Beach Ball

Beach Ball is a 1965 American beach party movie starring Edd Byrnes and partly financed by Roger Corman.[2]

For the inflatable toy, see beach ball.
Beach Ball
Directed byLennie Weinrib
Written bySam Locke as "David Malcolm"
Produced byBart Patton
Gene Corman
StarringEdd Byrnes
CinematographyFloyd Crosby
Edited byKarl Ward
Production
companies
La Honda Service Productions, The Patton Co.
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • September 29, 1965 (1965-09-29)
Running time
83 mins
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$125,000[1]
Box office$1 million[1]

It features appearances by The Supremes, The Walker Brothers, and The Righteous Brothers.[3]

Tom Lisanti called it "arguably the breeziest and most enjoyable Beach Party clones. It is also the most blatant rip off."[4]

Plot

Dick Martin manages a rock and roll group, The Wigglers (Bango, Jack and Bob). They are told by music store owner Mr Wolf that the group owes him $1,000 for their instruments and have to raise money. Martin tries to convince Susan, the credit union manager for a local college,

Cast

Production

The film was produced by Bart Patton, an actor who did some production work for Roger Corman. Corman gave him $100,000 to make a beach party movie, of which $22,000 was already earmarked to Edd Byrnes. Patton wanted to direct but Corman did not let him having already hired comic Lennie Weinrib to make his debut as director. (Patton and Weinrib would later form a production company.) [5]

Stephanie Rothman worked on the movie as a production assistant, shooting second unit for the car chase scene with Aaron Kincaid. Gary Kurtz was assistant director.

In November 1964 Tommy Kirk was originally announced as male star along with Noel Edmonds.[6] In December 1964 Chris Noel signed and Kirk was still attached.[7] Kirk eventually dropped out of the film and was replaced by Edd Byrnes.[8]

Noel says Byrnes was "a jerk" during the making of the film although the two of them later became friends.[9]

The Supremes were paid $2,500 to appear in the film. The Righteous Brothers got $500 and the Hondells $400.[10]

Reception

Corman pre sold the film to Paramount for $350,000 and it made $1 million at the box office.[1]

See also

References
  1. Tom Lisanti, Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969, McFarland 2005, p. 167
  2. Ed. J. Philip di Franco, The Movie World of Roger Corman, Chelsea House Publishers, 1979, p. 145
  3. Tom Lisant, 'Reliving the Guilty Pleasure of Beach Ball', Cinema Retro March 4, 2008
  4. Lisanti, Tom (2012). Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969. McFarland. p. 158. ISBN 9780786472970.
  5. Lisanti, p. 161
  6. 'Featured Roles', Los Angeles Times 30 Nov 1964: C21.
  7. ilmland Events: Henry King to Film Story of Guadalupe Los Angeles Times 3 Dec 1964: D9.
  8. Vagg, Stephen (9 September 2019). "The Cinema of Tommy Kirk". Diabolique Magazine.
  9. Lisanti, p. 164
  10. Lisanti, p. 166


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