Gidget (film)

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Gidget
Sandra Dee in her role as Gidget
Directed by	Paul Wendkos
Written by	Frederick Kohner Gabrielle Upton
Starring	Sandra Dee
Release date(s)	1959
Country	United States
Language	English
Followed by	Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961)
IMDb profile

Gidget was an American film starring 1950s teen icon Sandra Dee, released in 1959. Adapted from the novel by Frederick Kohner, and with a screenplay by Gabrielle Upton, this popular film was directed by Paul Wendkos. It follows the life of teenager Gidget and friends, in a predictably sweet love story.

There were two sequels, Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961), starring Deborah Walley, and Gidget Goes to Rome (1963), starring Cindy Carol.

The character Gidget has been revived several times, first in the film sequels and then in a 1965 television sitcom starring a teenage Sally Field, whose brown hair was a departure from the standard blonde (although Deborah Walley was a redhead). Very young guest stars included Paul Lynde, Bonnie Franklin, and Daniel J. Travanti (of Hill Street Blues fame). This Gidget character was brought back as an adult in a little-watched 1980s television sitcom The New Gidget.

1 Plot
2 Cast of 1959 film
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Plot

While other girls are filling out their bikinis and laying on the beach, Gidget, with her flat chest and bottom, feels left out. At the beach, she feels the worst, as no boys pay attention to her boyish figure. When a cute young surfer rescues her from a tangle of seaweed, she decides then and there to learn to surf. Eventually, she learns the basics of the sport, enough to return to the beach and make friends with the local surf gang. In the gang is her rescuer, Moondoggy, and the gang's leader, The Big Kahuna. In the movie, her surfing improves, she finds new popularity with the guys, and even attends a 'beach party', where her ploys for Moondoggy's attention peak. Gidget tries to use The Big Kahuna to make Moondoggy jealous, but her plan backfires, leaving her feeling foolish and outcast. In the end, Moondoggy professes his love and asks Gidget to "wear his class pin," a sign of their devotion.

[edit] Cast of 1959 film

Sandra Dee: Gidget (Frances Lawrence)
James Darren: Moondoggie (Jeffrey Matthews)
Cliff Robertson: The Big Kahuna (Burt Vail)
Arthur O'Connell: Mr. Russ Lawrence
Mary LaRoche: Mrs. Dorothy Lawrence
Sue George: B.L. (Betty Louise)
Robert Ellis: Hot Shot
Joby Baker: Stinky
Tom Laughlin: Lover Boy
Burt Metcalfe: Lord Byron
Doug McClure: Waikiki
The Four Preps: Themselves

[edit] Trivia

The studio wanted Elvis Presley to play the role of Moondoggy, but his fees were too expensive.

In the anime Eureka Seven, the character Moondoggie's real name is James Darren Emerson, a reference to James Darren. The character Moondoggie is also dating the character Gidget in the anime.