''Don't Make Waves'' is a 1967 American
sex comedy (with elements of the
beach party genre) starring
Tony Curtis,
Claudia Cardinale
Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938), known as Claudia Cardinale (), is an Italian actress.
Born and raised in La Goulette, a neighbourhood of Tunis, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia" competition ...
,
Dave Draper and
Sharon Tate. Distributed by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
, the film was directed by
Alexander Mackendrick and is based on the 1959 novel ''
Muscle Beach'' by
Ira Wallach, who also co-wrote the screenplay.
The film depicts a series of romantic triangles between different groupings of the principal cast and supporting players among several backdrops involving Southern California culture (swimming pools, bodybuilding, beach life, fantastic real estate, mudslides, metaphysical gurus, etc.).
Plot
Carlo Cofield, a tourist visiting California's west coast, has not even arranged lodging, when his car is smashed by a reckless driver. She is a carefree, attractive Italian artist named Laura Califatti, who offers her couch for Carlo to sleep on that night.
This arrangement displeases Rod Prescott, a wealthy swimming-pool builder, because Laura is his mistress. After being kicked out of Laura's, Carlo tries to sleep on the beach and nearly drowns. He wakes to find a gorgeous surfer rescuing him by covering his nostrils with her cheek to administer
two breaths. She goes by the name Malibu, and Carlo begins to romantically pursue her.
After renting a house near the ocean, Carlo cons a sweet but naïve bodybuilder Harry, Malibu's boyfriend, into believing that having sex is harmful to his body. He also bribes Madame Lavinia, a phony psychic, who is actually a man, to discourage Harry from dating Malibu.
Rod decides to give the persistent Carlo a job as a pool salesman. The affair with Laura is discovered by Rod's wife Diane, who demands a divorce. As a quarrel develops with everyone present, a mudslide caused by a sudden storm makes Carlo's house slide down a cliff. By the time everyone is saved, they pair off with the romantic partners they care about most.
Cast
Production notes
The film was based on Ira Wallach's novel ''Muscle Beach'', published in 1959.
In August 1963, it was announced film rights had been purchased by
Martin Ransohoff
Martin Nelson Ransohoff (July 7, 1927 – December 13, 2017) was an American film and television producer, and member of the Ransohoff, Ransohoff family.
Early life and education
Ransohoff was born on July 7, 1927, in New Orleans, New Orleans, ...
of Filmways, who had a deal with MGM. Ransohoff and Wallach had collaborated on ''The Wheeler Dealers''. Wallach would do the screenplay and the film would be part of an $18 million slate, coming out in June 1964. Filming was delayed.
Curtis' casting was announced in April 1966. In June it was announced Alexander Mackendrick would direct and Claudia Cardinale would co star. Filming took place in August 1966. It was made as a co-production with Curtis' film production company,
Reynard Productions.
Sharon Tate told her husband
Roman Polanski
Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...
that her experience working on this film was not particularly enjoyable. The production atmosphere was tense, and it worsened when an uncredited stuntman drowned when he parachuted into the Pacific Ocean. The film was Tate's third to be produced, but as it was the first to be released in cinemas, it is generally considered to be her debut. MGM mounted an extensive publicity campaign upon its release that was based largely on Tate and her character, Malibu, and life-sized cardboard cutouts of Tate wearing a bikini were placed in cinema foyers throughout the United States. It was also linked to a widespread advertising campaign by ''
Coppertone'' which featured Tate.
Dave Draper, who plays Malibu's boyfriend Harry, was the 1965
IFBB Mr. America and the 1966 NABBA
Mr. Universe.
1966
NABBA Mr. Universe bodybuilder
Chester Yorton, who plays Ted Gunder, made one other film, 1964's ''
Muscle Beach Party'', in which he plays the character called Hulk.
Music
The score was composed by
Vic Mizzy.
Roger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn (; born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician, best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the band. As a so ...
and
Chris Hillman
Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of the Byrds. With frequent collaborator Gram Parsons, Hillman was a key figure in the development of country rock, defining the genre through his w ...
wrote the title song "Don't Make Waves," performed by
the Byrds
The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...
over the opening credits.
Bob Buquor
The aerial parachuting sequences in ''Don't Make Waves'' were photographed by freefall cinematographer Bob Buquor.
Buquor was one of the earliest camera-flyers the sport of skydiving produced in the early 1960s. ABC's ''Wide World of Sports'' hired Buquor as a freefall cameraman to cover the World Championships of Parachuting in Munich, Germany in 1964. He is a legend to skydivers the world over, with one of the most prestigious awards in skydiving being the "Bob Buquor Memorial Star Crest" Award, so-named in his honor.
Exactly what happened to Buquor is not known, but it is likely winds aloft prevented him from reaching the beach landing zone once under his open round Para-Commander parachute. Instead, he landed in the Pacific Ocean off Malibu, California and drowned. Rescue divers later found Buquor sitting upright on the ocean floor with his camera helmet off, but tightly clutched in his arms. The consensus of people who knew him is that Buquor might have saved himself by jettisoning his heavy camera helmet, but he was too much of a professional to not bring back the images he was paid to capture.
Buquor was posthumously inducted into the Skydiving Hall of Fame in 2012. When Bob Buquor died on July 27, 1966, he was 33 years old and had been jumping for eight years making 990 jumps.
Critical reception
Upon its release on June 20, 1967, ''Don't Make Waves'' received generally mixed reviews. By the time the film was released, the popularity of beach films and films that related to
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
beach culture had begun to wane as had the popularity of Tony Curtis as a matinee idol.
[ Film critic Andrew Sarris' contemporary review in ''The Village Voice'' reported that the film was "one of the more underrated comedies of the season," but added " he filmis the latest of what promises to be a long line of frightening documentaries on the state of California" and "the biggest liability, however, is Claudia Cardinale, who should never act in English." Dave Kehr wrote in ''Chicago Reader'' that the film had a "remarkable tone" of "sharp but warmhearted social satire." Writing for Turner Classic Movies, critic Jeff Stafford described the film as "often surprisingly funny and full of incidental pleasures ..Curtis is perfectly cast as the shyster pool salesman," and "the sight gags are also occasionally inspired." ''Don't Make Waves'' also received a positive review from film critic Leonard Maltin, who described it as "a gem", and noted the "good direction, funny performance by Sharon Tate and a catchy title song...".
In ''American Prince'', his 2009 autobiography, Tony Curtis wrote of making ''Don't Make Waves'', "The plot was utterly ridiculous, but I agreed to appear in the film because I got a percentage of the gross."] The film went on to earn $1.25 million at the box office.[
]
Home media
''Don't Make Waves'' was released to DVD by Warner Home Video's Warner Archive on June 27, 2011, as a burn-on-demand Region 1 widescreen DVD.
See also
* List of American films of 1967
References
External links
*
*
*
''Don't Make Waves'' at AllMovie
Review of ''Don't Make Waves''
at TVGuide.com
{{Authority control
1967 films
1960s sex comedy films
American satirical films
American sex comedy films
1960s English-language films
Films based on American novels
Films directed by Alexander Mackendrick
Films scored by Vic Mizzy
Films set in Malibu, California
Films shot in California
Films shot in South Carolina
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
Beach party films
Filmways films
Reynard Productions films
1967 comedy films
1960s American films
English-language sex comedy films