GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI 1966 SUSAN HART BORIS KARLOFF TOMMY KIRK AND FRIENDS THE LAST AIP BEACH PARTY DVD-R!

Ghost in the Invisible Bikini is a 1966 American fantasy comedy film directed by Don Weis. It is the seventh and last of American International Pictures‘ beach party films. The film features the cast cavorting in and around a haunted house and the adjacent swimming pool.

Besides the usual bikini-clad cast, random singing, silly plot line, musical guests, and ridiculous chases and fight scenes, the continuity linking this to the other beach films is the Rat Pack motorcycle gang led by Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck), as well as the appearance of previous beach party alumni Tommy Kirk, Deborah Walley, Bobbi Shaw, Jesse White, Aron Kincaid, Quinn O’Hara and Boris Karloff.

Pop singer Nancy Sinatra, who was on the rise at the time just before the film was released, has a supporting role and performs one song written for the film; and The Bobby Fuller Four appear as themselves and sing two songs. Claudia Martin, daughter of Dean Martin, co-stars in the film as Lulu. The Italian starlet Piccola Pupa appears as herself and sings a song.

James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff of AIP were not happy with the original cut of the film and subsequently ordered reshoots several weeks after the completion of principal photography, including addition of a new plot involving an old man who has to perform a good deed in order to gain eternal youth, and a sexy ghost in an invisible bikini who helps him. The old man was played by Boris Karloff and the ghost by Nicholson’s wife Susan Hart. The movie was retitled Ghost in the Invisible Bikini.

Hart shot her scenes wearing a blonde wig and black velvet bathing suit, shot against a black velvet backdrop. They were directed by editor Ronnie Sinclair. Hart worked for two weeks on her own, then for a week with Boris Karloff. Karloff’s scenes were all filmed in a one-room mausoleum set on a separate soundstage. For his scenes, Karloff is clearly standing in a bottomless coffin, rather than sitting up in it, a necessity given his chronic back problems and leg brace. Neither Hart or Karloff worked with any members of the original cast; their scenes were edited into the existing footage.

The project originated as Pajama Party in a Haunted House being first announced by AIP in January 1965. It was part of a line up of Beach Party-linked projects from the studio, the others including Beach Blanket Bingo, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, Ski Party, Sergeant Deadhead, The Chase Jet Set Party, and a Beach Party TV series. (The last two of those announced were never made.)

It was also known in development as The Girl in the Glass Bikini and was originally to star Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, and be directed by William Asher. The title of Girl in the Glass Bikini can be seen in the promo in the end credits for Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, an AIP spy spoof loosely affiliated with the Beach Party series (with “beach” alumni Avalon, Walley, Dwayne Hickman, and Susan Hart).

By June 1965, Don Weis was announced as director. He had made Pajama Party for AIP, and did it under a two-picture deal with the studio. Louis M. Heyward, who had also worked on Pajama Party, wrote the script.

During filming in October, the movie was also called Bikini Party in a Haunted House, Slumber Party in a Haunted House and Slumber Party in Harror House.

In December 1965 Sam Arkoff said “the bikini beach style has had it. We’ve had some real bombs lately.”

color, mono, widescreen, 83 minutes. DVD-R comes packaged as shown in color DVD case, wrapped in plastic!