It’s finally Summer. And what says Summer more than a 60s beach movie? It’s all so hard to resist. Let’s dive in.

The so-called beach movie includes just a few ingredients. First, we assemble all those tanned, scantily clad teenagers. Then we place them out in the open, dancing in the sand to the sounds of surf music. Cherry on top? The glorious Pacific Ocean in the background.

Let’s take a look at half of the genre’s star couple.

Frankie Avalon was born in Philadelphia in 1940 to Italian immigrants. He intended to be a trumpet player and appeared on The Jackie Gleason Show when he was 12 years old. He studied with the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra and had a scholarship to the Eastman School of Music. He got sidetracked by playing rock ‘n roll bars with his local band Rocco and the Saints, which he fronted as the singer. That’s when he realized he could make a lot of money in the music business. As a singer, he had 31 singles that charted on Billboard, with “Venus” and “Why” hitting number 1.

His debut film appearance was in Jamboree (1957), singing “Teacher’s Pet” and playing the trumpet. Alan Ladd’s daughter was a fan and she convinced Ladd to cast Frankie as a co-star in the Western Guns of the Timberland (1960). John Wayne saw that film and, when he was looking for a young actor to co-star with him in The Alamo (1960), he cast Frankie.

In 1963, Frankie married his beauty pageant-winner wife Kay. (They have 9 children.)

He starred in the war movie Operation Bikini (1963) with Tab Hunter. Then he hit a gold mine — Beach Party (1963). Starring Annette Funicello, it was a huge hit and spawned several sequels. Muscle Beach Party (1963) followed, and then came Bikini Beach (1964). Beach Blanket Bingo, in 1965, was probably the most popular of the series.

Frankie also scored on the small screen, appearing often as himself in many assorted series.

Starting to tire of the beach movie genre, he did a Bob Hope comedy I’ll Take Sweden (1965), co-starring Tuesday Weld. That was followed by Ski Party (also from 1965) with Dwayne Hickman, a military comedy called Sergeant Deadhead (1965). None of these were hits. He had better luck with Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965), a Vincent Price comedy.

In January 1966, Frankie said he didn’t want to make beach movies anymore. “Even a seagull leaves the beach from time to time and I’m getting a little sick of sand,” he stated to the Los Angeles Times in January of 1966.

In the meantime, the studio had developed a new formula for Frankie as a stock car driver. He filmed Fireball 500 (1966), with co-star Annette. It was fairly successful and led to more movies being made in that vein, but none with Frankie.

He closed out the 60s with The Million Eyes of Sumuru (1967), an Otto Preminger comedy Titled Skidoo (1968); and The Haunted House of Horror (1968).

In 1976 he released a disco remake of “Venus” that, again, hit #1. In 1978, the musical Grease featured Frankie as Teen Angel, singing “Beauty School Dropout.” (He was almost 40 when he filmed it.)

Taylor Hackford’s 1980 film The Idolmaker was a thinly-disguised story of Frankie and Fabian Forte vying for teen idol status, with their careers ultimately being destroyed by the British Invasion. Frankie and Fabian were not thrilled with the film.

In 1987, Frankie developed a project for Annette and himself, and Paramount Pictures produced Back to the Beach, which was a moderate success. The story follows a couple from the Midwest visiting Malibu, where their kids now reside. Jarring west coast modernity ensues: the young girl tries to hide that she’s shacking up with a beach bum. Their punk son joins up with the local surf toughs.

Film critic Roger Ebert said “it was the funniest, quirkiest musical comedy since Little Shop of Horrors. Who would have thought Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello would make their best beach party movie 25 years after the others?” The critic added “Back to the Beach is a wicked satire that pokes fun at Frankie, Annette, and the whole genre, but does it with a lot of good humor and with the full cooperation of the victims. Avalon and Funicello do a better job of satirizing themselves than anyone else possibly could.”

In 1989, Frankie and Annette did a cameo appearance as themselves in Troop Beverly Hills. A year-long Back to the Beach concert tour was planned with Annette but the actress had to pull out early due to a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, a progressive illness for which there is no cure. Shortly after that, Annette retired.

Frankie made a cameo appearance as himself in Casino (1995). In recent years, he’s starred as Teen Angel in stage productions of Grease. He has played a caricature of himself in Tony & Tina’s Wedding. He’s performed on American Idol and Dancing with the Stars.

He tours in concert with his fellow teen idols Fabian and Bobby Rydell. His sons play in the band: Frank Jr. is a drummer and Tony is a guitar player. He’s one of the busiest nightclub performers in the country and still headlines in Las Vegas. His company, Frankie Avalon Venus, Ltd. specializes in natural health products. He is a national Ambassador for the National Arthritis Foundation.

At the age of 81, Frankie seems to be in great shape and enjoying life, especially when he is out golfing. He looks much younger than his years. DJ Al Brady, of Gold 99 FM, says “He is a true reflection of our youth, as one of the ‘oldest living teenagers in the world.’”