Cast and Crew:  Norman Taurog (Director); James H. Nicholson (Story, Producer), Samuel Z. Arkoff (Producer); Les Baxter (Original Music); The Supremes (Title Song); Annette Funicello, Harvey Lembeck

What It’s About:  Dr. Goldfoot (Vincent Price) plans on taking over the world with his beautiful, deadly robots, who he uses to charm men out of their fortunes and secrets.  Can secret agent Craig Gamble (Frankie Avalon) stop him before it’s too late?

Why Watch it Today?: The bikini was “invented” (precursors abound) today in 1946, eventually featuring prominently in that staple of 60s drive-ins, the American International Pictures “Beach” movies.  Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine was AIP’s attempt to take the series in a new direction by parodying Goldfinger (released the previous year) and Roger Corman’s Poe films, which also starred Price.  The result is a fun, if inconsequential, camp romp.

Where to Get It:   Amazon, iTunes, and Netflix