Winter just ended a couple of weeks ago, and maybe depending on what you read, this Covid crap is winding down, so it must be time for a Saturday Night Special "Ski Party."
"Ski Party" was made in 1965, and was basically the last of the beach party movies, except they changed the location!
Frankie Avalon is still in there, and this time he's joined by Dwayne (Dobie Gillis) Hickman. They are college students and have just been given a lecture on "Fun Without Sex," which is pretty much the theme of this whole film, sexy, but clean!
Surprise, surprise, an uncredited Annette shows up as the instructor of the class!
This is one of the coolest shots I have ever seen of a drive-in move theatre.
The guys thought they had a hot date with Yvonne (Batgirl) Craig and Deborah (Gidget) Walley, but the girls are in the backseat together yucking it up instead of making out with the guys, and that was not the plan!
After the movies, they go to the local hot spot to park, and Frankie has to ask his friend to pull his car up, so they can get in, and when the gal he's kissing, turns around, it's the teacher Annette looking more sultry than she ever has been. They were obviously trying to have some fun with this film.
They're off to the slopes which in reality was Sun Valley, Idaho. On the bus trip the gang is joined by Lesley Gore who mimes her 1965 hit "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" that peaked at #13 on the Billboard charts in 1965.
Bringing the beach to twenty below!
Frankie and Dwayne channel their inner Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, and pose as British birds to try and find out why the chicks don't dig them.
They go to a slumber party as the girls, but get locked in with all the other girls, at which point Frankie asks what age this film is aimed at, and Dwayne replies "Fifteen," so they decide they need to split the scene posthaste!
Robert Q. Lewis provides the dreadful and totally unnecessary attempt at comedy relief!
This polar bear is another running gag that goes absolutely nowhere!
Honestly, for me, the best part is when James Brown and the Famous Flames show up at the lodge as the ski patrol! It's not the greatest quality in the world but you can watch it right
The only thing is, this is a strange mix of "I Got You." It just doesn't sound right if you''re familiar with the song!
And then James dances backwards right out the door and disappears just as fast as he showed up!
In the final big chase scene there's even an uncredited appearance by Dungeon Super Hero Dick (Bucket Of Blood) Miller as a cab driver!
Just like a lot of other things, "Cruise Party" never happened!
2 comments:
The Beach Movies have a lot of funny cameos, but that two-part one with Annette herself might be the wittiest one.
Another good scene is the one with the moped stalled in front of the gas station.
Woah! Never expected to see James Brown in the midst of such a white-bread (and white-bred) group of kids. They made it a short visit, though!
My question about all these surf (and ski) movies of the mid-Sixties is why did the kids always look so dorky? By that time all my friends were growing their hair out and ditching the tan slacks for bell bottoms and vests.
Rich
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