Gidget

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Gidget is the nickname (a contraction of "girl midget") of Frances Lawrence, a teenage character adapted for film and television from a novel by Frederick Kohner.

The original Gidget was created by Kohner in his 1957 novel Gidget, The Little Girl With the Big Ideas, written in the first person and based on the accounts of his daughter Kathy (now Kathy Kohner-Zuckerman) of the surf culture of Malibu Point. Kohner, a prolific screenwriter with one Academy Award nomination, published at least two other novels about the experiences of different teenaged girls, Kiki of Montparnasse and Cher Papa.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the character Gidget was adapted for three films, all directed by Paul Wendkos:

Although the later two were billed as sequels to the first, there was little attempt at continuity other than in the plot. Only James Darren, playing Gidget's boyfriend Moondoggie, has the same major role in all three films. For Gidget Goes Hawaiian, some scenes from the first film were re-shot with the new cast, to be used as flashbacks.

In 1965, the character was adapted for television in the sitcom series Gidget, starring Sally Field. It ran for only one season, but continues to have a cult following. Written as a sequel to the films, it occasionally refers to events in them. Sally Field's brown hair completed the hat trick for Gidget's natural hair colour: Both Sandra Dee and Cindy Carol were blonde, however Deborah Walley was a redhead.

In 1969, Karen Valentine starred as Gidget in the telemovie Gidget Grows Up, written as a sequel to the 1965 sitcom series.

In 1972, another telemovie was made titled Gidget Gets Married, in which Gidget finally married longtime boyfriend, Moondoggie. Monie Ellis played the title role. Later that year, Hanna-Barbera produced a 60 minute animated feature for television, Gidget Makes the Wrong Connection, with Kathy Gori as the voice of Gidget.

In 1985, a follow-up of the 1965 sitcom series was launched with the telemovie Gidget's Summer Reunion, starring Caryn Richman as a grown version of the character played by Sally Field. This was followed by a sitcom series The New Gidget, which ran for two seasons 1986–1988.

The names "Gidget" and "Moondoggie" were also used for two characters of the anime series Eureka Seven, among many other nods to surf culture.

In 1979, the Southern Californian punk rock group Suburban Lawns had a small cult hit with the parody single Gidget Goes To Hell.

Ex-Marilyn Manson bassist Bradley Stewart took the first part of his stage name, Gidget Gein, from Gidget, and the second half from serial killer Ed Gein.

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