My "Summer's End" film festival comes to a close with a screening of the 1959 hit film Gidget
Gidget introduced the surfing sub-culture to America. The movie has since been lost amongst the many "beach blanket" movies and TV shows that followed, but Gidget is the original and worth a look if you want to see another slice of American life that has disappeared in the sands of time.
Sandra Dee was at the height of her popularity when she made Gidget. Sandra plays Frances, a 17 year old girl that has not quite moved past the tomboy stage. When she goes to the beach with some friends, she does not want to date the surfers they see, she wants to surf with them. Pretty quick she has her own board and after some resistance the boys are giving her lessons. All the guys have nicknames; Moondoggie (James Darren), Hot Shot (Robert Ellis), Lover Boy (Tom Laughlin), Waikiki (Doug McLure) and Kahuna (Cliff Robertson) and soon they nickname her "Gidget" short for girl and midget.
Gidget moves past her tomboy phase and develops a crush for Moondoggie and her troubles begin when she struggles to find a way to make him notice her. In the meantime her parents (Arthur O'Connell and Mary LaRoche) are trying to get her to settle down with a sensible and responsible boy.
The movie was shot in and around Malibu and Santa Monica using CinemaScope which adds to the surfing shots. The blue screen scenes of the three leads surfing are antiquated and kind of comical in a retro sort of way. After Gidget was released, the Southern California surf culture exploded into the American mainstream. From fashion to music, the surfing motif was everywhere. An entire sub-genre of surfing music, featuring bands like The Beach Boys, The Ventures and Jan and Dean became nationwide pop hits
The movie is simple, light hearted entertainment and represents an era that is long gone. But every teenager can relate to what's like to have a crush on someone and not be sure if they like you.
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