dougdoepke Of course escapism like this shouldn't be compared with anything meaningful. But even by Gidget-type standards, this entry bumps along in unwieldy fashion. That's mainly because a hundred minutes is too long for the erratic material; the humor from Van Dyke is more frantic than funny; while some exterior desert sets are cardboard and worse, look like it. Also, WB inserts about every contract player from TV (Stevens, Hardin, Conrad, Duggan) into the awkward mix, likely accounting for the stretched out run-time. Then too, Donahue, the ostensible star, is likely on WB's downgrade with little to do but stand around and model country club clothes. The movie does manage a few good moments— judo expert Amanda could be a dangerous date, a good impression of Eve Arden from a waspish Naomi, and a winning Ty Hardin as a romantic cowboy. Also, there's a charming little version of Bye, Bye, Blackbird from Hardin and Van Dyke. Anyhow, this sort of teen-age hedonism was about to give way to a Vietnam counter-culture that would soon look nothing like this glossy bon-bon. I confess to a soft spot for the Gidget series, but this lumpy confection unfortunately comes in a poor second. At least the surfing crowd didn't wear uptown suits for every occasion.

st-shot Released in the first week of November 1963, Palm Springs Weekend was what Hollywood was presenting as hard partying Spring Break rebelliousness before the sea change in this country just up ahead. Counter culture was about people who hung around diners not those dissatisfied with the system and in Weekend we get a skewed representation of American youth; blonde, blue eyed (Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens, Ty Hardin) neatly attired with bad taste in music.The raging hormone set are off to Palm Springs for the weekend from LA along with some bumbling grown ups like basketball coach (Jack Weston) who is intent on keeping his boys in training but ultimately succumbs himself to the temptations of the party culture. Locally Chief Dixon (Andrew Duggan) and daughter Bunny (Stephanie Powers) argue the generation gap. The stage is now set for the kids to hook-up and dance, kiss, fight and celebrate the stupidity of youth circa 63 but even back then this was pretty tame stuff.Director Norman Taurog keeps things flood lit and flat most of the way juggling his roster of second stringers to help give the film a pulse but the humor is heavy handed, the romance beyond mawkish. It takes itself a little more serious than the Frankie and Annette Beach saga which began the same year but it more or less delivers the same sand in your bathing suit result of insipid irritation. Today it can be seen as a goofy time piece of more innocent and secure times.

Lechuguilla The film's story is about what one would expect for a romantic comedy from the early 1960s. California guys chase girls, and vice versa. With an exception or two, the tone is lighthearted, upbeat, frothy, and fluffy.The script has an ensemble cast. Connie Stevens, Ty Hardin, Stefanie Powers, and Robert Conrad probably fare the best. And Carole Cook, as a perky hotel clerk, is quite good. But Andrew Duggan, Jack Weston, and Jerry Van Dyke all seem out of place here.Major characters have enough dimension, though just barely, to make them reasonably interesting, especially Gale Lewis (Stevens) and Eric Dean (Conrad). One could argue that the script over-populates the story. Three or four main characters might have worked better. As is, the plot is all over the place as it flits from one character to another.Comedy is quite juvenile. It is very unsubtle, and veers toward slapstick. As an example, an annoying little boy named Boom-Boom creates havoc when his behavior results in a swimming pool that fills up with soap bubbles.Music trends decidedly upbeat. I like the Van Dyke/Hardin duo of "Bye Bye Blackbird". But I could have wished for some songs from the early 60s. The Kingston Trio performs a rather uninteresting number. More interesting than the song are the large, unattractive horn-rimmed glasses the lead singer wears.Don't expect any complex plot or heavy-duty message here. "Palm Springs Weekend" is pure fluff, engineered for entertainment. As such, the film will appeal mostly to older audiences yearning for a bit of early 1960s nostalgia.

BobLib If you're after fun, escapist, Kennedy-era entertainment with a WB vs. AIP budget, sit back and enjoy "Palm Springs Weekend" for what it is: A bunch of kids (most of whom will never see twenty again) invading the popular resort community for the weekend, getting into all sorts of romantic trials and tribulations, with the inevitable happy ending.Troy Donahue, then at the height of his fame, is the nominal hero of the story, a nice young medical student affectionately called "Dr. Jekyll." He has remarkably little to do, however, and it's the more colorful supporting characters who keep your interest through the film: Jerry Van Dyke as Donahue's wackyzanynutty best friend, Robert Conrad (just pre-"Wild, Wild West") as the particularly slimy heavy of the piece, Ty Hardin as the rodeo cowboy turned football hero (He's got steer horns affixed to the front of his car. You know the type), Connie Stevens as the "good girl" who gets in way over her head when she falls for Conrad, and Jack Weston and Carole Cook providing love among the oldsters as the boys' football coach and a local hotel owner, respectively. For the obligatory musical interlude, we have the Modern Folk Quartet performing in a nightclub sequence. See if you can spot a young Cyrus Faryar among the latter.Norman Tourog's direction is appropriately easy and breezy, and the screenplay is by the young Earl Hamner, Jr. ("The Waltons"). Check your brain at the door and get in the mood for some early-60's-style fun. You'll be glad you did.