Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965)

Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (Dir: Norman Taurog, 1965). 

Released in the UK under the slightly less cumbersome title Dr G and the Bikini Machine, this is a kooky 1960s teen-comedy-cum-spy-spoof from Hollywood’s greatest purveyors of exploitation, American International Pictures (AIP). 

The titular Dr Goldfoot (Vincent Price) has invented a machine for turning out lethal bikini clad robots with which he plans to ensnare the world's wealthiest men, acquire their assets and bump them off, eventually seeking world domination. Stumbling upon the plan are bumbling undercover agent Craig Gamble (Frankie Avalon) and playboy Todd Armstrong (Dwayne Hickman), both unwittingly smitten with humanoid Diane (Susan Hart). The pair face some Edgar Allen Poe worthy tortures as they attempt to infiltrate Goldfoot's lair and bust up his operation.

Any movie that opens with a stop motion animation sequence and a title song by the wonderful Diana Ross and the Supremes is already a winner in my view. The fact that I also have a soft spot for 1960s teen exploitation movies makes me predisposed to like Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine. While not an official entry in AIP's Beach Party series, the movie is something of an offshoot of, or cousin to, the beach movies; taking its cues from both the beach and Bond. Beach Party regulars Annette Funicello and Harvey Lembeck’s Eric Von Zipper can both seen briefly as Goldfoot’s captives in his torture chamber. 

In a non-singing role the talented Frankie Avalon gives the impression of being a much better actor than Hollywood allowed. As his partner in crime-busting Dwayne Hickman, while lacking Frankie’s charisma, makes for a perfectly amiable leading man. The magnificent Vincent Price, meanwhile, happily leaves subtlety in his dressing room and hams it up a treat as the infamous Dr G. 

It’s all very silly and the humour is very broad and incredibly juvenile. Yet, despite what its title may suggest, it all pretty innocent stuff. No movie entitled Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine was ever going to be a plea for feminism but neither is it as rampant with outdated sexism as you might expect. Incredibly, director Norman Taurog is the man who directed Spencer Tracy to Oscar glory in Boys Town (1938)! While this endeavour would not win any awards, Taurog keeps things moving at a rapid pace, with enough whimsical humour and general good vibes as to make it entertaining eye candy, if little else. It also benefits from some nice location footage of San Francisco, albeit mostly achieved through back projection. A high speed chase through the city's Bay Area aboard cars, motorcycles, cable cars and boats is a fun counterpoint to the more famous cinematic San Fransisco car chase of Bullitt (Peter Yates, 1968). All in all it is surprisingly polished for drive-in double feature fodder. 

Legend has it Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine was the first AIP production with a budget upwards of $1 million. Was it worth the money? Clearly AIP though so, as the movie was deemed successful enough to warrant a sequel: Dr Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (Mario Bava, 1966). The movie is no classic, even by AIP standards. Yet, at time when increasing civil unrest and the Vietnam War were encroaching on teenagers real lives, it is easy to see why escapist fluff such as this was popular. It is a fun time capsule of a more innocent era - at least in teen movies. Fans of beach movies, Bond and 1960s kitsch should find much to enjoy.