California Dreaming (1979) American International/Comedy-Drama RT: 92 minutes Rated R (nudity, sexual content, language, drugs and alcohol) Director: John D. Hancock Screenplay: Ned Wynn Music: Fred Karlin Cinematography: Bobby Byrne Release date: March 16, 1979 (US) Cast: Glynnis O’Connor, Seymour Cassel, Dennis Christopher, Dorothy Tristan, John Calvin, Todd Susman, Tanya Roberts, Alice Playten, Ned Wynn, Jimmy Van Patten, Stacey Nelkin, John Fain, Tom McFadden, Tom Rosqui, Marshall Efron, Barton Heyman, Kirsten Baker, Shannon Terhune, Vivian Bonnell, Bonnie Bartlett. Box Office: N/A
Rating: ***
The beach party movies of the 60s had largely disappeared by the time the 70s drew to a close. They would be replaced by the horny teenager comedies- e.g. Porky’s (1982), Joysticks (1983), Spring Break (1983) and Private School (1983)- of the 80s. American International, the studio responsible for the Beach Party movies starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, came up for one last gasp of air with California Dreaming, a somewhat more serious take on the “sand and surf” comedies popular with teen audiences the previous decade. It was an attempt by producer Lou Arkoff (son of AIP founder Samuel Z.) to move the studio towards “more serious, insightful and creative projects”. The results are decidedly mixed.
T.T. (Christopher, Breaking Away), a city boy from Chicago, moves to sunny California to honor his recently deceased brother and take in surf culture. Local bar owner/aging beach bum Duke (Cassel, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie) takes T.T. under his wing promising to teach him the finer points of the Southern California lifestyle- i.e. surfing, volleyball and scoring with chicks. He invites T.T. to stay at his place much to the aggravation of his beach bunny daughter Corky (O’Connor, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble) who takes an instant dislike to the nerdy fellow who just wants to fit in.
One might think that California Dreaming is all about T.T. learning to surf and becoming one of the gang. It is, but only in part. There’s a lot more going on. This is where the narrative gets shaky. The screenplay by Ned Wynn (grandson of actor Ed; son of actor Keenan) lacks focus. He doesn’t settle on any one plotline. In addition to T.T. redefining himself, we also get a romantic subplot involving popular surfer dude Rick (Calvin, Back to the Beach) and wealthy nice girl Stephanie (Roberts, The Beastmaster). She’s a sweet bubble head; he’s a giant jerk. There’s drama to be found in Duke trying to win back his ex-wife Faye (Tristan, Rollercoaster). She still loves him, but wishes he’d just grow up already.
Then there’s the silly subplot involving a bet between local mechanic Earl (writer Wynn) and rich a**hole Jordy (Susman, Beverly Hills Cop II). If Earl spends the summer living in his truck, Jordy will give him his prized classic car. He can’t leave for any reason. Not that he can. The doors have been welded shut and bars placed on the windows. Earl spends most of time following his gold-digging waitress girlfriend Corrine (Playten, The Lost Saucer) who’s been carrying on with Jordy. It seems to me this would be more at home in a dopey T&A comedy from Crown International.
I remember really, really wanting to see California Dreaming when it came out in spring ’79. I saw the commercial while watching my Saturday morning shows. That was back when TV stations didn’t have a problem showing ads for R movies while kids were watching. I was 11 and loved shows and movies set on the beach in California. Of course, my request was vetoed by the parental ruling body. I had to wait awhile to see it. I finally found a copy at my local West Coast Video in ’90. It was a new arrival and I snatched that baby right up. I have to admit I was a little put off by the uneasy mix of comedy and drama. I still am. It has funny moments, but they’re offset by the film’s more dramatic elements. One moment, it’s asking you to laugh at T.T. when he’s mistakenly accused of being a peeping tom (a wrong place, wrong time situation). The next, it shows you Rick acting like a real horse’s ass when his friend Tenner (Beach Party series vet Fain) tells him he plans to ask his girlfriend Marsha (Nelkin, Halloween III: Season of the Witch) to marry him. At times, it’s hard to know how to take California Dreaming. I don’t think director John D. Hancock (Bang the Drum Slowly) knew what he wanted it to be.
Although it takes place in Santa Monica, California Dreaming was shot mostly at Pismo Beach and Avila Beach. It looks good though. Hancock not only perfectly captures the easygoing vibe of the late 70s So-Cal lifestyle, he also captures the beauty of the beaches with its muscular surfer dudes and tanned beach babes. In the middle of it all is T.T. trying to find his place. After a disastrous first attempt at surfing (on a monstrosity provided by Duke), Rick and his main partner-in-crime Mike (Van Patten, Roller Boogie) start showing him the ropes, telling him not to believe everything Duke tells him. This, of course, affects his friendship with the older man.
Christopher is one of the better young actors to emerge from the late 70s/early 80s. He was wonderful in the outstanding coming-of-age comedy-drama Breaking Away (1979) which came out only a few months after California Dreaming. He was also great in the 1980 horror-thriller Fade to Black in which he plays an unhinged movie buff. He tends to be a little annoying here, especially in the early scenes where he appears to be having difficulty with social navigation. In one scene, Corky comes into the bathroom and removes her top only to discover T.T. sitting on the throne laughing nervously. Now she has one more reason not to like the houseguest. His transformation from Chi-town jazz aficionado to Californian is believable.
Glynnis is a fine actress and she’s HOT! She does a good job as Corky who isn’t always likable. She may be shallow, but she’s no airhead. She’s smarter than her friends and fellow beachgoers. One of her best scenes is when she finally realizes how she feels about T.T. and gives herself to him. He’s a virgin so she kind of guides him along in bed. It’s an interesting scene and not just because you see Glynnis’ boobs. A non-blonde Tanya, still playing a bubbleheaded character, imbues Stephanie with a measure of introspection. Should she stay with Rick or dump the jerk? He really is an ass. She invites him to a party to meet her family and he shows up drunk. Not only that, it’s implied that he fools around with her younger (underage) sister. Calvin does a decent job in the role.
Cassel, veteran of several John Cassavetes films, is very good as Duke, the real “America’s oldest teenager” (with apologies to the late Dick Clark). He claims to have competed in the 1956 Olympics in Helsinki, but there are some who doubt the veracity of this tale as well as the many others spun by the good-natured man whose only sin is being afraid of getting old.
There’s a lot to like about California Dreaming, but the scene that stands out for me is when T.T. joins the others in a night out at the movies. The feature is a surf documentary (Hot, Wet & Gnarly), of course. T.T. is stoned off his ass thanks to a couple of guys who share a joint with him. His slo-mo scene at the concession stand is something else. Girls rub up against him and his soda cup while he watches another girl eat a hot dog in a suggestive manner. That had me chuckling.
Okay, California Dreaming isn’t perfect. It does have some nice surf scenes and cool music including a cover of the title song by America. It’s laid-back and never mean-spirited. It has beautiful girls with nice bodies. Sure, it has a bummer of an ending, but it’s the right ending. It lends a sense of pathos to the updated beach movie. In short, I like California Dreaming and only wish I could go back in time and show it to my 11YO self.
