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Sunday, October 10, 2010

Surfs Up - Remembering Gidget (all seven of them)....

Well all eight, if you count the first Gidget who was the muse for the book. The original Gidget, was introduced in 1957 with a book written by Frederick Kohner titled, Gidget, The Little Girl with Big Ideas which was based on life with his daughter Kathy in Malibu Point, California.
Kohner became fascinated with the growing surf culture in Malibu and was very empathetic to his daughter's feminist determination to become involved in this "boys only" sport. The book was so successful, he ended up writing 7 sequels and sold the rights to the film in the late 1950's for $50,000 to Colombia Pictures.


So with that - began the evolution of Gidget.  In the late 1950's and early 1960's, three Gidget Films were made - starring three different Gidgets.  The first one, titled Gidget featured Sandra Dee:




Check out boyfriends - Cliff Robertson and James Darren.
Gidget had to choose between the two.  Hmm...

Next up comes:


Gidget Goes Hawaiian....with Deborah Walley:

I guess you can tell who she chose
 because he is in the next film...
Yup - James Darren aka Moondoggie
Once Gidget finishes surfing the big waves of Hawaii - she heads across The Atlantic and.....

Gidget Goes to Rome, starring Cindy Carol as the new Gidget 


 Once again Bobby Darren as Moondoggie makes the cut....
I don't think this was as popular as the first two....
And then in 1965, a new generation of Gidget followers developed with the introduction of television series....

Gidget, starring Sally Field



Gidget's faithful BFF Larue...

The quintessential Gidget....that everyone loved. 
This is the Gidget I remember when I was a little girl.  

There were three more Gidgets - after the series was canceled.  Karen Valentine in the 1969 television movie Gidget Grows Up, Monie Ellis was Gidget in the 1972 tv movie Gidget Gets Married and lastly, Gidget's Summer Reunion in 1985, with Caryn Richman starring as a grown up Gidget.  But none captured the essence of the character Gidget like Sally Field...


So here's to embracing your inner Gidget....Happy Sunday!!


















15 comments:

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I loved Gidget! My favorite was the first movie with Sandra Dee....I was a little girl and I loved it. Then of course Sally Fields. Oh my such memories!

Blooming Rose Musings said...

What wonderful memories! Yes, Sally Fields as Gidget on television had my attention every week. She was(and still is)just adorable. Thanks so much for the stroll down memory lane.

Donna said...

I always loved the Gidget movies, I never knew there was a "gidget goes to Rome" version! And Moondoggy, can you imagine having a boyfriend with that name? Too funny!

sealaura said...

I love Gidget, I fell in love with her via reruns when I was a young girl and just adored her attitude and beach filled life. I am more familiar with Sally Field as Gidget but I did watch the Sandra Dee one this past summer and enjoyed it just as much. I'll have to look for these other ones you have mentioned here.

Sherry W. said...

Because of the first Gidget movie, I absolutely fell in love with the ocean and knew that's where I wanted to live the rest of my life. I designed a beach house when I was 14, and for the last 35 years of my life have lived in my "beach house" along the shores of Lake Michigan, my "inland ocean". This is where I plan to live all the days of my life. Thank you, Gidget!

NanaDiana said...

I always think of Gidget as Sally Field, even though she was the latecomer to the scene. Such an innocent time then. Thanks for the walk down Memory Lane. Hugs-Diana

Simple Home said...

We watched the original movie recently (my hubby wants to watch anything with surfing in it) and I remember the tv show too. The Surf Museum in Oceanside just did a feature on the actual Gidget. We didn't go, but got an email about it.
Great post!
Blessings,
Marcia

Marie said...

WOW!!! I can't believe you knew all the Gidgets. I only knew one and that's Ms. Sally Fields, who is still a fave actress of mine. What a cute post though...didn't know there were eight of them...kinda like James Bond ;-)

BTW, I'm having a gift raffle and I hope you can join.
-marie

Elizabeth and Gary said...

What a "GREAT" post! I loved Gidget!! I watched all the shows. Sally Field was the perfect Gidget for sure. But Sandra Dee, she was the cutest ever. Those were great movies!
Have a sweet day, Hugs~Elizabeth

"Cottage By The Sea" said...

My favorite Gidget movie was Gidget Goes Hawaiian. Wasn't Frankie Avalon in that one? I loved the series with Sally Fields too but, I read her autobiography and she said she absolutely hated doing that series. Kinda ruined it for me. My youngest sister is the spitting image of Sally. She gets mistaken for her all the time. She got to meet her once at a benefit and they had their picture taken together. Sure enough, they could be twins. Thanks for the Gidget update; great memories.

Flotsam Friends said...

I can't believe I've never seen one. I've heard so much about her too. A lady I work with called her puppy dog "Gidget"... I'm so going to watch them now. What an icon. Sally Fields looks so divine in that yellow bikini. I love her board in this shot too. Great to be back and enjoying catching up. Pruxxx

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

These brings back such good memories to me! I loved the very first Gidget...when Sandra Dee played the part! ♥ I remember going to the movie theater to see these....way back when! lol ♥

Drawn to The Sea said...

Fun post! As adorable as Sandra Dee was, has there ever, in the history of the world, been anyone who can play a cute scamp better than Sally Fields?

Anonymous said...

To the person who posted, "Sally Fields absolutely hated doing Gidget", this is a mistake. She loved doing Gidget because in her words, "Gidget was her idle!" The role she absolutely hated was the "flying Nun" as she stated in a recent interview. In fact, she hated the flying nun role so much they were forced to wind down the series at the height of its popularity. Sally was ready to move on.

mdemos said...

I missed most of the Gidget movies and tv shows growing up, but caught up with them in later years.

For me, Sally Field was probably the quintessential Gidget, though I agree with the previous poster that Sandra Dee was the 'cutest'.

However, I fell absolutely head-over-heels in love with Caryn Richman (who I'm closest to in age) back in the 1980's on her Gidget tv show, so she remains my all-time "favorite"....