Parents' Guide to

Beach Party

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Silly '60s surf musical with stereotypes, sexual situations.

Movie NR 1963 97 minutes
Beach Party Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

Frankie (Frankie Avalon) has big plans for his summer holiday in BEACH PARTY. He's rented a beach house, hoping to get his "chick" Dolores (Annette Funicello) to finally "sleep over," with all that entails in 1963. But Dolores is too hip to fall for that. Instead, she's invited the whole gang for the ultimate sleepover beach party. That's Dolores' idea of a real holiday. Frankie's not happy and decides to make Dolores jealous as he flirts with a Marilyn Monroe look-alike from a local hangout. Again, Dolores is wise to him and turns the tables. She's got her eye on an older man -- nerdy scientist (Robert Cummings) who is secretly researching teen sexual patterns, trying to find a link between tribal mating rituals and "modern" puberty. It's a free-for-all of innuendo, miscommunication, and teasing sexual incidents. Adding to the fun and games is the arrival of a clownish motorcycle gang intent upon spoiling everything. It's only a matter of time, brawls, and exhausting partying before true love triumphs, and everyone finds happiness with the right cliché.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

There's some fun to be had in connecting with the old music and dance moves in this film. The first of a series of popular teen beach movies made by American International Pictures (always known as a maker of cheesy, artless fare), Beach Party capitalized on the celebrity of Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello -- so recognizable that they were known only by their first names. A paper-thin, nonsensical plot was included only to provide the background for the energetic activities of '60s teen culture: music, dancing, surfing, and finding a mate. Neither the amateurish acting, nor the presence of some well-known comic actors in buffoonish roles, nor directing and editing so ludicrously bad it made even the silliest TV sitcoms of the day look like Shakespeare kept audiences away, and the genre turned into a giant money-making success. For today's audience, there's much silliness to laugh at, but the gender stereotyping and the constant teasing sexual situations make it hard to recommend.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the time period this movie represents. Besides the obvious elements -- costumes, music, dancing, and dialogue -- how can you tell this is a movie from the early 1960s? What major differences do you think there would be if this story was made in the 21st century?

  • Find out the meaning of the term "rear-screen projection." In which scenes was this film technique used in this movie? What do the newer terms "blue screen" and "green screen" mean?

  • How do you think teen girls have changed since this movie was made? Are there ways in which they still reflect the values shown in Beach Party?

Movie Details

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