The Best Teen Movies Of The 1960s

Ranker Film
Updated August 11, 2023 3.1K votes 438 voters 31.2K views
Over 400 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Teen Movies Of The 1960s
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Vote up your favorite teenage films that were released in the 1960s

Welcome to the teenage wasteland with a list of '60s teen movies. And guess what? They’re all wasted! Here you’ll find the best 1960s teen films, which include plenty of fun in the sun, teenage romance, and even a little bit of horror thrown in the mix.

Many of the films on this list of the top ‘60s teen movies fall under the genre of beach party movie, including Beach Blanket Bingo, Pajama Party, and Bikini Beach. Straying away from the beach, you’ll find classic 1960s teen movies like Bye Bye Birdie. This tale of young love and teenage music starring Ann Margaret and Dick Clark will have you clapping and cheering along, especially since it boasts an appearance by real-life talk show host Ed Sullivan. It’s a really big show!

Other recognizable faces of the decade show up on this ‘60s teen movie list, including Sidney Poitier in To Sir, With Love, a film directed by notable novelist James Clavell. The 1961 sequel Gidget Goes Hawaiian features the great Carl Reiner stealing scenes. This '60s teen movies list also includes the original iteration of The Parent Trap, which was remade decades later with Lindsay Lohan starring.

What are your favorite ‘60s teen films? Vote up your favorites to help them make it to the top of the list and downvote the movies that haven't stood the test of time. Add any movies we may have missed and if you've seen them all, then rerank to create your own 1960s teen movies list.

 

Most divisive: Lolita
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  • Beach Blanket Bingo
    1

    Beach Blanket Bingo

    Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Paul Lynde
    122 votes
    • Released: 1965
    • Directed by: William Asher
    Frankie (Frankie Avalon) and the gang are hitting the beach for some good old-fashioned shenanigans. To get the party underway, the manager (Paul Lynde) of pop singer Sugar Kane (Linda Evans) decides a skydiving publicity stunt will really do the trick. As Frankie and the others are pulled into the plan, things get out of control. Throw in Bonehead (Jody McCrea) falling in love with a mermaid (Marta Kristen) and a kidnapping biker (Harvey Lembeck), and the party's just getting started.

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  • Beach Party
    2

    Beach Party

    Bob Cummings, Dorothy Malone, Frankie Avalon
    128 votes
    • Released: 1963
    • Directed by: William Asher
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    Dolores (Annette Funicello) and Frankie (Frankie Avalon), attractive young surfers in Southern California, are just out for a good time. Their relaxed lifestyle fascinates Professor Sutwell (Bob Cummings), an anthropologist who decides to study the social lives of teens. A series of beach-themed films would follow the blueprint set by this one, which hinges on romantic rivalries, rugged motorcyclists, an attempted crime and plenty of handsome people.

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  • Pajama Party
    3

    Pajama Party

    Tommy Kirk, Annette Funicello, Elsa Lanchester
    89 votes
    • Released: 1964
    • Directed by: Don Weis
    Gogo (Tommy Kirk) is a teenager from Mars sent to Earth to pave the way for an invasion. Upon landing, the bewildered visitor becomes besotted by a chipper beach town. Gogo befriends a kindhearted widow and shop owner named Aunt Wendy (Elsa Lanchester), whose fortune is coveted by the aptly named Chief Rotten Eagle (Buster Keaton). After she has dressed him in some sharp surf attire, Gogo takes to the beach, where he soon falls for a beautiful local (Annette Funicello).

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  • The Parent Trap
    4

    The Parent Trap

    Hayley Mills, Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith
    130 votes
    • Released: 1961
    • Directed by: David Swift
    The Parent Trap tells the charming tale of identical twins Susan and Sharon (both played by Hayley Mills). Separated at birth due to their parents' divorce, they meet unexpectedly at summer camp. Discovering their relation, the twins devise a mischievous plan to switch places and attempt to reunite their estranged parents.

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  • Muscle Beach Party
    5

    Muscle Beach Party

    Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Don Rickles
    89 votes
    • Released: 1964
    • Directed by: William Asher
    Suntanned surfer Frankie (Frankie Avalon) and his beach baby, Dee Dee (Annette Funicello), are all set for another summer of dancing, music and fun -- until their favorite surfing spot is invaded by a slew of buff bodybuilders, led by trainer Jack Fanny (Don Rickles). When spoiled contessa Julie (Luciana Paluzzi) arrives to meet a muscle man, she spots Frankie and sets her sights on winning him instead, infuriating Dee Dee and leading to an all-out rumble between surfers and iron-pumpers.

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  • To Sir, with Love
    6

    To Sir, with Love

    Sidney Poitier, Judy Geeson, Christian Roberts
    90 votes
    • Released: 1967
    • Directed by: James Clavell
    American Mark Thackeray (Sidney Poitier) recently received his degree in engineering, but cannot find work. To make ends meet, he takes a job as a teacher in a rough London East End school populated mostly with troublemakers who were rejected from other schools for their behavior. While the students at first see Thackeray as just another teacher open for ridicule and bullying, his calm demeanor and desire to see them succeed gradually earn him their respect.

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