Seafaring young Robert Wagner (as Gilbert Barrows) wants to impress pretty blonde Dolores Hart (as Elinor Harrison); so, he innocently takes her on a cruise with a gang of bank robbers, led by disearnest Ernie Kovacs (as Bugsy "The Captain" Foglemeyer). Mr. Wagner thinks Mr. Kovacs and crew are experienced sailors; but, they prove to be the gang that couldn't sail straight. Ms. Hart and curvy bad-girl Carolyn Jones (as Virginia) get tipsy. Frankie Avalon (as Rodney) swings, sings, and twirls. Frank Gorshin, Jesse White, Harvey Lembeck, and Sid Tomack are all aboard.
Kovacs is good (unexpectedly and unfortunately, this was his last screen appearance). Some of the others in the cast are curiously ordinary. A hurricane gets the cast wet. Mr. Avalon is fairly successful, focusing on light comedy; he was, at time, successfully transitioning to a movie career. On the other hand, Avalon's singing of "Opposites Attract" reveals his less successful foray into the swingin' Sinatra arena. The song, and a version of the "Sail a Crooked Ship" title were non-hit tracks on an Avalon LP. The film's comic highlight may be Wagner's use of Hart's bra as a slingshot. It's that funny.
**** Sail a Crooked Ship (1961) Irving Brecher ~ Robert Wagner, Ernie Kovacs, Frankie Avalon
