Decades After Gilligan's Island, Bob Denver And Alan Hale Jr. Reunited In This Forgotten '80s Comedy

It's astonishing how much 1950s and early-'60s nostalgia leaked into pop media of the 1980s. This was clearly exemplified in Robert Zemeckis' 1985 blockbuster "Back to the Future," a film about a kid in the present who, thanks to a time machine, is thrown back to 1955 where he meets his teenage parents. Whether it was critical of the 1950s, or nostalgic for it, the '80s were a time to look back. The nostalgia trend might have been predicated on the rise of Conservatism in America and the ruling of Ronald Reagan over the mass consciousness. We felt the need to analyze where a lot of our more intense Conservative fantasies originated. As it so happens, it was during the post-WWII period. 

An example of wholly nostalgic '50s and '60s Conservative Nostalgia of the 1980s was Lyndall Hobbs' 1987 film "Back to the Beach." "Back to the Beach" starred Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, who had starred in multiple beach movies going back to 1963, beginning with "Beach Party." That film was successful enough to spawn a trend, and dozens of beach party movies were released in the ensuing years. It was a genre that centered on teens, who had only emerged as a separate entertainment demographic about a decade before. They usually featured hit music, a lot of swimsuits, and a 1960s version of open sexuality. 

It's worth remembering that in 1964, Sherwood Schwartz's hit sitcom "Gilligan's Island" debuted, perhaps also tapping into the beach craze of the time. By 1987, it was high time to start feeling wistful about both "Beach Party" and "Gilligan's Island." "Back to the Beach" took care of both by casting Frankie and Annette as the lead characters, and hiring "Gilligan's Island" stars Bob Denver and Alan Hale for cameos. 

It should be noted "Back to the Beach" was a nostalgia fest all around, featuring many notable cameos from actors Boomers would definitely recognize. Don Adams, the star of "Get Smart" appears, as does Jerry Mathers, Tony Dow, and Barbara Billingsley from "Leave it to Beaver." Famed surf guitarist Dick Dale showed up, and, perhaps bafflingly, so did Pee Wee Herman. Frankie and Annette play characters named Frankie and Annette, and it's posited that they settled down in Ohio. Now middle-aged and parents to two adult children, they have to regain their mojo on the beaches of California.

Bob Denver's character is never referred to by name, credited only as "the bartender," but he does dress in Gilligan's trademark red shirt and white hat. When Frankie, in a drunken stupor, refers to him as "buddy," the bartender reacts with chagrin. He hates being called "buddy." He also says that he's "been away for a long time," and was frustrated that, where he was, "there were chicks, but you couldn't touch 'em," and that he lived with a genius who could build a nuclear reactor but not fix a boat. "Back to the Beach" lays it on pretty thick. 

Frankie, who is listening in, staunchly refuses to hear more. Luckily, the bartender has a little more luck later on, chatting with a pretty blonde woman named Bridgette (Linda Carol) at a dance. Bridgette is intensely interested, and flirts with him heavily. He loves it. Sadly, just as he asks if she'll be his "main squeeze," a Skipper-like man in blue, played by Alan Hale, rushes in and tells him they need to go. A three-hour tour is beginning, and they need to ship out. 

Despite being a corny, nostalgia-inflected, TV-based cameo-fest, "Back to the Beach" was actually pretty well-received by critics. It currently has an 78% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 18 reviews. Perhaps shockingly, Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars, admitting that no one was more surprised by that rating than he was: 

"This movie absolutely blind-sided me. I don't know what I was expecting from 'Back to the Beach,' but it certainly wasn't the funniest, quirkiest musical comedy since 'Little Shop of Horrors.' Who would have thought Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello would make their best beach party movie 25 years after the others?" 

Ebert remembers the beach movie trend well, although not with fondness, saying they were just as harmless as they were brainless. He said that the plot of "Back to the Beach" was also kind of dumb, but he got swept up in the film's energy and style. "This may be the most entertaining comedy on [Paramount's] summer schedule," he wrote, "a quirky little gem filled with good music, a lot of laughs, and proof that Annette still knows how to make a polka-dot dress seem ageless." 

High praise indeed.

There would be a marvelous additional vibe watching "Back to the Beach" in 2026. For Gen-Xers, a film like this would not serve as '60s nostalgia, but '80s nostalgia. And even '80s nostalgia itself has become dated, with major studios now making money with remakes of '00s nostalgic hits like "Lilo & Stitch" and "How to Train Your Dragon." Culturally speaking, it's hard to locate where "Back to the Beach" even stands anymore. In terms of its energy, though ... well, Ebert felt that it was a fun movie that was worth your while.