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Pajama Party

Pajama Party

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best of all the "Beach Movies"! -- Infectious Surf-Music!
Review: Annette in usual top-form in another Beach Movie. This one is my favorite in the series, the music is superior to the others', and there are some great cameos by Hollywood "Old Timers". Dorothy L'Amour has a great part singing "Where Did I Go Wrong" during a fashion show with go-go-girls. Elsa Lanchester is "man handled" by a rude Eric van Zipper, and Annette steals the show with her "Pajama Party Tonight!" number. This film puts me in a Summer mood any time of year. I love those tunes, the light plot and EVERYBODY loves Annette!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best of all the "Beach Movies"! -- Infectious Surf-Music!
Review: Annette in usual top-form in another Beach Movie. This one is my favorite in the series, the music is superior to the others', and there are some great cameos by Hollywood "Old Timers". Dorothy L'Amour has a great part singing "Where Did I Go Wrong" during a fashion show with go-go-girls. Elsa Lanchester is "man handled" by a rude Eric van Zipper, and Annette steals the show with her "Pajama Party Tonight!" number. This film puts me in a Summer mood any time of year. I love those tunes, the light plot and EVERYBODY loves Annette!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Annette in baby dolls...watch out Lolita!
Review: As Annette finishes singing "Stuffed Animal" to a hulking, multi-colored toy cat, it actually winks at her. This is the kind of movie AIP did best: low-budget, low-brow fun. There are some talky scenes(between Martian Tommy Kirk and Frankie Avalon--shunted off in a cameo), but who cares when you've got Annette, more beautiful here than ever. She's also got some juicy-fruit lines like: "Both you birds belong in a clock!" A gem.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Heterosexuality run amuck
Review: Most of the beach movies provide a nice balance of male and female skin shots, so for every jiggling Candy we have a flexing Mr. Galaxy. Not here. Boys are in the background, lost amid scene after scene of girl shots (almost all posterior -- somebody definitely had a fetish). Tommy Kirk, just outed by Disney Studios and desperate to prove that he is heterosexual, plays Gogo, a Martian sent to earth to prepare for an invasion. He materializes in front of dottie Aunt Wendy (Elsa Lanchester, once the Bride of Frankenstein), who decks him out in tight blue swimtrunks (pay careful attention -- it's the only beefcake you're going to get) and sends him to the beach to fall in love with Annette.

Meanwhile, Annette is in love with Big Lunk (Jody McCrea), an athlete who ignores girls to play volleyball with the boys, but not to worry, she switches easily to Gogo, and Big Lunk gets converted to heterosexuality by the Swedish bombshell Helga, who can best him at arm-wrestling. Aside from the Martians and the heterosexual hijinks, this plot-heavy vehicle includes evil robbers trying to acquire Aunt Wendy's fortune, cameos by Don Rickles and Frankie Avalon, and the ubiquitous Harvey Lembeck, not to mention a substantive lesbian subtext (watch Dorothy Lamour ogling the swimsuit-clad department store girls).

It would get five stars for the sheer absurdity of the plot, but there's not nearly enough male eye candy on display, and the gay subtext does not end happily.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Heterosexuality run amuck
Review: Most of the beach movies provide a nice balance of male and female skin shots, so for every jiggling Candy we have a flexing Mr. Galaxy. Not here. Boys are in the background, lost amid scene after scene of girl shots (almost all posterior -- somebody definitely had a fetish). Tommy Kirk, just outed by Disney Studios and desperate to prove that he is heterosexual, plays Gogo, a Martian sent to earth to prepare for an invasion. He materializes in front of dottie Aunt Wendy (Elsa Lanchester, once the Bride of Frankenstein), who decks him out in tight blue swimtrunks (pay careful attention -- it's the only beefcake you're going to get) and sends him to the beach to fall in love with Annette.

Meanwhile, Annette is in love with Big Lunk (Jody McCrea), an athlete who ignores girls to play volleyball with the boys, but not to worry, she switches easily to Gogo, and Big Lunk gets converted to heterosexuality by the Swedish bombshell Helga, who can best him at arm-wrestling. Aside from the Martians and the heterosexual hijinks, this plot-heavy vehicle includes evil robbers trying to acquire Aunt Wendy's fortune, cameos by Don Rickles and Frankie Avalon, and the ubiquitous Harvey Lembeck, not to mention a substantive lesbian subtext (watch Dorothy Lamour ogling the swimsuit-clad department store girls).

It would get five stars for the sheer absurdity of the plot, but there's not nearly enough male eye candy on display, and the gay subtext does not end happily.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Taken for what it's worth, it's definitely a gem
Review: No doubt this is the best of the Beach Movies...the only movie from this category that's as good (better, actually) is Ski Party...but good luck getting Ski Party on video, laserdisc or DVD. Enough about Ski Party. Pajama Party (not Rated R, as one reviewer got confused...he mistakenly looked at Playboy's documentary) doesn't play as ditsy unwatchably dumb as some of the others. It doesn't have overly cornball songs that only a 5 year old would enjoy. In Pajama Party, the songs are actually catchy (notably, the intro song, the title song, the Tommy/Annette duet, and of course, Dorothy Lamour's number) and the plot doesn't bore you to tears with thoughtless wandering. This movie is actually entertaining from start to finish. Buster Keaton is great as the cowardly indian chief. Susan Hart is hotter than HOT. Donna Loren is cute and an enjoyable singer, and Toni Basil makes some dancing appearances that are backed by better music.

If you're going to get a Beach movie and aren't sure what to choose from, here's something to consider: Buying Pajama Party will make future beach movie purchases disappointing, since no other beach movie compares to Pajama Party (again, except for Ski Party). Then again, if you do buy this movie, you'll definitely have the best one of the bunch. For my taste, Pajama Party is the only beach movie I'll buy. Having it on DVD is a real treat...especially since the music in the movie is so enjoyable (Donna Loren's "Among the Young" is the best song in the movie).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pajama Party
Review: Oooohh, Annette Funicello in a science fiction flick . . . or maybe not. Annette plays your usual beach party girl, only this time instead of attracting young beach studs, she's attracting aliens from outer space. At least that's what happens when GoGo (Tommy Kirk), a Martian teenager, is sent to Earth. What a name, right?! And we all know there's only one reason Martians would come to earth: they must be planning an invasion. Zoinks! Will the Martians diabolical plan to invade Earth be foiled when GoGo falls for the cutest girl on the shore? You would think that would be enough of a plot right? No way! While Annette is making googoo eyes at GoGo, a group of teenagers are concocting a scheme to steal money from wealthy Aunt Wendy (Elsa Lanchester) who runs the local dress shop. That is absolutely horrid! Stealing money from the lady who provides you with your slick threads. But wait . . . there's more: the local motorcycle gang (because a teenage beach comedy wouldn't be the same without one) is out to get the volleyball team for leaving their sporty footprints on their beach. How can one movie be filled with such excitement? And what could all this have to do with the title "Pajama Party"? Just wait and watch the story go down for yourself. If your in a silly mood, this one will leave you even sillier!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: classic Beach Party film
Review: PAJAMA PARTY is probably the second best-loved sequel of the original BEACH PARTY (the first has to be the quintessential BEACH BLANKET BINGO). The party moves indoors for the wonderful romp with Annette Funicello and the gang.

Connie (Annette Funicello) finds herself being chased by a handsome martian from Mars, Go-Go (Tommy Kirk), while trying to save her relationship with the self-obsessed Big Lunk (Jody McCrea). Thankfully, kindly dress-shop owner Aunt Wendy (Elsa Lanchester) is on hand to offer advice to the younger generation about matters of love and the heart.

Annette and the gang trade their beach threads for pajamas and baby-dolls in this very cute musical. Annette sings the classic standard "Stuffed Animal", while Donna Loren will have you jumping with "That's The Way It's Done".

Then there are fantastic cameos from film veterans Buster Keaton and Don Rickles; while Dorothy Lamour shows she could still 'cut a rug' with the best of them with her infectious number.

Interestingly, the "pajama party" of the title doesn't happen until the last 20 minutes of the picture! Followed by BEACH BLANKET BINGO.

The DVD has both full-frame and widescreen versions of the film as well as the trailer. (Double-sided, single-layer disc).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: classic Beach Party film
Review: PAJAMA PARTY is probably the second best-loved sequel of the original BEACH PARTY (the first has to be the quintessential BEACH BLANKET BINGO). The party moves indoors for the wonderful romp with Annette Funicello and the gang.

Connie (Annette Funicello) finds herself being chased by a handsome martian from Mars, Go-Go (Tommy Kirk), while trying to save her relationship with the self-obsessed Big Lunk (Jody McCrea). Thankfully, kindly dress-shop owner Aunt Wendy (Elsa Lanchester) is on hand to offer advice to the younger generation about matters of love and the heart.

Annette and the gang trade their beach threads for pajamas and baby-dolls in this very cute musical. Annette sings the classic standard "Stuffed Animal", while Donna Loren will have you jumping with "That's The Way It's Done".

Then there are fantastic cameos from film veterans Buster Keaton and Don Rickles; while Dorothy Lamour shows she could still 'cut a rug' with the best of them with her infectious number.

Interestingly, the "pajama party" of the title doesn't happen until the last 20 minutes of the picture! Followed by BEACH BLANKET BINGO.

The DVD has both full-frame and widescreen versions of the film as well as the trailer. (Double-sided, single-layer disc).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Frankie,Annette,Tommy Kirk and Dorothy Lamour
Review: The best scenes are with Annette Funicello singing a song and Annette Funicello and Tommy Kirk singing a song and Dorothy Lamour playing a saleswoman in a dress store and singing a song.Frankie Avalon is missed in the film.Although Annette's boyfriend in the film is Tommy Kirk, Frankie Avalon is in the film though he is only in a small role in some scenes here and there of the film though the film is Great and has some fun scenes.Although Frankie Avalon has no songs with her Annette Funicello is good in the film with Tommy Kirk.


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