Gidget (1959)

Director:

Paul Wendkos

Writers:

Frederick Kohner (novel)
Gabrielle Upton (writer)

Release Date:

10 April 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Watch out Brigitte...here comes Gidget!

Plot:

A young girl discovers surfing and love (in that order) during one transitive summer.

Plot Keywords:

Father Daughter Relationship | Teen Crush | Beach Party | Family Relationship | Teen Life

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Sept. 7

10:15 PM

TCM

Cast

Sandra Dee	...	Gidget (Frances Lawrence)
James Darren	...	Moondoggie (Jeffrey Matthews)
Cliff Robertson	...	The Big Kahuna
Arthur O'Connell	...	Russell Lawrence
Bruce Belland	...	Lead Singer (as The Four Preps)
Glen A. Larson	...	Group Member (as The Four Preps)
Don Clarke	...	Group Member (as The Four Preps)
Ed Cobb	...	Group Member (as The Four Preps)
Mary LaRoche	...	Mrs. Dorothy Lawrence
Joby Baker	...	Stinky
Tom Laughlin	...	Lover Boy
Sue George	...	Betty Louise aka 'B. L.'
Robert Ellis	...	Hot Shot
Jo Morrow	...	Mary Lou
Yvonne Craig	...	Nan

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (ColumbiaColor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Leo Carrillo State Beach - 35000 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The producer wanted Elvis Presley to play the leading male role but the studio declined because Presley was at the time too expensive.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Gidget has completed her first successful surf the gang carry a surf board back to the shack. An audio reel of various ad libs plays during this part. After the Gidget learns of the "orgy" the gang disbands and the very same audio reel of ad libs is heard though it has no relevance this time around.

Quotes:

Little girl at the beach: [Gidget's friends throw a beach ball at the surfers to get their attention. Moondoggie sends the little girl over to them with the beach ball and a message] The man said for me to take the toy back to the nursery!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Wild World of Batwoman (#6.15)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Cinderella

Sun, surf and Sandra Dee!

Sandra Dee is probably best remembered as the energetic heroine of this surf-and-sand romance, a cute little film which unfortunately set the precedent for the moronic "Beach Blanket Bingo" musicals of the early 60's, most of which featured Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello.

In contrast to the those lame exercises in film making, "Gidget" is a modestly scaled and rather sincere little movie about a teenage girl coming to grips with romance over the course of one summer at the beach. Kewpie doll Sandra Dee was often derided for her acting skills, but she is effective and appealing here, and it is easy to see how she became a popular star and a role model for a generation of teenage girls. Arthur O'Connell and Mary LaRoche are warm and convincing as her concerned parents, and James Darren, as surf bum "Moondoggie" makes a suitably clean-cut love interest for Dee.

Like many Hollywood films of the late 50's and early 60's, a certain tension underlies the goings-on here. The movie is essentially all about sex, yet no one actually has any sex. To latter day audiences, there are a few thought-provoking and amusing moments: Gidget's best friend, BL, appears to be a lesbian, and the muscle-bound surfers pay a great deal more attention to their surf boards - and, surprisingly, to each other - than they do to Gidget's curvaceous girlfriends.

Cliff Robertson has the meatiest role as a confirmed surf bum who, prodded by Gidget's sincerity, has a change of heart. The "Four Preps" turn up to do a musical number at the beach party, and Darren gets to croon a brief ballad to Dee.

Like most of Sandra Dee's vehicles, this film is smoothly produced in the somewhat over scrubbed, colorful but artificial style the Hollywood studios had affected by the late 50's. Nonetheless, it does an effective job of showcasing its star and making its story points (the NY Times described it as "mild but perceptive"), and it conveys a real enjoyment of the sun, surf, and sand. So popular was "Gidget" that it spawned several -mostly wretched - film sequels, and two television series, the more fondly remembered of which starred a young Sally Field.