''For Those Who Think Young'' is a 1964 beach party film shot in

Techniscope Techniscope or 2-perf is a 35 mm motion picture camera film format introduced by Technicolor Italia in 1960. The Techniscope format uses a two film-perforation negative pulldown per frame, instead of the standard four-perforation frame us ...

, directed by

Leslie H. Martinson Leslie Herbert Martinson (January 16, 1915 – September 3, 2016) was an American television and film director. Career Martinson was born to Gertrude and Lewis Martinson in Boston, Massachusetts on January 16, 1915. He had a brother named Bert ...

and featuring

James Darren James William Ercolani (born June 8, 1936) known by his stage name James Darren, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had notable starring and supporting roles in fi ...

, Pamela Tiffin,

Paul Lynde Paul Edward Lynde (; June 13, 1926January 10, 1982) was an American comedian, actor and game show panelist. A character actor with a distinctively campy and snarky persona that often poked fun at his barely closeted homosexuality, Lynde was we ...

Tina Louise Tina Louise ( Blacker; born February 11, 1934) is an American actress widely known for her role as movie star Ginger Grant in the CBS television situation comedy ''Gilligan's Island''. With the death of Dawn Wells in 2020, Louise became the last ...

Bob Denver Robert Osbourne Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005) was an American comedic actor who portrayed Gilligan on the 1964–1967 television series ''Gilligan's Island'', and beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 series ''The Ma ...

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatr ...

Robert Middleton Robert Middleton (born Samuel G. Messer, May 13, 1911 – June 14, 1977) was an American film and television actor known for his large size, beetle-like brows, and a deep, booming voice (for which he was known as "Big Bob Middleton"), usually ...

Ellen Burstyn Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complicated women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Em ...

(billed as Ellen McRae), Claudia Martin and

Woody Woodbury Robert Dennis Woodbury (born February 9, 1924) is an American comedian, actor, television personality and talk show host. He is known for his best-selling comedy albums of risqué stories, most of which were released in the early 1960s. He was am ...

Plot

Rich kid and party animal Gardner Pruitt III (

), known as "Ding" to his friends, is on the prowl for a new conquest in the form of teenager Sandy Palmer ( Pamela Tiffin). In the meantime, Ding's influential grandfather, B.S. Cronin (

) wants to curtail the romance and shut down a popular local college teen hangout. Sandy's guardians Sid Hoyt (

) and

(playing himself) get mixed up in the proceedings, with Woody becoming the college kid's hero at the hangout. That sends up a red flag to the college administration, which sends in Dr. Pauline Swenson to investigate allegations of underage drinking. When the clever kids discover that ex-gangster Grandpa Cronin used to be a bootlegger, they blackmail him into keeping the club open.

Cast

... Gardner 'Ding' Pruitt III * Pamela Tiffin ... Sandy Palmer *

... Uncle Sid Hoyt *

... Topaz McQueen *

... Kelp *

... Karen Cross *

... Burford B. Sanford 'Nifty' Cronin *Claudia Martin ... Sue Lewis *

... Dr. Pauline Swenson (billed as Ellen McRae) *

... Uncle Woody Woodbury *

Louis Quinn Louis Quinn (born Louis Frackt; March 23, 1915 – September 14, 1988) was an American television and film actor, best known for his role as Roscoe, the comic relief racetrack tout, from 1958 to 1963 in the ABC/ Warner Bros. detective tele ...

... Gus Kestler * Sammee Tong ... Clyde *

Jimmy Griffin James Arthur Griffin (August 10, 1943 – January 11, 2005) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with the 1970s soft rock band Bread. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1970 as co-writer ...

... Singer *

George Raft George Raft (born George Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is ...

... Detective Lieutenant * Roger Smith ... Smitty the Detective *

Addison Richards Addison Whittaker Richards, Jr. (October 20, 1902 – March 22, 1964) was an American actor of film and television. Richards appeared in more than three hundred films between 1933 and his death. Biography A native of Zanesville, Ohio, Rich ...

... Dean Watkins *

Paul 'Mousie' Garner Paul Albert "Mousie" Garner (July 31, 1909 – August 8, 2004) was an American actor. Garner earned his nickname by assuming the role of a shy, simpering jokester. He was one of the last actors still doing shtick from vaudeville, and has ...

... Mousie *

Benny Baker Benny Baker (born Benjamin Michael Zifkin; May 5, 1907 – September 20, 1994) was an American film and theater actor and comedian, and appeared in over 50 films between 1934 and 1988. He died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. Filmog ...

... Lou *

Anna Lee Anna Lee, MBE (born Joan Boniface Winnifrith; 2 January 1913 – 14 May 2004) was a British actress, labelled by studios "The British Bombshell". Early life Anna Lee was born Joan Boniface Winnifrith in Ightham, (pronounced 'Item'), Kent, th ...

... Laura Pruitt * Jack La Rue ... Cronin's Business Associate *

Allen Jenkins Allen Curtis Jenkins (born Alfred McGonegal; April 9, 1900 – July 20, 1974) was an American character actor and singer who worked on stage, film, and television. Life and career Jenkins was born on Staten Island, New York, on April 9, 1900. ...

... Col. Leslie Jenkins * Robert Armstrong ... Norman Armstrong

Production

The film began as a script called ''A Young Man's Fancy''. The rights were bought by

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

's Essex Productions. The title was changed in order to secure funding participation from Pepsi Cola, who changed their slogan from "Be Sociable" (which had been used since 1958) to "Now It's Pepsi For Those Who Think Young". Besides Pepsi, the film featured extensive

product placement Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of th ...

for Jax Clothing, Baskin-Robbins, Peter Pan swimwear, Buick and Honda.Everett Aaker, ''The Films of George Raft'', McFarland & Company, 2013 p 174

Sam Arkoff Samuel Zachary Arkoff (June 12, 1918 – September 16, 2001) was an American producer of B movies. Life and career Arkoff was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to Russian Jewish parents. He was the son of Helen (Lurie) and Louis Arkoff, who ran his ...

of AIP later called the use of the title "the most ridiculous, hidebound, stupid concept I can think of. To put a middle aged slogan on a youth picture. What kid would go to see a film called ''For Those Who Think Young''?"

Dolores Hart Dolores Hart, O.S.B. (born Dolores Hicks; October 20, 1938) is an American Roman Catholic Benedictine nun who was a prominent actress. Following her movie debut with Elvis Presley in '' Loving You'' (1957), she made ten films in five years, inc ...

, and

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' ...

were all considered to star. Pamela Tiffin replaced Ann-Margret. Filming began August 14, 1963 at Paramount Studios. The beach scenes were shot at Mailbu Beach, all in one day. James Darren's character drives a 1963 Buick Riviera, designed by George Barris.

Music

Jerry Fielding, later famous for his television themes, composed the score for the film.

Mack David Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing ...

and

Jerry Livingston Jerry Livingston (born Jerry Levinson; March 25, 1909 – July 1, 1987) was an American songwriter and dance orchestra pianist. Life and career Born in Denver, Colorado, Livingston studied music at the University of Arizona. While there he com ...

wrote "For Those Who Think Love", sung by James Darren over the opening credits.

sings "Ho Daddy, Surf's Up" and "Ho Daddy, Surf's Up (Reprise)." Jimmy Griffin (later founder member of the 1970s band

Bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

), performs the song "I'm Gonna Walk All Over This Land", accompanied by Paul Johnson (of The Bel-Airs), Glen Grey and Richard Delvy (both of The Challengers).''It's Party Time: A Musical Appreciation of the Beach Party Genre''; by Stephen J. McParland; page 72. ISSN 0810-3461

References

External links

* {{Leslie H. Martinson 1964 films 1964 comedy films Beach party films Films directed by Leslie H. Martinson Films scored by Jerry Fielding Films set in California Films set in universities and colleges United Artists films 1960s English-language films