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HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW

Pictured is the revised cover for my upcoming book with Gail Gerber with a different photo of Terry Southern. Though not 100% to my liking, it is much better than the other one that was taken weeks before his death.

And below is an excerpt from the “Uneasy Rider” chapter to wet your appetites for more (hopefully!):

When Dennis Hopper showed up at our house in New York we let him stay in Nile’s room, which he complained about and rudely called “a closet.” I tried to stay out of the way as best I could. Dennis was there for about two weeks, and at night he and Peter Fonda would be pacing around my living room, gesturing, and throwing out ideas between passing joints between the three of them. Though Terry was a martini man he would just hold the joint and pass it along most times. Somebody had to stay straight to do the writing so Terry sat with his pencil and a long yellow pad on our golden couch, scribbling away. He would hand the pages to the typist and she would type them up immediately. Dennis would rant and rave, using a lot of four-letter words, and the typist would break into tears, and run sobbing out into the night. Terry would have to call the typing pool the next day, and get another typist. Terry suggested that they change the “drug of choice” from marijuana to cocaine, which was not in fashion yet, because pot was too bulky to be carrying on the motorcycles. Dennis thought that running the credits upside down might be interesting, and he also whined about why the two characters had to die.

Terry loved collaborating with other people. He always felt that two heads were better than one when creating a story or screenplay. Terry was really in his element sharing concepts with Peter and Dennis. He just loved to work in this free-for-all fashion with people yelling out story ideas while nestled on the sofa he jotted down the better ones in pencil on his yellow legal pad. Peter once remarked that Terry agreed to work on Easy Rider on a handshake “just for the sake of having the freedom to play with an idea that appealed to his individual nature.” This statement is oh-so-true.

Terry had the scripts neatly bound and held on to the original. He handed copies to Peter and Dennis, and off they went back to Hollywood. Terry also gave a script to Rip Torn who retained his copy after all these years.

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EVERY BOOK NEEDS A COVER

McFarland and Company has unveiled the tentative cover design to 60s starlet Gail Gerber’s memoir, which I co-wrote with her. Take a look, It is very trippy dippy. The photo of Terry Southern though will be replaced with a better shot.

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ESCAPE THE COLD AND HAVE A BEACH PARTY INSTEAD!

Those wonderful programmers at Turner Classic Movies are giving us a marathon of beach movies tomorrow Tuesday Dec. 30 beginning at 6:30 AM EST. Click here for the entire schedule.

I am most looking forward to seeing the rarely broadcast It’s a Bikini World (1967) starring Tommy Kirk, Deborah Walley, Suzie Kaye, Bobby Picket, and Lori Williams. Below is my critique on the movie from my book Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave,

It’s a Bikini World features an interesting premise, a great lineup of musical talent, and a spirited cast but the extremely low budget production values hamper the movie. There’s a new beach babe on the shore and when she rebukes the advances of the local Casanova he masquerades as his nerdy brother to get even with her. Meanwhile he competes against her as his real persona in a serious of athletic competitions. It was very novel in 1965 to feature in a film aimed at teenagers a determined independent-thinking heroine. This was years before the Women’s Liberation movement and this Feminist slant shows that Stephanie Rothman was a director and screenwriter ahead of her time.

Deborah Walley who by 1965 matured into a shapely young woman plays the determined Delilah with spunk and vigor while Tommy Kirk makes for a good conceited foe in their battle-of-the-sexes. However, Kirk’s Casanova persona surrounded by bikini-clad beach babes quickly turns laughable every time he takes off his shirt. He is by far one of the skinniest runts on the beach, especially compared with blonde hunk Jim Begg, and should have been mandated to pump some iron at the gym before filming began. Bob Pickett plays the Jody McCrea/Deadhead best friend role with a big grin and a droll touch. Bikini-clad Suzie Kaye now sporting blonde hair delivers some amusing lines with flair.

Stephanie Rothman keeps the pace moving briskly but lets the end competition sequences run on much too long dragging down the movie. Everything from skateboarding to camel racing is thrown in. Though bound by limited budget, she adds some surreal touches to the film. Whereas the expected gaggle of bikini-clad girls are present, Rothman throws in some unexpected titillation such as guy-girl wrestling on the beach and some boys stripping down from racing coveralls to Speedo’s for the swimming competition.

As with most of the later beach movies the musical acts make this worth while viewing. The groups all perform their own hit records. Standing out are Eric Burdon with The Animals in their post-Alan Price lineup doing “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” which became an anthem for Vietnam War protestors, and garage rock band The Castaways, looking all of sixteen, singing their lone hit, “Liar, Liar.” The Gentrys, sounding like Paul Revere and the Raiders, sing “Spread It on Thick,” which should have been a big hit but it never cracked the Top 40.

It’s a Bikini World is not recommended for surfing buffs (the water is like glass and there is nary a surfer in sight) but if you are looking for something a bit different in a beach movie, check it out.

For some reason I can’t post images, so click here to see some wonderful stills at the fabulous web site Brian’s Drive-in Theatre.