Film #105 - Gidget (1959)
Viewed April 15, 2006
Gidget is a cute little film and may just be the progenitor of the entire “beach” film genre. It tells the story of young Francis Lawrence (played by squeeky clean Sandra Dee). Unwilling to shamelessly chase boys like her friends, she becomes interested in surfing and is “adopted” by a crowd of older boy surfers, who nickname her ‘Gidget’ (”girl midget”). Gidget tries to fit in, all the while coming to terms with her emerging womanhood.
Sandra Dee is hopelessly cute and bubbly, but she brings a lighthearted feel to the character that is endearing. There is an earnestness she displays as she deals with her simple, teen problems that makes it impossible to get irritated at the silliness of it all. And the rest of the gang is just as entertaining. Cliff Robertson (as the Big Kahuna) and James Darren (as Moondoggie) play their beach-bums-with-hearts-meant-for-the-corporate-world characters with the same conviction.
It’s no surprise that the Gidget films and television show have maintained their popularity over the years. While, no one is going to mistake Gidget for classic cinema, it effectively captures the essense of a much simpler (and in some ways happier) time.