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Released November 11,
1964 (in some markets as "The Maid and The
Martian")
Available on
video? yes, currently being commercially distributed by
MGM to home videomarket. Available
in VHS as part of the "Midnite Movie" series (now out of
production, but inventory is still
out there) or general MGM series
DVD.
Synopsis: as Martians plan to invade earth, the gang has fun at
the beach and a mansion owned by an eccentric millionaire widow, who
a group of bumbling con artists are attempting to rip off.
An under-appreciated musical
accomplishment 
Often overlooked because it so different than the
other films in the series (had a different director – Don
Weis -- than the predecessors, isn’t set at the beach, has a truly
weird, quirky storyline which focuses more screen time than usual on
the adult characters, and was the first not to star Frankie
Avalon). However, quite noteworthy given the focus of this site,
given it comes the closest to being a
real musical of almost any movie in the series.
How so? Well, first, unlike those in
the other Beach Party movies, several dance sequences in
Pajama
Party contain
comparatively complex, Broadway-quality choreography, specifically
the early beach volleyball scene and the later poolside title piece
sequence. Clearly
professionals were brought in to put these together, whenever AIP
spent money they wanted it to show (or to quote Sam Arkoff:
“Thou shall not put too much money into one picture, and with
the money you do spend, put it on the
screen.")
Secondly, the
musical numbers tie into the script a lot more closely than the norm
for these films, with most numbers actually having something to do
with carrying the
storyline. 
Third, Les
Baxter’s competencies as an arranger are readily apparent here: the
background music makes continual good use of themes from the script
as well as the singing numbers, carefully tying scenes and
storylines
together.
Fourth, the
absence of Avalon as a singing character opens up things for the
women, who to the audiences’ benefit really get to carry the music
this time.
Annette -- who
is truly at her most radiant in this film -- positively
glows in her pieces and Donna Loren moves up to be a leading musical
character.
Pajama Party is
also noteworthy on several other levels. For whatever reason, the
cinematography here is much better than in any of the other
Beach Party movies (possibly because of different direction? Whatever, some of the
tracking shots are truly A film quality), which helps make up for
many truly nonsensical scenes (much of what you’re watching may be
incredibly stupid, but it’s incredibly well-photographed
stupidity). And it
includes one of the largest and most entertaining group of “brand
name”
Tommy Kirk, Annette, Bobbi Shaw
and Jody
guest stars to appear in the series, including Elsa
Lancaster,
Dorothy
McCrea in a pool party
scene
Lamour, Buster Keaton, Don Rickles (in cameo mode) and Jesse
White.
This film also marks the debut appearance of Bobbi
Shaw, a beautiful actress whose brief acting career consisted solely
of bit parts in five AIP films. Here, she plays "Helga,"
the Swedish bombshell assistant of Keaton's Character
"Chief Rotten Eagle." Bobbi is fondly remembered for her
portayal of Helga, whose script lines consisted almost solely of
"ya,
ya."
The Score of
Pajama
Party | 
