Beach Blanket Bingo is a 1965 film directed by William Asher, the fifth in American International Pictures's beach party series and the last to star Frankie Avalon. Others in the cast include Annette Funicello, Harvey Lembeck, Deborah Walley, Bobbi Shaw, Paul Lynde, Don Rickles, Linda Evans, and Marta Kristen with Buster Keaton in a cameo role.
This film provides examples of:
- Actor Allusion: An interesting example; Paul Lynde makes a reference to The Perils of Pauline in this movie. Lynde voiced the Hooded Claw on The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, which was based on The Perils of Pauline. However, these movies was made about four years before The Perils of Penelope Pitstop.
- All Bikers are Hells Angels: Parodied with Eric Von Zipper and his Malibu Rat Pack, who are anything but Badass Bikers.
- As Himself: Newspaper columnist Earl Wilson plays himself.
- Card-Carrying Villain: South Dakota Slim. "I got ideas...and they're all vile."
- Casting Gag: Deborah Walley was in another surf and romance film, Gidget Goes Hawaiian.
- Catchphrase: Eric Von Zipper has two.
- "I adore her."
- "Why me? Why me all the time?"
- Conveyor Belt of Doom: Sugar Kane ends up in one. Although she escapes, her place is taken by Eric Von Zipper, and he doesn't fare as well.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Von Zipper's henchwomen free Sugar Kane from being sawed in half by South Dakota Slim because "we may be rotten, but we're not that rotten."
- Green Around the Gills: Annette literally turns green while skydiving.
- Interspecies Romance: Between Bonehead and a mermaid named Lorelai.
- Iron Butt Monkey: Eric Von Zipper suffers all manner of Amusing Injuries, culminating in surviving being sawed in two!
- Loud Gulp: Bullets gives a double-gulp after being introduced to the bikers Puss & Boots.
- Lumbermill Mayhem: The climax takes place in a sawmill, where South Dakota Slim has taken Sugar Kane. Bullets even mentions that it's like something out of The Perils of Pauline.
- Non-Indicative Title: No, their bingo chips aren't bugged or anything...
- Our Mermaids Are Different: Lorelai. She is able to grow legs for a short time and is over three centuries old.
- Publicity Stunt: Sugar Kane's agent promotes her album by having a
Stunt Double skydive out of an airplane. Later in the film, Sugar mistakenly thinks that Eric von Zipper kidnapping her is another one of these publicity stunts. - Really 700 Years Old: Lorelai is 300 years old, and Bonehead immediately points out she doesn't look it.
- Shout-Out: Buster Keaton's attire and movements are much like those in his silent movies. During the end credits he does a bit straight out of Sherlock, Jr., jumping towards a trio of girls, only for the camera to cut to a new scene where the girls are now behind him.
- Slippery Swimsuit: Buster accidentally hooks a woman's bikini top while fishing.
- Walking Swimsuit Scene: As with all the beach party movies, most of the female cast is in bikinis most of the time.
