Ride the Wild Surf

Released Aug 5, 1964

1h 41m

Adventure

List

80%

5 Reviews

Tomatometer

48%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Three college buddies -- Jody (Fabian), Steamer (Tab Hunter) and Chase (Peter Brown) -- wax their boards and head to Oahu, Hawaii, for the annual surfing competition at Waimea Bay. While Jody cozies up to supportive Brie (Shelley Fabares), Steamer falls for the disapproving Lily (Susan Hart), and Chase is pursued by fun-loving Augie (Barbara Eden). The big contest nears, and the pressure mounts as Jody prepares to out-surf last year's champ, Eskimo (James Mitchum).

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Eugene Archer

New York Times

Fabian, Tab Hunter and Peter Brown are also surprisingly agreeable. Outside the water, they match with Shelley Fabares, Susan Hart and Barbara Eden, but these activities are kept to a sensible minimum. So long as they stay in the surf, everyone is happy.

Mar 14, 2024

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Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

It is wholesome, routine entertainment that should please the younger set. It has an attractive, healthy-looking cast, some exciting shots of expert surfing and a lot of lush Hawaiian is ands scenery in color.

Mar 14, 2024

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Al Holtz

Detroit Free Press

Taken as a group, the three young men display about as much acting talent as a pack of zombies at midnight.

Mar 14, 2024

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Joan Didion

Vogue

I have recently fallen under the spell of teen surfing movies, an enthusiasm I should probably try to pass off as sociological. In fact, they amuse me. Of the current crop, I am pleased to report that Ride the Wild Surf is a first-rate surfer.

Mar 16, 2020

Full Review

TV Guide Staff

TV Guide

Although Ride the Wild Surf is hardly compelling drama, its performances are more engaging than might be expected, and there's lots of outstanding surfing footage -- not to mention the super-catchy title song by Jan and Dean.

Dec 7, 2011

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ashley h

Ride the Wild Surf is an okay film. It is about a group of friends who go to Hawaii in order to practice surfing. Fabian and Tab Hunter give decent performances. The script is a little slow in places. Don Taylor did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the humor and drama.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

OK, Jay Nixon...The only reviews I have got to read of yours have been for movies that feature Barbara Eden and all three of the ones I have read are from movies were her characters are VERY different so how exactly can you say that she does not comprehend acting? Maybe you don't like a movie or you don't like the particular acting in this film but to say they just don't know how to act is unfair and rather rude. Explain how it wasn't "acting" exactly since to be the judge of that you probably understand what someone went through to do a particular role. Not only to mention ALL of them had long acting careers and if you bothered to witness all of them and at the very least acknowledged that "oh, their acting" maybe you could come up with a more constructive review, seeing as you still won't like the film but you would have more than just a rude generalization about the human beings rather than the real work itself. *sigh* Alright, my tangent is over. On to the film. This is one of my favorites to watch during the summer, though people are fully entitled to their opinions about it being cheesy, and I could understand why it can be viewed so, it is significantly less cheesy than the other beach movies of the 60s that's for sure. It brings drama and comedy together and doesn't make it all about teenagers dancing and eating hotdogs in the sand. What's wrong with having a fun film once and awhile, though? However, those in constant search of what they deem "substance" (actually a fairly subjective term) there is drama that is pretty realistic as Fabian plays Jodie, a young man who has quite college because it got too difficult and is convinced that everybody he comes across is a phony who doesn't really care bout him. His love interest, Brie Matthews (Shelly Fabares) encourages him to go back to college and not give up so easily which he takes poorly of course as quitting has started to come easy to him. Peter Brown plays the comically serious Chase Colton who desperately needs to learn to lighten up even though he does serve as a wonderful voice of reason. His love interest is Augie Poole (Barbara Eden) whom he meets via her standing on his neck. They are certainly the most entertaining couple and the adventurous Augie is hilarious as she is both love sick instantly over him in a charmingly sweet and girly way and adamant to get him to lead a more spontaneous lifestyle. Following a fight he decides he doesn't like his rigidness and decides to do a dangerous jump off of a waterfall, however she tells him she likes him just the way he is and he still does it but ultimately they accept each other lovingly. Tab Hunter's character romances Lily Kilua (Susan Hart) who has a mother that is convinced all surfers are bums based off of her husband leaving her and being lazy. Overall a very entertaining movie for someone looking for light fun and just enough drama to have an engaging story line.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

pretty people populate this surf yarn

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

one of my personal faves of the beach movie genre which sprang up in the sixties.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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Audience Member

Energetic but pretty bland B-movie. The characters are dull, the plot flimsy, and there are only slight touches of the kitschy weirdness you sometimes find in these movies. If you're looking for entertaining camp, this one's nothing special.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Wow a surf movie that's actually about surfin', of course romantic subplots are thrown in for good measure not to mention it stars the ever dreamy Fabian and a pretty good theme song by Jan and Dean. It's a little rough around the edges and unintentionally funny at times but holds its own as far as surf movies go.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

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Don Taylor

Director

Fabian

Jody Wallis

Tab Hunter

Steamer Lane

Peter Brown

Chase Colton

Shelley Fabares

Brie Matthews

Barbara Eden

Augie Poole

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Synopsis

Three college buddies -- Jody (Fabian), Steamer (Tab Hunter) and Chase (Peter Brown) -- wax their boards and head to Oahu, Hawaii, for the annual surfing competition at Waimea Bay. While Jody cozies up to supportive Brie (Shelley Fabares), Steamer falls for the disapproving Lily (Susan Hart), and Chase is pursued by fun-loving Augie (Barbara Eden). The big contest nears, and the pressure mounts as Jody prepares to out-surf last year's champ, Eskimo (James Mitchum).

Director: Don Taylor
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia
Genre: Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 5, 1964, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2011
Runtime: 1h 41m

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