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''Catalina Caper'', also known as ''Never Steal Anything Wet'', is a 1967
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
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 Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...
starring
Tommy Kirk Thomas Lee Kirk (December 10, 1941 − September 28, 2021) was an American actor, best known for his performances in films made by Walt Disney Studios such as '' Old Yeller'', '' The Shaggy Dog'', '' Swiss Family Robinson'', ''The Absent-Minde ...
. It blends the beach party format with a standard crime-caper comedy. It was shot on and around
Santa Catalina Island, California Santa Catalina Island (; ) often shortened to Catalina Island or Catalina, is a rocky island, part of the Channel Islands (California), Channel Islands, off the coast of Southern California in the Gulf of Santa Catalina. The island covers an ...
.


Plot

An ancient Chinese scroll is stolen from a museum in Los Angeles. The thief and teenager Don Pringle arrive on Catalina Island on the same boat. About half of the film involves swimsuit-clad adolescents dancing on yachts in various montages set to the singing of
Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...
, Carol Connors and The Cascades. When they are not dancing, Pringle and his friends investigate the scroll's theft and discover that the parents of one of the boys are responsible. They also attempt to woo a mysteriously depressed young woman, Katrina Corelli, from her vaguely threatening fiancé Angelo. After wrestling the scroll away from Angelo and his cohorts, bent on more dangerous results (in an underwater scuba-diving action scene), the boys secretly return the scroll to the museum to the relief of the repentant parents.


Cast

*
Tommy Kirk Thomas Lee Kirk (December 10, 1941 − September 28, 2021) was an American actor, best known for his performances in films made by Walt Disney Studios such as '' Old Yeller'', '' The Shaggy Dog'', '' Swiss Family Robinson'', ''The Absent-Minde ...
as Don Pringle, a friend of Charlie Moss' from college. Don is used to living in a desert environment in Phoenix and has never seen the Pacific Ocean. He develops a crush on Katrina. * Del Moore as Arthur Duval, a businessman vacationing with his wife and son. He plans to pass a fake scroll off to Lakopolous. * Peter Duryea as Tad Duval, Arthur and Anne's son. He suspects that his parents are on Catalina as part of a shady scheme, even though his parents deny it. * Robert Donner as Fingers O'Toole, a pratfalling agent who tails Larry to Catalina Island, hoping to catch Arthur Duval red-handed with the stolen scroll. * Ulla Strömstedt as Katrina Corelli, Angelo's girlfriend and a visitor to Catalina. Something about her also makes her appealing to a number of guys on the island. * Jim Begg as Larry, the Duvals' henchman, who steals the scroll that Arthur and Anne plan to create a duplicate of. * Sue Casey as Anne Duval, Arthur's wife. She plans to duplicate the stolen scroll. * Venita Wolf as Tina Moss, Charlie's sister. Assigned to show Don a good time, she takes him scuba-diving, and develops a crush on Don. She grows jealous about his affections toward Katrina. * Brian Cutler as Charlie Moss, a friend of Don's, whom he met in college. A resident of Catalina, Charlie happily takes Don to have fun. Charlie is also a popular ladies' man, and has a group of three young women fawning over him the moment he returns to the island. * Peter Mamakos as Borman, Lakopolous' assistant. He tries to steal the scroll from Duval. *
Lyle Waggoner Lyle Wesley Waggoner ( ; April 13, 1935 – March 17, 2020) was an American actor, sculptor, presenter, travel trailer salesman and model, known for his work on ''The Carol Burnett Show'' from 1967 to 1974 and for playing the role of Steve Trevor ...
as Angelo, Katrina's boyfriend who is on Catalina under the employ of Borman and Lakopolous. He has a quick temper, and is willing to kill to obtain the scroll for his employer. * Lee Deane as Lakopolous, a wealthy foreign man with a thick accent, who is known to collect rare antiquities. He comes to Catalina to retrieve the scroll from Arthur Duval. * Mike Blodgett as Bob Draper, a member of the Catalina Island Harbor Patrol who is caught up in the scheme of the Duval's. He works with Don and Tad to hatch a plan. * Bonnie Lomann as redheaded girl * Britt Nilsson as brunette girl * Donna Russell as blonde girl * James Almanzar as Sid * Carol Connors as herself *
Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...
as himself * The Cascades as themselves


Production

Both ''Never Steal Anything Wet'' and ''Scuba Party'' were working titles, before ''Catalina Caper'' was chosen. Produced by Executive Pictures Corporation, formed by Bond Blackman and Jack Barlett, it started filming in September 1965, on Catalina Island. Tommy Kirk was signed to a four-picture contract, of which this was to be the first. Kirk was announced for ''Scuba Party'' in August 1965, but he did not wind up making any of the other films. Kirk appeared in four other films in the beach party genre: ''
Village of the Giants ''Village of the Giants'' is a 1965 American teensploitation comedy science fiction film produced, directed and written by Bert I. Gordon. Based loosely on H. G. Wells's 1904 book ''The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth'', it contains ...
'' (1965); two AIP features, '' Pajama Party'' (1965) and ''
The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini ''Ghost in the Invisible Bikini'' is a 1966 American fantasy comedy film directed by Don Weis. It is the seventh and last of American International Pictures' beach party films. The film features the cast cavorting in and around a haunted house ...
'' (1966); and '' It's a Bikini World'' (1967). Sue Casey was seen earlier as one of the female leads in another beach party film, 1965's '' The Beach Girls and the Monster''. Ted V. Mikels recalls "I loved shooting that... Little Richard did whatever I suggested. I didn’t direct him though. He was very pleasant to work with. He was just another performer.”


Music

''Catalina Caper'' composer Jerry Long also wrote the music for another beach party film, '' Wild Wild Winter.'' The two films are his only onscreen credits. Long also wrote two songs for the film, "Never Steal Anything Wet," heard over the opening/closing credits and performed by
Mary Wells Mary Esther Wells (May 13, 1943 – July 26, 1992) was an American singer, who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s. Along with the Supremes, the Miracles, the Temptations, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and the F ...
; and "Scuba Party," performed onscreen by
Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...
, who is also credited as a co-writer on the song. The Cascades perform "There's a New World Just Opening For Me," written by
Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for the Rock music, rock band the Kinks, which he led, with his younger brother Dave Davies, Dave pro ...
and originally recorded by
The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...
, and Carol Connors performs "Book of Love," which was written by Connors and Roger Christian.


Reception

''Variety'' called it "pretty insubstantial of its kind." ''Filmink'' described it as "kind of like a Disney film."


In popular culture

* ''Catalina Caper'' featured in the fourth episode of the second season of the movie-mocking television show ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...
'' (MST3K).


Home media

The ''MST3K'' version of the film, which was accompanied by the uncut, unriffed version as a bonus feature, was released by Rhino Home Video as part of the ''Collection, Volume 1'' DVD set. The set was reissued by
Shout! Factory Shout! Factory, LLC, doing business as Shout! Studios (formerly doing business as Shout! Factory, its current legal name), is an American home video and music distributor founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases, issued i ...
with additional features (but without the uncut film) in September 2015.


See also

*'' Daytona Beach Weekend'' (1965) * ''
The Boatniks ''The Boatniks'' is a 1970 American comedy film directed by Norman Tokar and starring Robert Morse, Stefanie Powers, Don Ameche and Phil Silvers. It was made by Walt Disney Productions, released by Buena Vista Distribution. Young and awkward, C ...
'' (1970)


References


External links

* *
''Catalina Caper'' at AllMovie
* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, catalina_caper 1967 films 1967 musical comedy films American heist films American musical comedy films Beach party films 1960s comedy mystery films Crown International Pictures films 1960s English-language films Santa Catalina Island (California) American comedy mystery films 1960s American films Mystery Science Theater 3000 English-language musical comedy films English-language comedy mystery films Films directed by Lee Sholem