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Gidget Overview:

Gidget (1959) was a Comedy - Romance Film directed by Paul Wendkos and produced by Lewis J. Rachmil.

Gidget BlogHub Articles:

Pages to Screen: Gidget Goes to Rome (1963)

on Sep 15, 2023 From Comet Over Hollywood

Which is worse: the book version of “Gidget Goes to Rome” or the feature film? Well, it’s tough to say. Let me provide some background and break it down. Similar to “Gidget Goes Hawaiian,” author and screenwriter Frederick Kohner wrote the novelization of the feature film “Gidget Goes to... Read full article

Page to Screen: Gidget Goes Hawaiian

on Sep 10, 2023 From Comet Over Hollywood

“It’s not the same, down by the sea … since the Gidget came to Wakiki …” It’s especially not the same since in the second Gidget film, “Gidget Goes Hawaiian” (1961), the whole cast except for Moondoggie is different. Thankfully, the book version of “Gidget Goes Hawaiian” is much ... Read full article

Pages to Screen: Gidget (1959)

on Sep 5, 2023 From Comet Over Hollywood

From Frankie and Annette beach party films to the Beach Boys singing “Surfin’ U.S.A,”— it all started because of one book: Gidget by Frederick Kohner. Published in 1957, Kohner based the book on the summer adventures of his daughter, Kathy. Kohner was a Hollywood screenwriter who left his h... Read full article

Gidget ( 1959 )

By The Metzinger Sisters on Jun 29, 2023 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film Lovers

Gidget, directed by Paul Wendkos, is a delightful coming-of-age film that captures the carefree spirit of surf culture in Southern California during the late 1950s. Sandra Dee stars as Francie Lawrence, a young girl who unexpectedly falls in love when her friends take her to the sunny beaches of Mal... Read full article

Review: Gidget Makes the Wrong Connection (1972)

on Aug 27, 2021 From Comet Over Hollywood

One piece of the Gidget franchise has eluded me for a few years: the Hanna-Barbera produced cartoon “Gidget Makes the Wrong Connection.” That’s right. Not only did the Gidget character find herself on the silver screen, TV shows and movies, and in books, Gidget was also featured in cartoon-for... Read full article

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Gidget Quotes:

No Quote for this film.
Gidget Facts
The title character was based on the author's daughter, Kathy Kohner-Zuckerman, and her adventures growing up in the surf culture on the beach at Malibu in the 1950's. As of this note (July 2006), she is 62, petite, healthy and attractive and living in Pacific Palisades with her husband of 42 years. And yes, there was a "Moondoggie", who still lives in California and is an artist.
The producer wanted Elvis Presley to play the leading male role but the studio declined because Presley was at the time too expensive.
In one scene as Gidget's father and mother are waiting for her to return, her mother says to her dad "Who did you expect, Kim Novak?" Her dad had played 'Howard Bevins' in Picnic starring 'Kim Novak'.
James Darren was originally not selected to play Moondoggie because the role required two songs to sing and Darren was not well established as a singer. On his own, he cut a single with the studio's recording subsidiary Colpix Records which charted. Columbia changed their minds and gave him the role despite the fact that he couldn't surf and was a weak swimmer. He became a huge teen idol and subsequently repeated the Moondoggie role in Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) and Gidget Goes to Rome (1963)with two other Gidgets: Deborah Walley and Cindy Carol.
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