SURF PARTY

Bobby Vinton and Patricia Morrow

SURF PARTY (1964). Director: Maury Dexter. 

Terry (Patricia Morrow) and her friends Sylvia (Lory Patrick) and Junior (Jackie DeShannon) drive out to California and the surf district in their camper and encounter the friendly shop owner, Len (Bobby Vinton), who teaches them about surfing. Terry's brother Skeets (Jerry Summers) lives in a ritzy beach house that is actually owned by his paramour Pauline (Martha Stewart). While Terry is getting closer to Len and Junior is cuddling up to the nerdy Milo (Ken Miller) -- who is injured surfing near pilings -- Sylvia is falling for Skeets, not knowing that he is kept by a cougar. Sgt. Neal (Richard Crane) casts a suspicious eye on all of them. 

Jerry Summers and Lory Patrick

DeShannon and Vinton were both very popular pop singers of the sixties and later. Vinton doesn't just sing a song or two in this, he is the full-fledged male lead, and I have to say I think I like his very credible acting a bit more than his singing. One wishes he had had a bigger acting career although he did appear in a couple of westerns, as well as TV shows, sometimes playing himself. (His son played Vinton in Goodfellas.) Jerry Summers is also notable as the aging gigolo; Summers started out as a stunt double then became an actor with a long list of credits. Starting out as a child actress, Morrow eventually appeared on more than one Peyton Place TV series. Martha Stewart had appeared in a few well-known movies but had only one more television credit after this movie. Jimmie Haskell's surprisingly somber score (for the dramatic scenes) is good and there are some bouncy song numbers: "Never Comin' Back;" "Pearly Shells;" and "If I Were an Artist." Maury Dexter also directed The Young Swingers. Released by 20th-Century Fox. 

Verdict: Not as bad as I expected although there are a couple of dull stretches. **1/2.