If you grew up in the sixties there is no doubt that you were exposed to the genre of film known as the beach movie. The most notable stars of the genre were Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello but there were others who dipped their toes in the salty waters of the Pacific as well. One of those was Sandra Dee in a little film called GIDGET.The movie opens with the early teen Francie Lawrence (Dee) and her friends preparing for a trip to the beach. The other girls are just interested in meeting boys but Francie hasn't quite been bitten by the bug for male companionship just yet. While the others display themselves a bit suggestively, Francine keeps more of herself covered.Swimming in a mask and snorkel she gets caught in some kelp and one of the surfers on the beach named Moondoggie (James Darren) rescues her on his board. Having experienced riding the board now Francine wants to try as well. Told she needs a board of her own she negotiates with the guy on the beach making them.The next day she arrives with her money but the guys joke about not wanting to teach her. The main beach bum, The Big Kahuna (Cliff Robertson), takes her under his wing and begins instructing her. She takes to it naturally and is soon a sort of mascot for the rest of the gang, given the nickname of Gidget. While they view her as their "kid sister" things begin to change for Francine.She begins to notice Moondoggie more and falls for him. Her summer at the beach that began with no intention of looking for romance is slowly changing. The question that comes to mind though is does Moondoggie have the same thing in mind as well or does he still see her as the kid he saved from drowning?Like most beach movies the film takes a simplistic look at the times and the people involved offering little depth to them. The lone exception is Robertson's character, an older man who left the world behind to surf the waves of the world and who the rest, mainly Moondoggie, look up to as an example of what they want to become, free and easy without a care in the world. Except that not all is as it seems.The movie also differs from most in the genre in that it doesn't play things strictly for laughs like the Frankie and Annette films did. There are no broadly played characters here on display. These seem like real people, as real as a beach movie can get, with real issues they're trying to resolve. At the same time it is a time capsule for the period, a time when mom and dad were an integral part of their children's lives while at the same time not understanding them or being there 24/7. It's that wholesome style of film that many deride as far too fake but that makes for an enjoyable movie none the less.Dee is wonderful here as the innocent young girl who is growing up while we watch. She has a charm and an appeal about her without being thought of as sexy. She's the girl next door who you liked that would eventually blossom into a young woman. Darren does a fine job as well, playing the well to do son of a businessman who wants move in his future. And Robertson as the beach bum with a past shows why he was such a good actor.The film resulted two sequels, neither of which starred Dee but both having Darren return. It also spawned a TV series with a young Sally Field in the title role. Later there were TV movies made with the character as well.Twilight Time is offering this in their usual high quality style with a great picture on display here. Again, extras are limited. They include an isolated music track and the original theatrical trailer. As always they are limiting this to just 3,000 copies so if you're a fan of beach movies or of Gidget then make sure you pick one up today.

(Slight spoiler below.) The historical importance of this breezy, enjoyable film is often overlooked. Frederick Kohner developed the story from his daughter Kathy's teen-dream summer diary (with her permission), giving the world an inviting view of California's burgeoning surfer/beatnik culture. The film's enormous popularity resulted,some old-timers complained,in the jamming(pun intended)of Malibu with gawking wannabes. It also spawned a generation of C- surf/rock films of considerably lesser quality. The reputation of the first Gidget film suffers from the sins of its "children." Some reviewers here are angry about Gidget's innocence. Their comments tell more about their own unhappy "now" than they do about the coy, complacent "then" they condemn vaguely as "the fifties." Angry feminists' comments about the traditional oppression of women that is supposedly approved of in Gidget are apparently unaware that the film and the novel(there is much testimony from women on this)were a great boost to young women athletes who wanted to become excellent surfers.Sandra Dee as Gidget is the key-light here: pretty and bright (in both senses of the word). Though sometimes over-the-top in her teener enthusiasm, she is much more than just another airhead beach bunny. She is insightful, sensitive, and eager to explore surfing and mature love.(And she plays the cello, but we're spared that.) It's a delightful portrayal.Moondoggie and the Big Kahuna, with their summer-camp nicknames, represent American types emerging from the nonconformist movement, post-Korea era of America. Robertson gives depth to his character as a restless war veteran who wants to escape the responsibilities of a time-clocked world and who is subtly reminded by Gidget of the loneliness of his itinerant lifestyle. The last scene plays out this conflict skillfully, despite the admittedly sugary final moments of the film.But it's not intended to be a critical documentary on the evils of the past. It's a brilliantly colorful and skillfully shot romantic comedy. Forget its minor flaws. Enjoy that exciting summer of the not- so-distant past. Surf's up!

What a time capsule! A film that hearkens back to a cultural era of innocence, "Gidget" screams 1950s, with clothes, lingo, attitudes, and characters that now seem quaint. Gidget (Sandra Dee), that "pint size" sixteen-year-old who lives in Southern California, scampers down to the beach and takes an instant liking to surfing. In the process, she meets a fraternity of youthful, shirtless beach bums. Surfing, fun, and romantic complications ensue.All fluffy and frothy in the first half, the film's plot and characters reek of bubble-gum shallowness, with dialogue to match. But the plot turns more dramatic in the second half, and characters show at least some degree of depth. Gidget comes across as smart, determined and, given her age, dubiously skilled at psychology, with words that make a big impression on The Big Kahuna (Cliff Robertson), surfers' de facto leader. Ultimately, the film conveys the theme that events and people ... change.Visuals feature bright, splashy colors and a photogenic cast. Rear-screen projection and cast doubles, for the surfing scenes, look hokey now, but were the norm in those days. Music trends romantic and lively. Naturalistic sound of ocean waves enhances a relaxed, carefree tone.Although perhaps needed for story balance, plot sequences that involve Gidget's parents seem stodgy, and detract from the main focus on the relationship between Gidget and her beach pals.Sandra Dee, despite her squeaky voice, gives a performance that was better than I had expected. James Darren and Cliff Robertson add competent support.If ever there was a film that captures the carefree, innocent life of kids in the 1950s, this is surely it. Undeniably nostalgic to older viewers, and prehistoric to younger viewers, "Gidget" will continue to fascinate, emblematic of an era that will never return.

Whenever I watch an older Hollywood movie like Gidget, I can't help but think about the scene in the latest remake of King Kong where Jack Black's character is meeting with a group of producers. One producer asks if there is going to be any breasts in the movie since people like to see breasts. Sex sells, even in a purportedly innocent film like Gidget.In the opening scenes, Gidget is shown wearing a sloppy one piece woolen swimsuit, but as the movie progresses, she wears increasingly revealing outfits that accentuate Dee's wasp waist--in one later scene Dee's erect nipples are clearly visible, something that I'm sure zoomed right over the heads of the censors.I may be cynical, but I can imagine that one of the producers whispered in the ear of the costumers that we need to give the (adolescent boy) fans a little something extra--and Dee was given a bra that was a little sheerer, and a slightly thinner top for that scene. Dee stated later in her biography that her breasts developed quickly to a 34 D, and while never exploitive, its obvious that someone else involved in the making of the film also noticed.Don't get me wrong, while I felt that this film was kind of corny, it was also very sweet--I was just surprised that they snuck that in, and I am sure it was just as calculated as the shots of Annete Funicello's tight sweater in the later Beach Blanket Bingo movies.