Not just a beach bum

It's probably natural when one thinks of Frankie Avalon to think of of two things: his singing, and the movies he made with Annette Funnicello. TCM is running a night of Avalon's movies tonight, and there is one of those on tonight's lineup, Beach Party at 10:00 PM. Also appearing in that movie is Joel McCrea's son Jody.

I mention him because it's not the only movie in the lineup with Frankie and the child of a famous Hollywood star. Beach Party will be followed at midnight by Guns of the Timberland, in which lumberjack Alan Ladd gets in a range war with a bunch of ranchers, led by Jeanne Crain. Avalon shows up, and as a love interest, he gets Alan's real-life daughter Alana.

Jody and Alana had appeared with Robert Mitchum's son James in a movie, Young Guns of Texas which at one point was in the FXM rotation, I think back when they were still the Fox Movie Channel. But it hasn't been on in a while.

And as for Avalon, don't forget Panic in Year Zero! kicking off the night at 8:00 PM. Poor Ray Milland.