Gidget (1959)

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

Director:

Paul Wendkos

Writers:

Gabrielle Upton (screenplay), Frederick Kohner (novel)

Stars:

Sandra Dee, James Darren, Cliff Robertson

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sandra Dee	...	Francie Lawrence aka Gidget
James Darren	...	Jeffrey Matthews aka Moondoggie
Cliff Robertson	...	Burt Vail aka The Big Kahuna
Arthur O'Connell	...	Russell Lawrence
The Four Preps	...	Band at Beach
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
Patti Kane	...	Patti
Doug McClure	...	Waikiki
Burt Metcalfe	...	Lord Byron

Storyline

Due to an accident while swimming in the sea, Francis meets the surfer Moondoggy. She's fascinated of his sport and starts to hang out with his clique. Although they make fun of her at first, they teach her to surf. Soon she's accepted and given the nickname "Gidget". But it's hard work to become more than a friend to Moondoggy.

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Plot Keywords:

love | character name in title | male objectification | surfing | beach | 

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Taglines:

She wanted to grow up in a hurry - and boy, did she!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

April entdeckt die Männer

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (ColumbiaColor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cliff Robertson grew up in La Jolla, California, where he is well known for his surfing ability. Robertson can be clearly seen surfing in the movie. However, in a 1978 interview on 60 Minutes (1968), Tom Laughlin admitted he suffered tremendously during the surfing scenes.

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Goofs

During the luau scene when Gidget and Moondoggie first arrive, Doug McClure's character is doing a solo dance with a watermelon slice on his head, near the bottom of the steps. Seconds later, when the couple come to the other side of Kahuna's hut, McClure is sitting behind the other guys there playing a conga.

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Quotes

Gidget: You better get out of the sun before you melt.

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Connections

Referenced in The Nanny: The Hockey Show (1996)

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Soundtracks

Cinderella
Written by Glen A. Larson (as Glen Larson) and Bruce Belland
Sung by The Four Preps
Exclusive Capitol Recording Artists

User Reviews

We girls all wanted Moondoggie for our own.

Gidget was a movie I saw when I was just going into high school. After I saw it I wanted to be Sandra Dee so badly. She was so perky and pretty, and just so naive. It was a great film set on the beach at Malibu. Young juniors in high school going to the beach to get the attention of the college men. Woo who! And all the antics that go with it. Including when Gidget meets James Darren and he is so very dreamy. He took my breath away. Wow that most handsomest man next to John Saxon. Yep I was taken with this young actor. Who was not only handsome, but he could sing too. That song Gidget I had on 45rpm as did all the girls after we all got a load of Sandra Dee and James Darren together. The story is not too complicated, girl likes boy, girl chases boy who is a surfer, girl learns to surf and tries to make boy jealous, boy pretends he is not interested, then comes unglued when she is with someone else. In the end the prettiest girl Gidget gets Moondoggie. This movie was legendary in 1959 and it made alot of girls want to be a surfer like Sandra Dee in the movie. She even shoots the curl with Moondoggie on his board with him. She tells him it is the ultimate! Cliff Robertson plays the Kahuna and the wisest of the group of surfers who sit on the beach all day sunning themselves and goofing off.

I liked this movie so much!