How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (American International Pictures) (1965)

Mickey Rooney Returns To "Stuff a Wild Bikini’ There aren’t many show business names as familiar to Americans of all ages as that of Mickey Rooney who soon will be seen in his latest movie, American International’s “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.” While Rooney wasn’t born in a trunk, he didn’t miss that legendary distinction by much, for he made his debut with his vaudevillian parents at the age of one and has been working as a performer since — some 43 years. During that time he has been the recipient of many professional honors, the chief of which was the special “Oscar” he received in 1939 for skillful portrayal of the youth of the era. That same year a nationwide poll conducted by a chain of newspapers crowned him as “king” of the movies, with Bette Davis his “queen.” The following year he was the first juvenile nominated for dramatic acting along with adult performers for his role in “Babes in Arms.” He was nominated again in 1943 for his performance in “The Human Comedy” and in 1956 for “The Bold and the Brave.” The Theatre Exhibitors of America named Rooney “Box Office Champion” for three years running, 1938 through 1940, proving that as an actor he was “commercial” as well as talented. When he shifted his acting talents to TV, Mickey continued to receive critical acclaim, receiving four nominations for the “Emmy” for his performances in “The Comedian,” “Pinnochio,” “Eddie,” and “Somebody’s Waiting.” Prior to his role in the AIP musical comedy, he co-starred in “Tt’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” MICKEY ROONEY IS guest star in American International’s ‘How to Stuff a Wild Bikini,’’ musical comedy opening .......................AC te se se Theatre. 1 COL. SCENE MAT 1-G AIP Film Stars Reunited After 20 Fun-Filled Years Memories of more than twenty years ago were stirred when Dwayne Hickman met Mickey Rooney for the first time on the set of their co-starring film, American International’s “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.” It was Hickman who reminded Rooney of another motion picture in which they both appeared — the classic “Boys Town” which co-starred Mickey with Spencer Tracy. Dwayne reassured Mickey that he was only a child extra in the film, but that it was his older brother and then child star, Daryl, whom Rooney carried in his arms in one of the key dramatic scenes of the film. EXPERT PATIENT DEBUTS AS FILM PSYCHIATRIST Only director William Asher and television comedy writer Arthur Julian weren’t surprised when the 41-year-old, balding Julian was cast in his first acting role as the psychiatrist in American International’s ‘“How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.” To them, it was only natural that the personable and witty scrivener should sit in that particular medical chair. “After all, who should know more about psychiatrists than one who has observed them for many years from the vantage point of their couches,” says Julian with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. So it is that his professional and hilarious psychiatric portrayal is one of the many comedy highlights of the color and Panavision musical comedy. Starring in the film are Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, Buster Keaton, Harvey Lemback, Beverly Adams, John Ashley, Jody McCrea, and guest star Mickey Rooney. Julian is Chicago-born, Los Angeles-raised, Air Corps-writing trained, and the owner of numerous top comedy writing credits. Among his TV efforts are Phil Silver’s “Sgt. Bilko,” ‘The Beulah Show,” “Meet Millie,” “December Bride,” and most recently, ‘The Baileys of Balboa.” ROONEY REFUSES TO LET TIME DULL ENTHUSIASM After 43 years in show business, 44-year-young Mickey Rooney is as excited and as full of wonderment about each day of movie work as a neophyte young actor or actress on the very first day before the cameras. On the set of his newest film, American International’s “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini,’ Mickey was asked to reveal the secret of his never-ending freshness and enthusiasm for what would be old hat to any other screen veteran. His simple and direct answer: “I never read the script ahead of time, but read it bit by bit, day by day, so I can have the fun of finding out for the first time each morning just what I and my fellow actors will. be doing during that day. When I read what’s going to happen, it’s all fresh and new — just like a wonderful surprise for myself to get the day off to a happy start.” Between working before the cameras under director William Asher’s guidance and chatting excitedly between scenes with fellow performers Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, Buster Keaton and Harvey Lembeck, Mickey has a lot to talk about as one who started in show business at the age of one with his entertainer parents Joe Yule and Nell Carter. “It’s wonderful to be working with American International on one of their ‘young-at-heart’ — that’s a great description of these pictures, isn’t it — musical comedies,” he says to fellow veteran Donlevy. ‘Youth must be served and AIP is serving it, and unless you’re an old fuddy-duddy, old at heart and old in spirit, how can anyone object to these beautiful young people *having fun while they’re entertaining you?” Donlevy agreed with Mickeys’ observation that as yet there are no young stars today who compare with the magnitude of a Judy Garland or a Deanna Durbin. But they also observed, as they watched a “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini” musical number, “the music is different today too. It doesn’t seem to have the solidity, the staying power or the hummability of the old music.” Mickey then grew nostalgic and said, “these new youth-oriented musicals have the same spirit and timeliness of the old MGM Judy Garland musicals. Each type is attuned to the spirit of the younger generation of its time, and I guess that while the music doesn’t sound as good-«to me and my contemporaries as the Garland musicals, it is what today’s kids want and what they like.” Mickey’s long career, despite his relatively sparse years, qualifies him as an expert on these matters as one of the few “kid stars” who grew up and stayed in the movie business. From his days as child star of MGM’s “Andy Hardy” comedies and “Boys Town” classics through to his later years as award-winning dramatic actor in such memorable TV dramas as “The Comedian,” he has been respected for his BEVERLY ADAMS is principal bikini stuffer in American International’s ‘‘How to Stuff a Wild Bikini,’’ musical comedy openA a 2s. ee at the 1 COL. SCENE MAT 1-F “BIKINI” ENGLISH BEAUTY FALLS IN LOVE WITH USA “It’s a rave,” says English beauty queen Rosemary Williams of America and Hollywood. That’s the highest praise any British youngster can muster for anything he likes, and it was voiced by Rosemary during her film debut in American International’s “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.” The miss from Plymouth, England, won her role in the color and Panavision musical comedy as winner of the title, “Miss Beach Party,” and came to America with her mother. Her father, an electronics engineer and retired naval officer, had to stay behind with his work. amazing versatility. One thing everyone in Hollywood is in agreement with is that although Mickey has grown older, he has not changed basically. He is, always was, and always will be thoroughly “young-at-heart” to his fans, his co-workers and to his current fifth wife and the four young children of that marriage. LONG-NOSED ACTOR STARS IN COMEDY With a distinction few thespians would care to boast about — that of the longest nose in show business — Pete Pelican maintains a unique place among. Hollywood actors. He is the only acting pelican on the West Coast and, as such, was a natural choice for his starring role in American International’s “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.” His wingless and featherless co-stars in the color and Panavision musical comedy include such luminaries as Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, Buster Keaton, Harvey Lembeck, Beverly Adams, John Ashley, Jody McCrea, and guest star Mickey Rooney. Pete has large, expressive and beautiful gray eyes to offset his large, typically pelican-like proboscis. He is gray in color with a wing-spread of more than four feet along with human-hand-size webbed feet. His trainer, Ray Berwick, found Pete on famed Malibu Beach four years ago when the bird was only a few months old. Pete was stranded, sick, and unable to fly because of a sticky oil slick on the water. Berwick nursed Pete back to health and discovered he had a talented and photogenic bird. Little did Pete then realize that his accidental discovery and _ subsequent introduction to an acting career would increase his life expectancy from four to more than twenty years — the differénce between the usual age span of wild and captive pelicans. : Now, as befits an established movie star, Pete vacations between jobs at the famed California seashore resort of San Simeon — at its Aqua Zoo, of course. There visitors may be disappointed to discover that, despite his success with the AIP beach bunnies of “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini,” he just doesn’t care much for girls. "Wild Bikini" Star Was Flop as Child Actor Acknowledged as one of Hollywood’s top young comedy actors today, personable and handsome Dwayne Hickman admits to being an “ansuccessful child actor” and vows not to allow his own son to work as he did during childhood. Discussing his career during the filming of his newest starring film, American International’s “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini,” Hickman proudly talked about how he “made it” beginning in his teens and rose to stardom with two successive long-running television series. “IT made little impresison on anyone during my childhood acting days, unlike Mickey Rooney (his co-star in the AIP musical comedy) who was an instant success and who continued almost unchanged into an adult career. One of Rooney’s secrets is that he hasn’t really changed since his early days — he works the same, he looks almost the same, and he sounds the same,” Dwayne said. “On the other ‘hand, I’ve changed and developed — grown up — and it’s been for the better. That’s why I was able to leave acting, go back to school, get a job and then return as a teenager in the successful ‘Bob Cummings Show’. “It was my maturing on that show which enabled me to make an even bigger success as the star of ‘The Dobie Gillis Show’. That’s the experience which convinced me and my wife to be firm about permitting our son to work as a child actor.” Dwayne and his wife, Carol, the proud parents of John Francis Hickman who was born on January 20, 1964, say, ‘‘We’ve no great desire for him to -become an actor, unless he wants to. “He will never work as a child,” Dwayne said. “Besides, I can support the family until he gets through sthool and even college. Then, if he really wants to act, he can go ahead with our blessings.” The Hickmans live in a home in the Hollywood Hills, not far from the studios. They are admitted homebodies, preferring quiet entertaining at home and reading or television to noisy Hollywood night life. BIKINI FILLERS WHOOP IT UP — Mary Hughes (left), Marianne Gaba and Patti Chandler give a sample of the fun in American International’s ‘‘How to Stuff a Wild Bikini,’’ new color and Pana vision musical comedy opening ..... Pe og Rem me Aeaia eS ar hee leah ae at the 2 COL. SCENE MAT 2-A