GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI + BONUS!

The 1960's were perhaps the most fertile period for American popular culture ever. Any topic that could be either resurrected from the past or thought up as new was pumped off the line like endless candy bars and fed to the American public. Movies and TV teemed with exciting new shows featuring secret agents, spies, superheroes and yes, monsters -- plenty of 'em. Plus, rock and roll was getting bigger and bigger and by the end of the decade it had virtually defined a generation.

One of the film companies that fed us a steady diet of monster movies was American International Pictures, aka AIP. Founded by James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff, they unleashed a tsunami of low-budget films, mainly aimed at teenagers. AIP was formed in 1954 as American Releasing Corporation. Nicholson was the sales manager at Realart Pictures Inc. (the outfit that re-released many classic Universal horror movies) and Arkoff was an entertainment lawyer.

At one point, AIP did something that no other studio had thought of at the time: they actually polled America's "untamed youth" to find out what exactly they wanted for their movie fare. The answer was clear and soon drive-ins across the country were being invaded by teens every weekend to watch movies (while they weren't busy doing something else in their cars) that were a-okay with them. And let's not forget Roger Corman who could crank out "scary movies" quicker than a sausage maker -- and cheaper, too. Alex and Bert Gordon and Herman Cohen weren't far behind with their own brand of "spook shows".

Practically everything they threw at the wall stuck and AIP was rolling in cash for over two decades. One of AIP's most successful cash streams came from what became known as the "beach party" movie. In 1963, Gidget got sand kicked in her face when BEACH PARTY hit the screens and we were introduced to the lovable pair of Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. Five more followed with titles such as MUSCLE BEACH PARTY (1964), BIKINI BEACH (1964) and BEACH BLANKET BINGO (1965).

In his book, Flying Through Hollywood By The Seat Of My Pants, Arkoff remembered:

"One after the other, these pictures were fast-paced, with almost no fades or dissolves to interfere with the rapid tempo.They were short on plot but long on provocative beach scenes brimming with girls with body English, into which we tossed outdoor barbecues, pie-throwing fights, Zen Buddhism, pajama parties, karate, rock and roll, skydiving, uninhibited dancing and just about anything else with which we thought adolescent movie goers would identify."

For AIP's other types of films he went by what he called his "ARKOFF Formula":

• Action (exciting, entertaining drama)
• Revolution (novel or controversial themes and ideas)
• Killing (a modicum of violence)
• Oratory (notable dialogue and speeches)
• Fantasy (acted-out fantasies common to the audience)
• Fornication (sex appeal for young adults)

Boris Karloff played Hiram Stoker.

Basil Rathbone played Reginald Ripper.

In 1966, the last of the beach party films wasn't so much a beach party as it was a "pool party". The fun and very enjoyable to watch GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI was a mash-up between teenagers, rock and roll, a motorcycle gang, conniving villains and monsters. Besides the teen stars that included Tommy Kirk, Deborah Walley and Aron Kincaide, Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone lended their talents to the comedic mayhem.

The film opens with a very atmospheric shot of a red-robed woman (Cecily, played by the lovely Susan Hart) passing through a fog-enshrouded graveyard that could have come off the set of TOMB OF LIGEIA (and maybe it did!) and approaches a spooky-looking house complete with stock footage of a lightning storm. She enters through a door into a mausoleum where stands a coffin. She knocks on the coffin lid and out pops the newly-departed Boris Karloff as Hiram Stokes, Cecily's paramour at the time she died (explanation coming later). Cecily tells him he has 24 hours to accomplish a good deed and then the people "up there" will grant him his life back and make him young again. He thinks for a moment and then remembers that the the reading of his will is fast approaching. He tells Cecily that his lawyer (Reginald Ripper played by Basil Rathbone) will probably find a way to try and grab all the money for himself (a million bucks that's hidden somewhere in the house). For his good deed, he wants to make sure it is given to his rightful heirs.

Nancy Sinatra without her boots.

Several of the heirs roll in, as well as a busload of teenagers, including Nancy Sinatra and Claudia Martin (Dean's daughter -- The King of Cool was an avid comic book reader, by the way) who proceed to party at the backyard pool. "Live" music is provided by El Paso, Texas band The Bobby Fuller Four (aka The Spiders, The Shindigs), two of of them who play what are now considered classic vintage Vox guitars. For one of the numbers, they back up 25-year old Nancy Sinatra who sings "Geronimo". Sinatra was fresh off her hit, "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" earlier in the year (you know, the tune that goes "You've been lyin' when you shoulda been truthin'"). Another energetic song, "Stand Up and Fight" is sung by Italian pop star Piccola Pupa ("Little Doll"), who was "discovered" by Danny Thomas.

Then a motorcycle gang (The Rats) shows up and finds out there is "buried treasure" in the house. Lead by Eric Von Zipper (comedian Harvey Lembeck doing his best Lou Costello shtick), they bumble their way through the house in typical fashion. Von Zipper and The Rats were regulars in the AIP beach party films, by the way. Throughout the film, Cecily appears on screen as her ghostly self and helps the heirs and the rest of the teens get themselves out of a number of jams.

Dean Martin gives Piccolo Pupa a hug on The Hollywood Palace.

The monsters finally start showing up -- including Monstro the Gorilla who the teens have brought along in a trailer with them (?!) -- in some of the weirdest makeup and costumes since Ray Dennis Steckler's INCREDIBLY STRANGE CREATURES. The climax conveniently ends up in the basement of the house where Hiram Stokes has maintained his Chamber of Horrors. Between the menacing mechanical figures and the monsters in costume, much mayhem ensues. As expected, the good guys win over Rathbone and his villainous cohorts. Stokes gets his reward by being brought back to life, with a bit of an ironic twist -- when Cecily promised Stokes would also regain his youth, he had no idea it would be as a young boy!

GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI was considered a flop at the box office even though it grossed over twice it's $600,000 budget. The real reason was that the beach party film had seen its day and fickle teens were on to the next fad.

Oh, and how does the actual ghost in the invisible bikini get how she is? In the opening mausoleum scene the camera pans to an old circus poster that advertises "The Greatest Illusion of the Century: The Girl in the Invisible Bikini". Cecily picks up a dusty old newspaper that reads: "Circus Star Killed in Fall" with photographs that give no doubt that it was her that met her end. Unfortunately, Miss Clark met her end in the film business not long after; she was apparently blackballed by Sam Arkoff who disapproved (a result of a romantic rivalry?) of her marriage to partner James Nicholson. She had parts in a couple of TV shows, then never appeared on either the big or small screen again.

If you're looking for a playful romp with plenty of goofy gags, corny-looking monsters, and of course, plenty of swimsuits, then I recommend you give this light-hearted and entertaining film a try.

GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI Pressbook:

GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI Lobby Cards:

GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI Photo Gallery:

BONUS!

Hey, we're not done yet! Here's a few parting shots of gals from various beach party movies (and one spicy one).