''Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine'' is a 1965

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

, made in

Pathécolor Pathécolor, later renamed Pathéchrome, was an early mechanical stencil-based film tinting process for movies developed by Segundo de Chomón for Pathé in the early 20th century. Among the last feature films to use this process were the British re ...

, directed by

Norman Taurog Norman Rae Taurog (February 23, 1899 – April 7, 1981) was an American film director and screenwriter. From 1920 to 1968, Taurog directed 180 films. At the age of 32, he received the Academy Award for Best Director for '' Skippy'' (1931). He i ...

. It stars

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

Frankie Avalon Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American actor, singer, and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" an ...

Dwayne Hickman Dwayne Bernard Hickman (May 18, 1934 – January 9, 2022) was an American actor and television executive, producer and director, who worked as an executive at CBS and had also briefly recorded as a vocalist. Hickman portrayed Chuck MacDonald, Bo ...

Susan Hart Susan Hart (born June 2, 1941) is an American actress, and the widow of American International Pictures (AIP) co-founder James H. Nicholson. Early years Before she became an actress, Hart worked for a telephone company in Palm Springs, managed ...

and

Jack Mullaney Jack Mullaney (September 18, 1929 – June 27, 1982) was an American actor. Mullaney acted in several television series and films throughout his career. Early life He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 1940 United States Census show ...

, and features

Fred Clark Frederick Leonard Clark (March 19, 1914 – December 5, 1968) was an American film and television character actor. Early years Born in Lincoln, California, Clark was the son of Fred Clark Sr. He attended Stanford University with plans to becom ...

. It is a parody of the then-popular

spy film The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many James Bond films) ...

trend (the title is a spoof of two

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

films: the 1962 film '' Dr. No'' and the 1964 hit '' Goldfinger''), made using actors from AIP's

beach party ''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.Smith, Gary A. Smith (2009) ''The American International Pictures Video Guide'', McFarland p.21 ...

and

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

films. Despite its low production values, the film has achieved a certain

cult status A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

for the appearance of horror legend Vincent Price and AIP's beach party film alumni, its

in-joke An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or a private joke, is a joke whose humour is understandable only to members of an ingroup; that is, people who are ''in'' a particular social group, occupation, or other community of shared interest. It i ...

s and over-the-top

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

, the

claymation Clay animation or claymation, sometimes plasticine animation, is one of many forms of stop-motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually plasticine clay. Tra ...

title sequence designed by

Art Clokey Arthur "Art" Clokey (born Arthur Charles Farrington; October 12, 1921 – January 8, 2010) was an American pioneer in the popularization of stop-motion clay animation, best known as the creator of the character Gumby and the original voice o ...

, and a title song performed by

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

. The movie was retitled ''Dr G. and the Bikini Machine'' in England due to a threatened lawsuit from Eon, holder of the rights to the James Bond movies. The success of the film on its 1965 release led to a sequel, made the following year, entitled ''

Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs ''Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs'' (Italian language, Italian: ''Le spie vengono dal semifreddo'', lit. "The spies who came in from the cool") is a 1966 Eurospy comedy film, made in Technicolor and directed by Mario Bava. Serving as a sequel to ...

''.

Plot

Price plays the titular

mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly amb ...

who, with the questionable assistance of his resurrected flunky Igor, builds a gang of female

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...

s who are then dispatched to seduce and rob wealthy men. Avalon and Hickman play the bumbling heroes who attempt to thwart Goldfoot's scheme. The film's climax is an extended chase through the streets of San Francisco.

Cast

as Dr. Goldfoot *

as Craig Gamble *

as Todd Armstrong *

as Diane *

as Igor *

as D. J. Pevney *

Alberta Nelson Alberta Nelson (August 14, 1937 – April 29, 2006) was an American television and film actress. After several dramatic parts in television in the early 1960s, she made five guest appearances on ''The Andy Griffith Show''. Early years Nelson ...

as Reject No. 12 *

Milton Frome Milton Frome (February 24, 1909 – March 21, 1989) was an American character actor. Career Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Frome landed his first acting job in the short subject ''Daredevil O'Dare'' in 1934. He did not act again until 1939 ...

as Motorcycle cop * Hal Riddle as Newsvendor *

Joe Ploski Joseph Henry Ploski (April 16, 1904 – May 17, 1993) was a Polish-American film and television actor. He was known for his appearance in the 1953 film ''Stalag 17'', which starred William Holden, Don Taylor and Otto Preminger. Ploski Was born ...

as Cook Robots * Patti Chandler * Mary Hughes * Salli Sachse * Luree Holmes * Sue Hamilton * Laura Nicholson *

Marianne Gaba Marianne Gaba (November 13, 1939 – May 3, 2016) was an American model, actress, and beauty queen. She was Miss Illinois USA 1957 and ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month for its September 1959 issue. Personal life Gaba was born in ...

China Lee China Lee (born Margaret Lee; September 2, 1942) is an American model and actress. She was '' Playboy's'' Playmate of the Month for the August 1964 issue, and the first Asian American Playmate. Her centerfold was photographed by Pompeo Posar. A ...

* Issa Arnal *

Deanna Lund Deanna Lund (May 30, 1937 – June 22, 2018) was an American film and television actress best known for her role in the Irwin Allen television series ''Land of the Giants'', in which she played the character of Valerie Ames Scott. Early years Lu ...

* Pamela Rodgers * Leslie Summers * Sally Frei * Kay Michaels * Jan Watson * Arlene Charles Cameos *

Harvey Lembeck Harvey Lembeck (April 15, 1923 – January 5, 1982) was an American comedic actor best remembered for his role as Cpl. Rocco Barbella on ''The Phil Silvers Show'' (a.k.a. ''Sgt. Bilko'', a.k.a. ''You'll Never Get Rich'') in the late 1950s, and a ...

Deborah Walley Deborah Walley (August 12, 1941May 10, 2001) was an American actress noted for playing the title role in ''Gidget Goes Hawaiian'' (1961) and appearing in several beach party films. Early years Walley was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Ice ...

Aron Kincaid Aron Kincaid (born Norman Neale Williams II; June 15, 1940 – January 6, 2011) was an American actor, known for voicing Killer Croc on '' Batman: The Animated Series'' and Sky Lynx on '' The Transformers''. He also voiced characters for ''T ...

Annette Funicello Annette Joanne Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013) was an American actress and singer. Funicello began her professional career as a child performer at the age of twelve. She was one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the orig ...

Cast notes * Frankie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman play the same characters they did in the previous year's ''

Ski Party ''Ski Party'' is a 1965 American musical-comedy film directed by Alan Rafkin and starring Frankie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman. It was released by American International Pictures (AIP). ''Ski Party'' is considered as a beach party film spin-off, wi ...

'', except that the characters' names were swapped. *

makes a brief cameo appearance as a girl locked in medieval stocks in Dr. Goldfoot's lair. Frankie Avalon lifts her head, then looks at the camera and says, "It can't be!" Pregnant with her first child at the time, Funicello was placed in the stocks in order to hide her stomach. *

also makes a cameo appearance as his Eric Von Zipper character, enchained along with his motorcycle in Goldfoot's lair. Lembeck also appeared as Goldfoot's assistant, Hugo, in the TV special ''

The Wild Weird World of Dr. Goldfoot ''The Wild Weird World of Dr. Goldfoot'' was a 30-minute TV special which was a sequel to ''Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine'' (1965). It aired on ABC as an episode of ''Shindig!'' in November 1965. Plot Dr. Goldfoot and his assistant Hugo s ...

''. * Among the girls who play Goldfoot's robots are

, three years before joining the cast of

Irwin Allen Irwin Allen (born Irwin O. Cohen, June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film gen ...

's science fiction series ''

Land of the Giants ''Land of the Giants'' is a one-hour American science fiction television series that aired on ABC for two seasons, beginning on September 22, 1968 and ending on March 22, 1970. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen. ''Land of the Gia ...

'';

, a former ''Playboy'' Playmate married to

Mort Sahl Morton Lyon Sahl (May 11, 1927 – October 26, 2021) was a Canadian-born American comedian, actor, and social satirist, considered the first modern comedian. Sahl pioneered a style of social satire that pokes fun at political and current event t ...

; Luree Holmes and Laura Nicholson, the daughters of

James H. Nicholson James Harvey Nicholson (September 14, 1916 – December 10, 1972) was an American movie producer, film producer. He is best known as the co-founder, with Samuel Z. Arkoff, of American International Pictures. Early life Nicholson was born on ...

; and

, who was also in all seven of AIP's Beach Party films as a member of Eric Von Zipper's motorcycle gang, The Rat Pack.

Production

Development

The original idea for this motion picture came from

, the President of

, who wanted to showcase the versatile talents of AIP contract player

. Nicholson provided the story, and is credited as "James Hartford." He hired Robert Kaufman to write the first draft. Director Norman Taurog hired Elwood Ullman to do a rewrite, and Taurog remained intimately involved with the content. Deke Heyward later claimed, without substantiation, that he completely rewrote Robert Kaufman's script.Tom Weaver, Michael Brunas, John Brunas, "

Louis M. Heyward Louis M. "Deke" Heyward (born Louis Mortimere Horowitz, June 24, 1920 – March 26, 2002) was an American movie producer, producer and film and television screenwriter. Life and career Born in New York City to Henry Horowitz and Rose Klein, i ...

" ''Science Fiction Stars and Horror Heroes: Interviews with Actors, Directors, Producers and Writers of the 1940s through 1960s'' McFarland (1991) pp.157–158, 166 The original title was announced as ''Dr Goldfoot and the Sex Machine'', and the film was to be directed by

William Asher William Milton Asher (August 8, 1921 – July 16, 2012) was an American television and film producer, film director, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prolific early television directors, producing or directing over two dozen series. Wit ...

. Taurog shortly thereafter assumed the helm as director, and

joined the cast. Filming began in late summer 1965, with one of AIP's largest-ever budgets. It was the first AIP movie to cost over a million dollars.

stated in a 1987 interview with

David Del Valle David Del Valle is a journalist, columnist, film historian, and radio and television commentator on horror, science-fiction, cult and fantasy films. Described by ''Entertainment Weekly'' as "Something of a cult celebrity himself," he was inducted i ...

that the original script was a

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

, comparing it to '' Little Shop of Horrors''. Price stated, "It could have been fun, but they cut all the music out", though he is not clear whether the footage was actually shot or the idea was abandoned during production. According to

One of the best scenes I've seen on film was Vincent Price singing about the bikini machine – it was excellent. And I was told it was taken out because Sam Arkoff thought that Vincent Price looked too fey. But his character was fey! By taking that particular scene out, I believe they took the explanation and the meat out of that picture... It was a really unique explanatory scene and Vincent Price was beautiful in it, right on the money.

According to Norman Taurog's biographer:

The original plan had been to follow the AIP formula and have songs integrated throughout the film, but Norman brought in Elwood Ullman to do a rewrite ... and the final script read like a good-natured spoof on the
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
films with no songs. This apparently disappointed Vincent Price, who had been looking forward to singing.

Shooting

The film is notable for its scenic photography of San Francisco. The streetcar scene was filmed at the

West Portal West Portal is a small neighborhood in San Francisco, California. West Portal is a primarily residential area of the City. The neighborhood's main corridor, West Portal Avenue, serves as a principal shopping district of southwestern San Francisco. ...

tunnel. Filming went for over 30 days, taking place on location in San Francisco and on the backlots at the Producers Studio and

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

Studios. The day after the company returned from San Francisco, rioting broke out in Watts in South Los Angeles. On August 30, the unit moved to MGM Studios Lot 2 to shoot on their "New York Street" set for a couple of days before returning to the Producers Studio. The climactic chase sequence was filmed in the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

. The stuntmen included Carey Loftin, Paul Stader, Troy Melton, Jerry Summers, Ronnie Ron-dell, Bob Harris, Louis Elias, David Sharpe, Harvey Parry, and Bill Hickman.Michael A. Hoey, ''Elvis' Favorite Director: The Amazing 52-Film Career of Norman Taurog'', Bear Manor Media 2013 When designing Goldfoot's lair,

Daniel Haller Daniel Haller (born September 14, 1929) is an American film and television director, production designer, and art director. Life and career Haller was born in Glendale, California on September 14, 1929. He studied at the Chouinard Art Institu ...

re-used some of his designs from 1961's ''

The Pit and the Pendulum "The Pit and the Pendulum" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1842 in the literary annual ''The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1843''. The story is about the torments endured by a prisoner of ...

''. Stock footage of battleships from another AIP release, '' Godzilla vs. The Thing'' appears during the climax. Susan Hart's hair was done by

Jon Peters John Peters (born June 2, 1945) is an American film producer and former hairdresser. Early life Peters was born on June 2, 1945 in Van Nuys, California. Peters is of Cherokee (father) and Italian (mother) descent. While growing up in a rough ne ...

Accident

During filming in Los Angeles, the city was gripped by a heatwave. Sometimes temperatures on one of the sound stages reached over by mid-afternoon. On the afternoon of August 15, 1965, the company was returning from lunch when one of the electricians, Roy Hicks, passed out from the heat and fell to his death from a catwalk.

Theme song

The theme song was recorded by

as a single-sided unreleased

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

Reception

The film had its premiere at the

Golden Gate Theatre The Golden Gate Theatre is a performance venue located at 1 Taylor Street at the corner of Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco, California. It opened in 1922 as a vaudeville house and later was a major movie theater. In the 1960s it boasted a Cin ...

in San Francisco, where Nicholson had been a manager. The key cast members embarked on a 30-day tour of 18 cities in 13 countries to promote the film.

Box office

According to Norman Taurog's biographer, the film "was a moderate success in the United States, but did quite well in Europe, particularly in Italy."

Critical response

The ''Los Angeles Times'' said the film "has enough fresh, amusing gags to make it entertaining... Price is splendid."

Sequel

AIP Television American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and Film distributor, distribution company known for producing ...

produced a musical TV special episode promoting Doctor Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine that appeared for one night in temporary place of the ABC scheduled show ''

Shindig! ''Shindig!'' is an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles,The Wild Weird World of Dr. Goldfoot ''The Wild Weird World of Dr. Goldfoot'' was a 30-minute TV special which was a sequel to ''Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine'' (1965). It aired on ABC as an episode of ''Shindig!'' in November 1965. Plot Dr. Goldfoot and his assistant Hugo s ...

'', starred Vincent Price, Tommy Kirk and Susan Hart, and featured many songs that may have been cut from the cinema release.

and

Stanley Ross Stanley Ross was a moniker used by American indie songwriter Nicholas Meiers based in Chicago. Meiers is also the owner/operator of Nodak Records, a split seven-inch vinyl label based in Chicago. Meiers began performing as Stanley Ross, solo or wi ...

wrote the 30-minute short comedy musical TV special which aired Nov 18, 1965 on the ABC network. In July 1965 it was announced a sequel would be made the following year called ''Dr. Goldfoot for President'', to begin filming May 14, 1966 for a September 14 release."AIP to Discontinue Second Features", ''Box Office'' (July 5, 1965) Vincent Price returned for the 1966 sequel, ''

'', directed by

Mario Bava Mario Bava (31 July 1914 – 27 April 1980) was an Italian filmmaker who worked variously as a director, cinematographer, special effects artist and screenwriter, frequently referred to as the "Master of Italian Horror" and the "Master of the Ma ...

References

Notes

External links

* * * * *
''Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine''
at Brian's Drive-in Theatre {{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor Goldfoot And The Bikini Machine 1965 films 1960s science fiction comedy films 1960s spy comedy films American robot films American science fiction comedy films 1960s teen films 1960s parody films American International Pictures films 1960s English-language films Films directed by Norman Taurog Films scored by Les Baxter Films set in San Francisco Mad scientist films American teen comedy films Bikinis Beach party films Parody films based on James Bond films 1965 comedy films Films shot in San Francisco 1960s American films