How to Stuff a Wild Bikini at Brian's Drive-In Theater

cast

Dwayne Hickman, Annette Funicello, Mickey Rooney, Brian Donlevy, Beverly Adams, John Ashley, Jody McCrea, Harvey Lembeck, Buster Keaton, Irene Tsu, Marianne Gordon, Brian Wilson, Ned Wynn, Frankie Avalon, and Elizabeth Montgomery. Directed by William Asher.

Jody McCrea, John Ashley, Mike Nader, and Jo Collins

LEFT: Jody McCrea, John Ashley, and Mike Nader serenade Jo Collins with (That's What I Call) a Healthy Girl. RIGHT: Partying teens on the beach in How to Stuff a Wild Bikini. Look for Michael Nader, Jo Collins, and Luree Holmes in the photo

The sixth film in the series, American International Pictures' (AIP) How to Stuff a Wild Bikini was the last beach party movie for Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, John Ashley, Jody McCrea, and Mike Nader, all of whom had either aged out or tired of the series. Avalon asked for a salary bump and accepted his role in the film (he appears for only seven minutes) with quite a bit of reluctance; his career was going well with five films released in 1965 including the comedy I'll Take Sweden (1965; with Bob Hope, Dina Merrill, and Tuesday Weld).

plot synopsis

While Frankie is enjoying active duty in Tahiti, Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) is left behind at the beach. Frankie worries that Dee Dee won't be faithful to him, so he sees Bwana, the witch doctor (Buster Keaton) to discover a solution. For the sum of one bottle of fire water per day, the witch doctor sends a decoy, Cassandra (Beverly Adams), to lure all the boys away from Dee Dee; he also sends a pelican to watch over Dee Dee, just to make sure that she doesn't fall in love with another guy.

Annette Funicello romances Dwayne Hickman while Frankie is away

However, with Frankie gone Ricky (Dwayne Hickman) competes for Dee Dee's attention. Ricky has been chosen by Peachy Keane (Mickey Rooney) as America's boy-next-door, and while Ricky wants Peachy to choose Dee Dee as America's girl-next-door, Peachy would rather have Cassandra filling the role.

LEFT: The girls on the beach surround Peachy (Mickey Rooney) in song. RIGHT: Clumsy Cassandra tries to assist Peachy

music

Annette Funicello sings Better Be Ready

The Kingsmen of Louie, Louie fame appear here and perform Give Her Lovin'. Other songs in the film, in addition to Annette Funicello's The Perfect Boy and Better Be Ready, are performed by John Ashley, Harvey Lembeck, Mickey Rooney, and even Brian Donlevy.

how to stuff a wild bikini trivia

Beverly Adams, who portrays Cassandra in the film, is now better known as Beverly Sassoon, ex-wife of Vidal Sassoon and the mother of the late actress Catya Sassoon.
Marianne Gordon, who portrays Chickie in the film, is now better known as Marianne Rogers, one of the stars of Hee Haw and the ex-wife of singer Kenny Rogers.
Beach Boy Brian Wilson appears here as...well, a beach boy.
Luree Holmes is the daughter of James Nicholson, one of the founders of American International Pictures (AIP).
Ned Wynn, the son of actor Keenan Wynn, appears in the film as a beach boy. Wynn later became a successful writer.
Jo Collins, who appears here as a beach girl, was Playboy's Playmate of the Year in 1965. Collins was once married to baseball player Bo Belinksy.
Bewitched star Elizabeth Montgomery makes a cameo appearance near the end of the film as Buster Keaton's daughter (she even twitches her nose). At the time, Montgomery was married to director William Asher.
Annette Funicello is seen only fully clothed in this film (no bathing suits) because she was noticeably pregnant with her first child while the film was being shot.

Click on the logo to go back to Brian's Drive-In Theater
This page premiered February 10, 1999.
Copyright and Disclaimer Information

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965)