistress of General Patrick O’Neal; the bizarro The Baby (1973) as a wild-haired member of a wacko family of women who keep their adult brother in diapers and treat him as an infant; and the Clint Eastwood-directed western High Plains Drifter (1973) as a feisty town belle. Her chance for real stardom came when cast as Fredo's volatile wife in The Godfather, Part II. However, Francis Coppolla cut most of her big scenes. Click below to see that we should have seen much more of Marianna in the movie and much less of the dull Talia Shire.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:02:00 +0000

TALKING ABOUT TINA

There is more to Tina Louise than Gilligan's Island and most fans forget that she was a real movie star before being stranded on that island sitcom. After achieving success as Appassionata Von Climax in the hit Broadway musical Li'l Abner, luschious redhead Tina went Hollywood and received more kudos for her film debut as the sexy farm nymph Griselda in God's Little Acre (1958) even sharing a Golden Globe Award for Most Prmising Newcomer - Female.

She was one of the hottest actresses of the time and decided to go the dramatic route opting for three not-so-memorable films with Robert Taylor, Robert Ryan and Richard Widmark while turning down two of the biggest box office hits of 1959. She passed on reprising her role in the movie version of Li'l Abner (Stella Stevens stepped in to fill the cleavage and won a Golden Globe) and said no to being Cary Grant's leading lady in the comedy Operation Petticoat (1959) because of the "boob jokes." What were you thinking Tina!?! Fantasy Femme Joan O'Brien took her place as the busty nurse, the screenplay (boob jokes and all) received an Academy Award nomination, and the movie was one of the five highest grossing films of the year.

Thinking she could get better roles in Europe, headstrong Tina fled to Rome. Though she did a cameo in the great Roberto Rossellini's film Viva l'Italia!, her starring roles were in cheapy peplum movies such as The Warrior Empress and Siege of Syracuse. However, Tina always rose above her material. Checkout the below to watch a tantalizing Tina get a rise out of toga-clad Rossanno Brazzi.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:00 +0000

IT'S 4:30PM. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN ARE?

If you were my mother and it was 1975, you'd know I was glued to the TV set watching the ABC 4:30 Movie. Airing right after Edge of Night on channel 7 in the New York metropolitan area, it was a widely popular program that aired teenage exploitation movies to big budget epics to B horror movies to TV Movies from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. I especially loved 4:30 Movie's theme weeks: Planet of the Apes Week, Beach Party Week, Elvis Presley Week, Horror Week, Troy Donahue Week, Gidget Week, etc. and would race home to watch them all.

I credit (or discredit?) this program for introducing me to the Sixties Starlets. They were all there----Carol Lynley, Pamela Tiffin, Diane McBain, Annette Funicello, Anjanette Comer, Shelley Fabares, Deborah Walley, Linda Harrison, etc.--dancing on the shores of Malibu, trying to snare Elvis on some tropical island or screaming in fright from a hideous thing in the attic or a mad man on the loose

The one down side to the ABC 4;30 Movie was that they had the nasty habit of shoe horning the movies into a 90 minute timeslot usually cutting them to shreds. If you were lucky they split the films into two parts. Even still I loved it and everytime I see the opening it sends me back to my youth.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:41:00 +0000

BEACH BABY NO MORE

I received an email from one of Mary Hughes' former co-stars informing me that the plucky blonde starlet passed away a few months ago possibly from Cancer. Sadly, Mary will decorate the sands of Malibu no more.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:33:00 +0000

BEACH BABY, BEACH BABY GIVE ME YOUR HAND

I always get inquiries about the starlets but the one I get asked about the most is the one with perhaps the least amount of screen time and lines--Mary Hughes from the beach-party movies with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello.

A sexy statuesque blonde in the tradition of Brigitte Bardot, Hughes was the perpetual Sixties beach bunny and stood out from all the other girls on the shore due to her eye-popping proportions—standing 5-foot-9 and measuring 36-22-36. None of the other gals on the sand could turn as many heads as she. She made her movie debut in Muscle Beach Party (1964) and appeared in all the remaining AIP beach movies right through the last The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966). After the beach ball deflated, she popped up in Fireball 500 (1966), the Matt Helm spy spoof Murderers' Row (1966), Thunder Alley (1967), and the Elvis musical Double Trouble (1967). She rarely had more than a line or two but due to her beauty and the way she shimmied and shook to a rockin' beat, always grabbed lots of camera time. Shortly after, she faded from the big screen.

Flash forward to August 2006 where Mary Hughes (along with fellow beach babes Salli Sachse, Patti Chandler, and Linda Opie) was featured in a Vanity Fair article on Malibu surfers of the ‘60s. Still a gorgeous blonde, she has been a personal trainer for thirty years, owns a boogie board, and still can turn heads while traipsing across the sands of Malibu, where she currently resides.

For the record, I wrote to Mary Hughes twice to ask for an interview but disappointingly I never heard from her. I guess I don't rate like Vanity Fair.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:01:00 +0000

SPY MUSIC

I just love the music from '60s spy movies (my faves are Goldfinger, In Like Flint, and Casino Royale) or more contemporary music that pays homage to it. Wes Britton's Spywise web site has a great interview with legendary 007 guitarist Vic Flick and lead guitarist Tom Pervanje of the band, Spy-Fi who talk about Bond music and TV and film themes. Click here to read.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:01:00 +0000

LOOK OUT DARK KNIGHT, THE CATWOMAN IS LURKING

Miss Julie Newmar is in the news today. She is my favorite Catwoman and in my humble opinion by far the best of all the actresses to don the catsuit to play Batman's purrfectly feline nemisis. Miss Newmar is touting Angelina Jolie for the role in the next sequel and states matter-of-factly, "Angelina would own the part." This may be moot as the writers of the upcoming sequel have gone on record that they are not yet inclined to introduce Catwoman.

Miss Julie Newmar, who just turned 75, also revealed that she is suffering from an incurable neuromuscular disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth, which slowly robs a person of the ability to walk. She walks "very s-l-o-w-l-y" and is still able to so with the aid of a gentleman's arm when needed but without a cane.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:41:00 +0000

MORE WITH MARLYN

I interviewed actress Marlyn Mason about her new short, Model Rules. The movie came from an idea Marlyn had after researching what it took to become a real life artist’s model back in 2004. She shelved the proposal but when a friend suggested she enter a Fiction Writing contest, a former writing partner, comedian Vince Valenzuela, reminded her about becoming an artist’s model and thought that would make a better story.

How long did it take you to write Model Rules?
When I finished our conversation [with Vince Valenzuela], I turned on the computer, stared at it and forty-five minutes later had written a 488 word piece that I titled Model Rules. Had it not been for Vince's reminding me of my idea it would not exist today and I would not be enjoying a surge in my otherwise slumbering career. Not bad at 68!

So how did it go from short story to short film?
My neighbor Janet Jamieson loved it, which encouraged me to send it to a local film maker, Ray Robison. He called and said "I want to do this". "Me, too", I replied. And so began the life of Model Rules. Ray brought together twenty-one volunteers to act as artists and crew.

So you never actually worked as an artist’s model while in Oregon?
No, so I found artist Robert M. Paulmenn who suggested I do a posing session before filming. Afterwards he said, "I can't teach you anything. You're a natural"! That was an enormous ego feed for this old broad!

Needing several real artists for visual purposes Robert was delighted to be cast along with artist Greeley Welles and sculptor Michael Isaacson.

How long did it take to shoot?
It took us two days and one evening to film. The Rogue Gallery in Medford, Oregon gave us the space and art equipment to use, which saved us a good amount. Half of the movie is shot in my own little hut, also in Medford.

Did the movie turn out as you envisioned?
When I put Model Rules into the hands of Ray Robison (pictured above on the set with Marlyn) I told him it was his to do with as he wished. I would not interfere. He welcomed suggestions and mine were less than few. I became the actress, doing as I was asked, never looking at the monitor. Weeks later when Ray showed me the rough cut I was stunned. With Director of Photography, Kenn Christenson, Ray put together exactly what I had pictured when I created the story. Ray also found exquisite pieces by composers Kevin MacLeod and Justin R. Durban. It was just good luck that Ray and I were on the same wave length visually and that Kenn was able to translate what we wanted, a French art film, of sorts.

And wouldn’t you know, my “natural” talents are now put to good use; on occasion I’m asked to pose for nude workshops!

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:38:00 +0000

MARLYN RULES

Drive-in Dream Girl Marlyn Mason has come of out of a 10-year retirement to star in Model Rules (2008) a short film that she also produced and wrote. In it, she plays an aging artist's model who fantasizes about one of the men sketching her. Living in Oregon for the past decade, the movie was filmed on location.

Click here to access the Model Rules web site chock full of production stills. Warmly received, Model Rules was accepted into The Rhode Island Int'l Film Festival (Aug. 5 - 10) and the Los Angeles Int'l Short Festival (Aug. 15 - 21). If you live in any of those cities go see it!

Marlyn Mason is an extremely versatile performer and was a much sought after TV actress playing a variety of roles on all the top series including My Three Sons, Burke’s Law, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, Bonanza, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Gomer Pyle, USMC, Hogan’s Heroes, Mannix, Love, American Style, etc. during the Sixties and Seventies. Mason also proved to be a wonderful singer and dancer on two TV variety spectaculars with Robert Goulet (Brigadoon and Carousel) and on Broadway in How Now Dow Jones. Her musical talent was finally put to good use on the big screen when she won a lead role opposite Elvis Presley in The Trouble with Girls (1969).

Marlyn remained extremely active in the Seventies, Eighties, and Nineties and is best remembered for playing a sexy older woman who seduces one of her husband’s students in the youth-oriented comedy, Making It (1971); the helpful assisant to blind detective James Franciscus in the TV series Longstreet and the neighbor who falls for Hal Holbrook unaware that he is gay in the groundbreaking TV movie That Certain Summer (1972). Her last credit prior to Model Rules was playing a grandmother in the TV movie Fifteen and Pregnant (1998).

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:00:00 +0000

TO GO WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE...AGAIN

Click here to visit BarBara Luna's web site where she has posted photos of her guest appearance in an upcoming fan recreation of episodes from the original Star Trek. These guys and gals are serious Trekkies!

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:01:00 +0000

LOVERS AND CHEEK TO CHEEKERS

High on my DVD wish list (or for that matter to be aired in wide screen on the Fox Movie Channel) is The Pleasure Seekers a 1964 remake of Three Coins in te Fountain about a gaggle of starlets looking for fun and romance in Rome. The Pleasure Seekers switched the locale to Madrid but the plot is essentially the same only for me the film so much more fun with two of my favorite starlets in the lead roles--Carol Lynley in her pouty sex kitten period as a secretary pining for her married boss and Pamela Tiffin at her sultry best playing the newly arrived naive tourist who remarks, "I know everything about Spain but Spanish." Oh and the third chick is some redhead named Ann-Margret. Lushly photographed with an Oscar-nominated musical score, it should be a must for fans of Sixties starlets. Take a look at the film's opening ten minutes.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:28:00 +0000

JUST UP MY ALLEY!!!

RIOT ON SUNSET STRIP:
ROCK, REBELLION AND HOLLYWOOD HIPPIES

60s Rock N Roll and California Counterculture
Spotlighted in Waverly Midnights Series,
July 25-September 27 at IFC Center

Riot on Sunset Strip: Rock, Rebellion and Hollywood Hippies, a 10-film program of features and documentaries steeped in the California rock scene of the 60s, screens as part of the ongoing Waverly Midnights series, weekends at midnight July 25-September 27 at IFC Center.

The program opens with WILD IN THE STREETS, the tale of a young anarchist-cum-popstar who runs for the Presidency on a platform promising 14-year-olds the vote. It continues with RIOT ON SUNSET STRIP, a B-movie soundtracked by The Standells about a cop assigned to clean up the Strip s seedy new haunts; LORD LOVE A DUCK, George Axelrod s spoof of 60s teen culture starring Tuesday Weld; counterculture head-trips PSYCH-OUT and THE TRIP (directed by Roger Corman and written by Jack Nicholson); MARYJANE, with Fabian as a high-school teacher framed for pot possession; THE COOL ONES, focusing on a go-go dancer packaged for TV stardom; and guru satire THE LOVE-INS.

These films are chock full of groovy Sixties starlets including Fantasy Femmes Diane McBain, Salli Sachse, Drive-in Dream Girls Laurie Mock, Hilarie Thompson, Debbie Watson, Glamour Girls Linda Gaye Scott, Jo Collins, plus Diane Varsi, Tuesday Weld, Susan Strasberg, and Susan Oliver.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:01:00 +0000

AN ICY TREAT FOR THE SUMMERTIME BLUES

Kudos to Turner Classic Movies as the channel has been dipping into its vaults and recently airing some camp and cult classics from the 60s/70s such as The Maltese Bippy and Wicked, Wicked. They do it again this Thursday July 8 at 9:30am with the rare broadcast of Winter a-Go-Go a beach ball in the snow released in 1965!

A personal favorite, Winter a-Go-Go heads straight for the slopes and remains there the entire time. Those Swingin’ Summer boys, William Wellman, Jr. and James Stacy, put on some clothes and head for Sun Valley to open a ski resort one of them has inherited. They take along some nubile dishes including Beverly Adams, Julie Parrish, Linda Rogers, and Nancy Czar to help out. These enterprising babes even don bikinis despite the fact that the temperature does not go above 40 degrees!

The film has the obligatory scantily clad ski babes and their horny tight pants wearing boyfriends you'd expect to find in this type of film. But what makes the movie especially interesting and an undiscovered camp classic is that it arguably introduces the first ambiguous gay character to appear in a beach-party type movie. The role of Roger that screenwriter Bob Kanter created for himself is the asexual best friend of socialite Janine (Jill Donohue). Though he travels with her and her friend Dori (Judy Parker) there is no evidence of any current or past romance with either gal. During the course of the film Janine sets her sights on Danny (Stacy) and Jeff (Welmman, Jr.) but winds up reuniting with Burt (Anthony Hayes). Dori makes goo-goo eyes at Frankie (Tom Nardini) throughout the film. Poor Roger—if he is not running to Jeff and Danny for protection from the bullying Burt he just sits there drinking his cokes making catty comments about the proceedings.

So sit back and enjoy the twistin' Winter a-Go-Go girls, handsome James Stacy, rockin' music from The Hondells and the Nooney Ricket 4 with Joni Lyman, and the bitchy barbs of Bob Kanter. Highly recommended!

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:01:00 +0000

FOR THE BIRDS

I always liked Tippi Hedren and could never understand why she didn't do more films in the Sixties. Of course, she is best rememberd for her two Alfred Hitchcock movies, The Birds a huge hit in 1963 and Marnie a huge flop in 1964 (I blame co-star Diane Baker for keeping the masses away but I digress.) Tippi has that cool icy blonde persona that I so liked in my Sixties starlets i.e. Carol Lynley, Sue Lyon, and Diane McBain. Click below to see her early screen tests for Hitch.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 03:02:00 +0000

BELLA LUNA

Sixties starlet Barbara Luna goes where no man has gone before...again when she makes a return appearance on Star Trek. No the TV series isn't coming back. But Luna, who appeared as Marlena in the classic episode "Mirror, Mirror" is co-starring in an online episode of the show produced by fans. Click here to learn more.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:36:00 +0000

HELLO ANGELS

I was never a Charlie's Angels fan but I did manage to watch one full episode as a teen. It was called "Island Angels" during the show's 5th season when Tanya Roberts joined the series. Of course, the only reason I tuned in was because it guest starred Carol Lynley who looked stunning in it playing an angelic-looking assassin. Click here to read a tribute to Carol on the Charlie's Angels Blog.

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:01:00 +0000

GONNA HAVE A SKI PARTY

I thought I'd end my Top 5 Sixties Beach Party movies with a cold treat for these hot summer days. A few films (i.e. Get Yourself a College Girl, Winter a-Go-Go, Wild Wild Winter) switched the locale from the warm California seashore to the chilly mountaintop ski slopes. The best of the crop for me was Ski Party (1965).

Frankie Avalon (Todd Armstrong/ Jane), Dwayne Hickman (Craig Gamble/ Nora), Deborah Walley (Linda Hughes), Yvonne Craig (Barbara Norris), Robert Q. Lewis (Donald Pevney), Bobbi Shaw (Nita), Aron Kincaid (Freddie Carter), The Hondells (Themselves) Steve Rogers (Gene), Patti Chandler (Janet), Mike Nader (Bobby), Salli Sachse (Indian), John Boyer (Ski Boy), Mikki Jamison (Vicki), Mickey Dora (Mickey), Bill Sampson (Arthur), Mary Hughes, Luree Holmes (Ski Girls), Sigi Engl (Ski Instructor). Uncredited: Ronnie Dayton, Jo Collins, Paul Gleason, and Annette Funicello (Prof. Roberts). Guest Stars: James Brown and the Famous Flames, and Lesley Gore.

Frankie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman play two average college guys, who are losers when it comes to the ladies, so they masquerade as English lasses on a ski trip to discover why their chicks Deborah Walley and Yvonne Craig dig suave ladies man Aron Kincaid and what they really want in a guy. Complications ensue when the pompous Kincaid falls in love with Hickman's female incarnation. Meanwhile, when not romping around in drag, Avalon tries to make Walley jealous by flirting with Swedish bombshell Bobbi Shaw. The first half of the picture unfolds quite briskly with excellent musical numbers performed by Avalon, James Brown, and Lesley Gore though the second half bogs down a bit with a ludicrous ski jump contest and an overlong chase sequence, standard for these AIP musical comedies.

Ski Party stands out from the rest of the AIP beach-party movies not only because of the change in locale but because of the superior production values. Credit must go to producer Gene Corman and his crew. The film is exquisitely filmed on location with some awesome ski shots. Alan Rafkin also does a first-rate job of directing and keeps the action moving. He brings some originality to the musical numbers as well. Having Frankie Avalon, Deborah Walley, Dwayne Hickman, and Yvonne Craig sing “Painting the Town” while on a sunlit sleigh ride helps elevate the song with the beautiful shots of the foursome traveling through the snow-covered back roads. “Lots Lots More” would just have been a standard song warbled by Frankie Avalon with twistin’ beach babes dancing beside him if it were not for Rafkin’s unusual camera angles capturing the curvy features of Walley, Patti Chandler, Mikki Jamison, and Jo Collins.

The musical performances by the guest stars are the standouts of any AIP beach movie. Here it is no exception. Lesley Gore sings the catchy “Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows” on the bus ride to Sun Valley. Following the release of Ski Party, the song became a hit and peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard charts. The Hondells turn up on the beach and rock on “The Gasser” and the title song. Finally, the appearance of James Brown and the Flames who come in out of the snow to perform their Top 10 record “I Got You (I Feel Good)” is truly one of the greatest musical moments in beach movie history.

Frankie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman are well paired as the wisecracking losers-in-love Todd and Craig and are very believable and amusing as the peppery English lasses, Jane and Nora. As the objects of their devotion, Deborah Walley and Yvonne Craig are only okay but they look stunning in Technicolor making it perfetly plausible to the audience why the boys would go to so much trouble to win them over. Bobbi Shaw is engaging as a sexy Swede who decides she prefers love, American style. It is nice to see AIP contract players Patti Chandler and Salli Sachse given more to do here than in the Beach Party movies. They along with Luree Holmes, Mikki Jamison, and Playboy Playmate Jo Collins look very good in their bathing suits or tight-fitting ski clothes. For beefcake watchers, there’s lean boyish-looking Mike Nader and handsome, chiseled Steve Rogers. But it is the smarmy charm of Aron Kincaid (pictured above surrounded by a bevy of beauties) as the pompous Freddie who flips for a guy in drag who steals the movie. Usually clad in dark sweaters and turtlenecks (which were a perfect contrast to his blonde hair and fair features), Kincaid is striking looking and awes every girl on screen and every girl in the audience (not to mention a boy or two).

Ski Party is avaialbel on DVD and I heartily recommend it!

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:17:00 +0000

Reality TV--'60s Starlet Style

A reliable source has informed me that a new reality series is in development called The New Golden Girls. Take 4 former starlets, throw them in a house together, and sit back and watch the wacky fun begin. I kid you not! Producers are talking with Bond Girl Lana Wood, Tina Louise, Julie Newmar (pictured then and now), and Tippi Hedren. What no Stella Stevens or Carol Lynley!?!

I love all these gals and take no offense, but what will we be watching? Them sitting around cashing their SAG pension checks?

In my opinion Hedren is an odd choice and to stir up the house I would go with Tina-bashing Dawn Wells or the high maintenance France Nuyen who would irk them all!

noreply@blogger.com (SixtiesCinema) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:34:00 +0000

GOING APE...AGAIN!

If you are a Apehead like me and are a big fan of the Planet of the Apes movies, click here for a great web site devoted to all things Apes.

The original is a classic but I have fond memories of seeing the first sequel Beneath the Planet of the Apes at the Westbury Drive-in on Long Island. Totally thrilling and meant to bring the series to closure (it didn't as box office $$$ talk), the marauding gorillas scared me, the atom bomb-loving, masked human mutants creeped me out, and the bare-chested James Franciscus titillated me even though I was only about ten! Check out the trailer and see why.