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"Ride the Wild Surf" takes place near a beach in Hawaii, and follows three teenagers who arrive for a big surfing competition. But it's a surprisingly dramatic movie, delving into each surfer's hopes and background (while delivering each one into a summertime romance_. The movie's style is "naturalistic" - watching its young stars without nudging the scenes to a specific tone. Yes, it builds to a final showdown on the waves... But it tells a real story along the way.

Fabian plays Jody, an ambitious college drop-out. He hooks up with "Brie Matthews" (played by Shelley Fabares) almost as soon as they arrive in Hawaii. Brie confronts him about his future during a heart-to-heart talk in an abandoned Hawaiian shack (after they're caught in a rain storm). But when the waves grow dangerously high, will he find the courage to continue surfing?

The film builds a real rivalry between Fabian's character and his competitors. There's a damaged surfboard which they hope will humiliate Fabian, and an unfortunate surfing accident which injures one of his rivals. Vowing vengeance on the waves, he dogs Fabian's character throughout the movie. But ultimately the championship comes down to just two surfers - and giant waves which are dangerously unpredictible.

The movie jumps from Fabian's story to that of his two companions. Tab Hunter plays "Steamer Lane," who has the misfortune to fall in love with a wealthy local girl who has a bitter and overprotective mother. And "Chase Colton" is a good-looking but academic student who bristles when he's told he's too "responsible." Barbara Eden was 30 years old when she played Chase's girlfriend, a kooky karate expert named Augie Poole. But in the end their relationship goads him into making a dangerous leap from a high cliff into a rocky lake.

Most of the actors weren't teenagers - but it still tries to take an honest look at the life of a teenaged surfer in the early 1960s. They engage in a dangerous spear-shooting competition, while trying to explain to their dates who they are and who they hope to become. Is it peer pressure or self-respect which drives Fabian into the final competition? While this may be a surfing picture, it isn't simply a frolic on the beach.

"Ride the Wild Surf" does include a bouncy theme song by Jan and Dean. But audiences won't get its cheery ode to Hawaii's 30-foot waves until the movie's closing credits!

Learn more about this author, Moe Zilla.
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