Jody McCrea, Actor in ‘Beach Party’ Films, Dies at 74

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jody McCrea, best known for acting in the “Beach Party” movies in the 1960s, died on April 4 in New Mexico, where he had become a cattle rancher. He was 74.

The cause was cardiac arrest, Mr. McCrea’s brother Peter told The Los Angeles Times.

Mr. McCrea appeared in a string of “Beach Party” movies, comedies starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, including “Muscle Beach Party,” “Bikini Beach,” “Pajama Party,” “Beach Blanket Bingo” and “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.”

Mr. McCrea also appeared in other films and television shows, a number of them western-themed, including “Wichita Town, ” “The Broken Land,” “Young Guns of Texas” and “Cry Blood, Apache.”

Mr. McCrea, originally Joel Dee McCrea, was a son of the movie stars Joel McCrea and Frances Dee. His wife, Dusty, died in 1996.