Before the "Gidget" franchise got a shot in the arm via television (with young Sally Field in the title role), she trudged along theatrically, here with Cindy Carol in the lead. 17-year-old Frances Lawrence goes on a chaperoned trip to Italy with boyfriend and gal-pals in tow. Slick but artificial mixture of on-location tourist's folly and set-bound situation comedy isn't at all interesting, despite the efforts by veteran comedy writer Ruth Brooks Flippen. The teens seem tired, Carol exudes very little charisma, and only Don Porter is engaging playing Gidget's dad, a role he filled even more comfortably a few years later on TV. *1/2 from ****
Review of Gidget Goes to Rome
