Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 1, 2019

William Asher's "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Reigon-A "locked".

Bikini stroke

William Asher’s How to Stuff a Wild Bikini isn’t half as bad as old reviews insist it is. It is a silly film that was meant to be silly, but there are people that apparently expected more from it. C’mon now, read the title again. Exactly what type of ‘serious’ entertainment did the disappointed crowd expect from a film that promised them, well, bikini. I don’t know, perhaps I am missing something crucial, but with a title like this I knew right away that I would not be spending an hour and a half with starving monks in Tibet.

The plot is, ding, ding, ding, silly. While being stationed at a naval base in Tahiti, Frankie (Frankie Avalon) suddenly realizes that a few thousand miles away his girlfriend Dee Dee (Anetter Funicello) might be having as much fun as he does. So, to make sure that she is faithful to him he strikes a deal with Bwana (Buster Keaton), a witch doctor with a drinking problem, who sends a giant pelican to spy on her and the curvy beauty Cassandra (Beverly Adams) to distract advertising executive Ricky (Dwayne Hickman) who has been pursuing her. However, Cassandra’s arrival becomes a huge event that transforms the entire beach where Dee Dee is spending her time, because first all of the local boys go crazy for her, and then all of the girls that were entertained by the boys go to work to win them back. As the beach fireworks begin, the overly ambitious talent manager Preachy (Mickey Rooney) and his partner B.D. ‘Big Deal’ MacPherson (Brian Donlevy) arrive looking for the next perfect ‘girl next door’ and immediately fall under Cassandra’s spell as well, and then the bored dim-witted baddie Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) and his gang join the fun.

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini is an extremely close relative of Muscle Beach Party and Beach Blanket Bingo, which means that all three rehash a lot of the same material -- mostly colorful jokes plus decently choreographed and performed music numbers. What is different about this film is that it chooses to keep Frankie and Dee Dee apart, which some fans of the other films consider a serious flaw.

But it isn’t what actually makes How to Stuff a Wild Bikini somewhat underwhelming. Indeed, it is a lot easier to be legitimately disappointed by the fact that Frankie for instance is underused. In the other films he and Dee Dee are very much treated as stars whose chemistry is crucial for the type of entertainment that they are selling. Here they are essentially demoted to secondary characters whose primary function is to add flavor to a few scenes that are also instantly forgettable.

However, the film was intentionally shot this way. After some tense negotiations between its producers and Avalon where the actor’s financial compensation became a serious issue, his part was appropriately altered. Funicello was already visibly pregnant as well, so it was impossible for her to do the far more active character that she did in the previous ‘beach party’ films.

The best scenes are the ones where Eric Von Zipper inserts himself in the action and then initiates a chain-reaction of hilarious events. Some feature nicely timed one-liners that actually help the type of energy the film needs to be effective. However, the music numbers which are supposed to do the same are decent at best.

*The other popular ‘beach party’ films that are not yet on Blu-ray are Beach Party (1963) and Bikini Beach (1964). Pajama Party (1964) and Ski Party (1965) are usually grouped with them as well.

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.

The release is sourced from a very nice remaster. Aside from a few areas where shadow detail could be slightly better the rest looks great, at times even gorgeous. Indeed, the daylight footage usually boasts very strong depth and clarity, while fluidity is at levels that a lot of brand new remasters offer. The color grading job is very convincing as well. The primaries are healthy and solid, completely free of balance issues. The supporting nuances are equally healthy and properly managed as well. There are no traces of problematic digital work. Grain is nicely exposed and resolved, though a new master will undoubtedly tighten it a bit more. Image stability is excellent. Finally, there are no large distracting cuts, debris, damage marks, or stains to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I thought that the quality of the lossless audio track was very good. If I had to speculate, I would say that at the when the current remaster was created the audio was redone as well, possibly with some specific optimizations to make it sound as healthy as possible. Its dynamic range is very good -- at least for a film from the era -- and the overall balance is convincing.

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - an original trailer for How to Stuff a Wild Bikini. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think that in terms of entertainment quality How to Stuff a Wild Bikini is a notch, perhaps two, below the other popular 'beach party' films. But it is absolutely not the disaster that old reviews insist it is. The type of fun it offers is the same, it is just that here everything is quite a bit looser than it needed to be; plus Frankie Avalon and Anetter Funicello are essentially doing secondary characters. If you enjoy Beach Blanket Bingo and Muscle Beach Party, pick up How to Stuff a Wild Bikini for your collection. It is a great looking release and I think that you will have a good time with it. RECOMMENDED.