Film Albums: Palm Springs Weekend ( 1963 )

This month's film album is a fun one. Even if you haven't seen Palm Springs Weekend, you will enjoy this album, which perfectly captures the frolic of a weekend in Palm Springs ( not that I have ever been there, but if I did go, this music would be playing! ). It's a catchy mixture of a brass, swing, surf music and some youthful stars doing their darnest to try to sing. Troy Donahue's voice is not half bad and he had a minor hit with "Live Young". Connie Stevens, of course, had quite a big record career. "What Till I Tell Him" never charted but it is a pleasant song. The Palm Canyon Bossa Nova is the best song on the album with its laid-back Manciniesque vibes.

The music was written by Frank Perkins, who also composed Mary, Mary, The Incredible Mr. Limpet and music for television series such as Hawaiian Eye, Bourbon Street Beat, and 77 Sunset Strip.

Palm Springs Weekend-The Soundtrack was released in stereo by Warner Bros. Records ( SB-1054 ) and could be heard on CD or on Youtube here. 

Track Listing

Side One

Troy Donahue– Live Young 

"Palm Springs Weekend" Orchestra– Hurricane Twist 

Modern Folk Quartet*– Ox Driver 

"Palm Springs Weekend" Orchestra– Shilly - Shally 

Connie Stevens– What Will I Tell Him 

"Palm Springs Weekend" Orchestra– Palm Canyon Bossa Nova - Hurricane Twist 

Side Two

"Palm Springs Weekend" Orchestra– Go, Go-Devil 

Ty Hardin, Jerry Van Dyke– Bye Bye Blackbird

"Palm Springs Weekend" Orchestra– Palm Springs Scramble

"Palm Springs Weekend" Orchestra– Prescription For Recovery

 Bob Conrad (3)– A Little Bit Of Give

"Palm Springs Weekend" Orchestra– Live Young-Closing

Top Music Picks: Live Young, What Will I Tell Him, Palm Canyon Bossa Nova

Hawaiian Eye to Air on Decades TV

Each weekend, the Decades TV channel picks one television show and airs it back-to-back in a weekend marathon. Usually, the shows they pick can be seen on other channels so watching a marathon of a popular series isn't all that special, but occasionally they unearth some not-so-frequently seen series, e.g. The Time Tunnel. This weekend, they really delved into the land of forgotten television shows and came up with a winner - Hawaiian Eye. 

This detective show premiered in 1959 on ABC and ran for four seasons before it was canceled in 1963. Anthony Eisley starred as private investigator Tracy Steele who operated a detective agency in Honolulu with his partner Tom ( Robert Conrad ). Usually, their cases involved security services in connection with the Hawaiian Village Hotel, one of their clients. Cricket Blake ( Connie Stevens ), who works at the hotel as a photographer/singer, helps them on occasion, as does cab driver Kim Quisado ( Poncie Ponce ). Later, when Eisley left the series, Troy Donahue and Grant Williams joined the Hawaiian Eye agency. 

The Decades TV marathon of Hawaiian Eye begins tomorrow at 12pm EST and will cover the entire first season of the series as well as part of the second season, ending Sunday at midnight. Since Hawaiian Eye has not yet been released on DVD and is unavailable through any streaming channel, be sure to tune in this weekend!

Back to the Beach ( 1987 )

Speakeasy and Silver Screenings have kicked off the cowabunga Beach Party Blogathon over at their sites and we staked our claim of hot turf with Back to the Beach ( 1988 ), one of the best of the Frankie Avalon beach party films which included Beach Party ( 1963 ), Bikini Beach ( 1964 ), Muscle Beach Party ( 1964 ), Beach Blanket Bingo ( 1965 ), and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini ( 1965 ). In most of the films, Frankie portrayed a young surfer who had to continually create schemes to protect his gal Dee-Dee ( Annette Funicello ) from other surfing suitors. They were zany teen films to be sure and Back to the Beach fits right in among them even though it was released 22 years after the last beach film. James Komack ( The Courtship of Eddie's Father ) dreamed up a plot as wild as the originals, this time telling the story of what happens to surfers after they curl their last wave. 

It was fairly easy for the audience to guess that Frankie and Dee-Dee tied the knot after their flings in the California sun. As their punk son Bobby explains in the beginning of the film: 

"25 years ago my parents were the most popular teenagers in America. It's true. My dad was a teen idol. Girls threw themselves at him, but it being 1962, he had to throw them back. When dad wasn't singing he spent his life on a surfboard. They called him the Big Kahuna. When I was born my dad wanted to call me the little Kahuna - luckily he settled for Bobby. As for mom, she joined that strange cult called the Mouseketeers. She became the first pin-up queen for boys under twelve. Anyway, they got married and moved to Ohio right after the accident....20 years ago, while surfing, this humongous wave knocked the Kahuna right out of dad and he's never been the same since. The closest he gets to the water now is to play the surf king in order to sell cars on TV. Yep, the Big Kahuna now owns Friendly Ford, the largest dealership in Ohio". 

Eventually, Frankie finds himself stressed out with work and the family decides to take a vacation in Hawaii. En route they make a stop in Los Angeles to check on their grown daughter Sandi, portrayed by Lori Laughlin ( Full House ) in a Kim MacAfee style role. While in LA, Frankie meets up with his former flame Connie ( Connie Stevens ) and the old Beach Party jealousy plot shifts into gear once again. 

What makes this beach bash so entertaining are all of the references to past films and Frankie and Annette's careers. It becomes a nostalgic - and highly amusing - look at the old California beach cult. To entice youngsters, the film explodes with New Wave color and characters. There is a sub-plot aimed at teens involving Sandi and her fiancee ( Tommy Hinkley ) who are shacking up on the pier, and one for the kids with Bobby getting himself initiated into a leather-clad surf gang. Also, Frankie has to take to the waves once again to prove that he isn't clucked and is still the true King of the Surf. 

"He'll be back. I know that in my heart."  - Annette
"You know, you're awful sweet Mom" - Bobby
"And then I'll make him suffer." - Annette

Great guest stars include Don Adams as the harbor patrol master, Bob Denver and Alan Hale Jr. reprising their Gilligan's Island roles, Ed "Kookie" Byrnes ( still valeting ), Barbara Billingsly, Tony Dow, and Jerry Mathers.

The film also features some hip-swinging musical numbers. Dick Dale and at least two of the Del Tones make an appearance performing "California Sun" with Frankie and "Pipeline" as a duet with Stevie Ray Vaughn; Pee-Wee Herman goes wild with the "Bird is the Word", and Annette gets to sing the best number - "Jamaica Ska" - along with Airhead. 

Back to the Beach was released on August 7, 1987, and was received with mild reception at the box office. Annette Funicello was diagnosed with MS shortly after filming wrapped and her part as the Skippy-loving mother in Back to the Beach became her final film role. It was also the final film appearance of Bob Denver and Alan Hale Jr.

"We tried to figure out where to take you last night, but you kept saying, 'Why oh, why oh, why oh, did I ever leave Ohio?'" - Michael
"That's a damn good question" - the Big Kahuna

For us, the film has a special place in our memory box. Growing up, we had no cable television and the only films we saw were those that were playing in the theatres, the drive-in ( suitable for youngsters ), and the VHS tapes that our parents rented from the local library. Two tapes our mother continually brought home for us from the library were Back to the Beach and Grandpa's Music Box. Even though the film was PG-rated and most of the wisecracks eluded us, we loved the feel of the film. It quickly became our favorite and within a few viewings we learned enough surf-talk to last us a lifetime. 

To us, Back to the Beach will forever conjure up memories of childhood, hot summer days, homemade popsicles, carefree Saturdays, and pink Barbie clothing. We live only two short miles from the beach but on days when we don't feel like burning in the sun, all we have to do is watch Back to the Beach and the surf will practically be washing into the house. 

Duuude, ready to get amped about the surf and sand?? Click here to check out rad posts on all of your favorite beach films of the past. Cowabunga!!