Don't Make Waves | |
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![]() original movie poster | |
Directed by | Alexander Mackendrick |
Screenplay by | Ira Wallach George Kirgo Maurice Richlin (adaptation) |
Based on | Muscle Beach 1959 novel by Ira Wallach |
Produced by | John Calley Martin Ransohoff |
Starring | Tony Curtis Claudia Cardinale Sharon Tate Robert Webber Joanna Barnes Dave Draper |
Cinematography | Philip H. Lathrop |
Edited by | Rita Roland Thomas Stanford |
Music by | Vic Mizzy |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 97 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $1.25 million (US/ Canada) [1] [2] |
Don't Make Waves is a 1967 American sex comedy (with elements of the beach party genre) starring Tony Curtis, Claudia Cardinale, Dave Draper and Sharon Tate. Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film was directed by Alexander Mackendrick and is based on the 1959 novel Muscle Beach by Ira Wallach, who also co-wrote the screenplay.
The film depicts a series of romantic triangles between different groupings of the principal cast and supporting players among several backdrops involving Southern California culture (swimming pools, bodybuilding, beach life, fantastic real estate, mudslides, metaphysical gurus, etc.).
Carlo Cofield, a tourist visiting California's west coast, has not even arranged lodging, when his car is smashed by a reckless driver. She is a carefree, attractive Italian artist named Laura Califatti, who offers her couch for Carlo to sleep on that night.
This arrangement displeases Rod Prescott, a wealthy swimming-pool builder, because Laura is his mistress. After being kicked out of Laura's, Carlo tries to sleep on the beach and nearly drowns. He wakes to find a gorgeous surfer, many years his junior, rescuing him by covering his nostrils with her cheek to administer two breaths. She goes by the name Malibu. Carlo begins a romantic pursuit of Malibu.
After renting a house near the ocean, Carlo cons a sweet but naïve bodybuilder Harry, Malibu's boyfriend, into believing that having sex is harmful to his body. He also bribes Madame Lavinia, a phony psychic, who is actually a man, to discourage Harry from seeing Malibu any more.
Rod decides to give the persistent Carlo a job as a pool salesman. The affair with Laura is discovered by Rod's wife Diane, who demands a divorce. As a quarrel develops with everyone present, a mudslide caused by a sudden storm makes Carlo's house slide down a cliff. By the time everyone is saved, they pair off with the romantic partners they deserve.
Actors | Characters | info |
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Tony Curtis | Carlo Cofield | |
Claudia Cardinale | Laura Califatti | |
Sharon Tate | Malibu | |
David Draper | Harry Hollard | |
Joanna Barnes | Diane Prescott | |
Robert Webber | Rod Prescott | |
Reg Lewis | Monster | |
Mort Sahl | Sam Lingonberry | |
Edgar Bergen | Madame Lavinia | |
Dub Taylor | Electrician | |
Mary Grace Canfield | Seamstress | |
Holly Haze | Myrna | |
Sarah Selby | Ethyl | |
Julie Payne | Helen | |
Douglas Henderson | Henderson | |
Chester Yorton | Ted Gunder | |
Ann Elder | Millie Gunder | |
Marc London | Fred Barker | |
Paul Barselou | Pilot | as Paul Barselow |
George Tyne | Newspaperman | |
David Fresco | Newspaperman | |
Gilbert Green | Newspaperman | as Gil Green |
Eduardo Tirello | Decorator | |
Jim Backus | Himself | uncredited |
Henny Backus | Herself | uncredited |
China Lee | Topless swimmer | uncredited |
Joanne Hashimoto | Female Gymnast | uncredited |
Bill Kennedy | Reporter | uncredited |
The film was based on Ira Wallach's novel Muscle Beach, published in 1959. [3]
In August 1963, it was announced film rights had been purchased by Martin Ransohoff of Filmways, who had a deal with MGM. Ransohoff and Wallach had collaborated on The Wheeler Dealers. [4] Wallach would do the screenplay and the film would be part of an $18 million slate, coming out in June 1964. [5] Filming was delayed.
Curtis' casting was announced in April 1966. [6] In June it was announced Alexander Mackendrick would direct and Claudia Cardinale would co star. [7] Filming took place in August 1966. [8]
Sharon Tate told her husband Roman Polanski that her experience working on this film was not particularly enjoyable. The production atmosphere was tense, and it worsened when an uncredited stuntman drowned when he parachuted into the Pacific Ocean. [9] The film was Tate's third to be produced, but as it was the first to be released in cinemas, it is generally considered to be her debut. MGM mounted an extensive publicity campaign upon its release that was based largely on Tate and her character, Malibu, and life-sized cardboard cutouts of Tate wearing a bikini were placed in cinema foyers throughout the United States. It was also linked to a widespread advertising campaign by Coppertone which featured Tate.
Dave Draper, who plays Malibu's boyfriend Harry, was the 1965 IFBB Mr. America and the 1966 NABBA Mr. Universe.
1966 NABBA Mr. Universe bodybuilder Chester Yorton, who plays Ted Gunder, made one other film, 1964's Muscle Beach Party , in which he plays the character called Hulk.
The score was composed by Vic Mizzy. Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman wrote the title song "Don't Make Waves," performed by the Byrds over the opening credits.
The aerial parachuting sequences in "Don't Make Waves" were photographed by freefall cinematographer Bob Buquor. [10] Bob was one of the earliest camera-flyers the sport of skydiving [11] produced in the early 1960s. ABC's Wide World Of Sports [12] hired Bob as a freefall cameraman [13] to cover the World Championships of Parachuting in Munich, Germany in 1964. [14] He is a legend to skydivers the world over, with one of the most prestigious awards in skydiving being the "Bob Buquor Memorial Star Crest" Award, [15] so-named in his honor.
No-one knows exactly what happened to Bob, but it is likely winds aloft prevented him from reaching the beach landing zone once under his open round Para-Commander [16] parachute. Instead, he landed in the Pacific Ocean off Malibu, California and drowned. [17] Rescue divers later found Bob sitting upright on the ocean floor with his camera helmet off, but tightly clutched in his arms. The consensus of people who knew Bob is that he might have saved himself by jettisoning his heavy camera helmet, but he was too much of a professional to not bring back the images he was paid to capture. [10] Bob was posthumously inducted into the Skydiving Hall of Fame in 2012. [18] When Bob Buquor died on July 27, 1966, he was 33 years old and had been jumping for eight years making 990 jumps. [10]
Upon its release on June 20, 1967, Don't Make Waves received generally mixed reviews. By the time the film was released, the popularity of beach films and films that related to California beach culture had begun to wane as had the popularity of Tony Curtis as a matinee idol. [2] Film critic Andrew Sarris' contemporary review in The Village Voice reported that the film was "one of the more underrated comedies of the season," but added "[the film] is the latest of what promises to be a long line of frightening documentaries on the state of California" and "the biggest liability, however, is Claudia Cardinale, who should never act in English." [19] Dave Kehr wrote in Chicago Reader that the film had a "remarkable tone" of "sharp but warmhearted social satire." [20] Writing for Turner Classic Movies, critic Jeff Stafford described the film as "often surprisingly funny and full of incidental pleasures [...] Curtis is perfectly cast as the shyster pool salesman," and "the sight gags are also occasionally inspired." [21] Don't Make Waves also received a positive review from film critic Leonard Maltin, who described it as "a gem", and noted the "good direction, funny performance by Sharon Tate and a catchy title song...". [22]
In American Prince, his 2009 autobiography, Tony Curtis wrote of making Don't Make Waves, "The plot was utterly ridiculous, but I agreed to appear in the film because I got a percentage of the gross." [23] The film went on to earn $1.25 million at the box office. [2]
Don't Make Waves was released to DVD by Warner Home Video's Warner Archive on June 27, 2011, as a burn-on-demand Region 1 widescreen DVD.
Sharon Marie Tate Polanski was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she appeared in advertisements and small television roles before appearing in films as well as working as a model. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic and dramatic acting performances, Tate was hailed as one of Hollywood's most promising newcomers, being compared favorably with the late Marilyn Monroe.
Tony Curtis was an American actor with a career that spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films, in roles covering a wide range of genres. In his later years, Curtis made numerous television appearances.
Malibu is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, about 30 miles (48 km) west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate, its strip of beaches stretching 21 miles along the Pacific Ocean coast, and for its longtime status as the home of numerous affluent Hollywood celebrities and executives. Although a high proportion of its residents are entertainment industry figures with million-dollar mansions, Malibu also features several middle- and upper-middle-class neighborhoods. The Pacific Coast Highway traverses the city and has led most residents to settle anywhere from half a mile to within a few hundred yards of it, with some residents living up to one mile away from the beach in areas featuring narrow canyons. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 10,654.
Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale, known as Claudia Cardinale, is an Italian actress.
Francis Thomas Avallone , better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American actor, singer, and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. Billboard single, age 88, was #1 on Billboards from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" and "Why" in 1959. He is the earliest surviving singer to have scored a solo number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Chances Are by Johnny Mathis, age 88, was a #1 Billboard hit in 1957.
Leonard Michael Maltin is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide, published annually from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film critic on Entertainment Tonight from 1982 to 2010. He currently teaches at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and hosts the weekly podcast Maltin on Movies. He served two terms as President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and votes for films to be selected for the National Film Registry.
Muscle Beach is the birthplace of the United States physical fitness boom, which started in 1934 with predominantly gymnastics activities on the south side of the Santa Monica Pier. Muscle Beach Venice is the contemporary title of the outdoor weightlifting platform constructed in Venice, California, a distinct neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, 18 years after Muscle Beach was established.
Malibu may refer to:
Point Break is a 1991 American crime film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by W. Peter Iliff.
David Draper was an American bodybuilder, actor and author.
The beach party film is an American film genre of feature films which were produced and released between 1963 and 1968, created by American International Pictures (AIP), beginning with their surprise hit, Beach Party, in July 1963. With this film, AIP is credited with creating the genre. In addition to the AIP films, several contributions to the genre were produced and released by major and independent studios alike. According to various sources, the genre comprises over 30 films, with the lower-budget AIP films being the most profitable.
Beach Party is a 1963 American film and the first of seven beach party films from American International Pictures (AIP) aimed at a teen audience. This film is often credited with creating the beach party film genre.
Monte Carlo or Bust! is a 1969 epic Comedy film, also known by its American title, Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies. A co-production of the United Kingdom, France and Italy, the story is based on the Monte Carlo Rally – first raced in 1911 – and the film, set in the 1920s, recalls this general era. A lavish all-star film, it is the story of an epic car rally across Europe that involves a lot of eccentric characters from all over the world who will stop at nothing to win.
Muscle Beach Party is the second of seven beach party films produced by American International Pictures. It stars Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello and was directed by William Asher, who also directed four other films in this series.
Ira Wallach was an American screenwriter and novelist.
Zuma Beach is a county beach at 30000 Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu, California. One of the largest and most popular beaches in Los Angeles County, California, it is known for its long, wide sands and excellent surf. It consistently ranks among the healthiest beaches for clean water conditions in Los Angeles County.
Fireball 500 is a 1966 stock car racing film, blended with the beach party film genre. A vehicle for stars Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, and Fabian, it was one of a string of similar racing films from the 1960s. Written by William Asher and Leo Townsend, and directed by William Asher, it tells the story of Dave Owens (Avalon), a stock car racer forced to run moonshine.
The Malibu Country Mart is a large outdoor lifestyle center or "boutique mall" located in the heart of Malibu at the Civic Center of Malibu, California. The center features a popular public playground, outdoor dining and picnic area, unique sculptures and public art, multiple restaurant options, free Wi-Fi, and on-site parking.
Julie Anne Payne was an American actress who appeared in television and films from 1959 to 1967.
Muscle Beach is a 1959 novel by American writer Ira Wallach. It was reprinted in 1967 as a paperback under the new title Don't Make Waves.