FIREBALL 500 (1966)

After finally getting tired of singing, dancing, holding hands, and trying to work out their unending domestic drama on the beach, Frankie and Annette decided to put their clothes on and take their post-adolescent sensibilities to the race track in FIREBALL 500. Once there, they were joined by fellow 1950's teen idol Fabian and two other exiles from the beach party flicks, Harvey Lembeck and Mike Nader. Rounding out the cast are Chill Wills and Julie Parrish.

With the beach party movies losing popularity, American-International Pictures was ready to embark on a new era of more edgy, exploitative themes. From 1966 onward, they would not only make use of the race track environment, but also explore the world of drug users, bikers, and other aspects of the growing youth counter-culture. FIREBALL 500 was sort of an uneasy bridge between the old beach party mentality and the newer concepts. With contract stars Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello playing the leads, there was a strong expectation that the moral universe of this film would be identical with, or at least close to, the innocence of Beach Blanket Bingo. The casting of Fabian, another star associated with an earlier, more wholesome era, added to this expectation. But, surprisingly, this film deals with more serious adult themes, such as criminal activity, accidental death, and a more explicit approach to sexuality.

Don't be alarmed. Annette's virtue is thankfully intact by the end of the movie. But both Frankie and Fabian are portraying womanizers who have no trouble whatsoever finding women who are more than willing to get womanized. Julie Parrish portrays an aggressive, proto-feminist type who actively tries to hustle Frankie into bed. And even Annette's character shows a willingness to, shall we say, bend the rules a little bit, while still championing the ideals of home and family.

Frankie and Fabian get to beat the living crap out of each other, which is fun to watch. And we even get to hear Frankie and Annette sing a couple of totally forgettable songs (not together), which serve to remind us that this is still an AIP flick and we're not all THAT far from the beach. And Harvey Lembeck, who played the hapless Eric Von Zipper in the Beach series, gets a chance to play it serious here, and does an admirable job.

All things considered, FIREBALL 500 is an enjoyable experience filled with old cinematic friends and enough racing footage to satisfy those who love seeing stock cars crash and burn.