Gidget (1959)

Pamela's Nite
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, broccolini and blueberry pie and ice cream.

TCM on Gidget:

1959 was a big year for Sandra Dee, the perky ingenue born Alexandra Zuck. In addition to Gidget, she also appeared in two other big films that year - as Lana Turner's daughter in the Douglas Sirk melodrama Imitation of Life, and as Molly, the female lead opposite Troy Donahue in the sexually charged A Summer Place. The success of these movies solidified Dee's status as one of the screen's most promising young actresses.

James Darren (Moondoggie) had been a student of respected acting coach Stella Adler. Like Dee, he too was considered a rising young talent at the time of Gidget's release. Also a singer, Darren lent his vocal talents to Gidget, crooning the theme song and "The Next Best Thing to Love." He went on to record such top-40 hits as "Goodbye Cruel World" and "Her Royal Majesty" later in his career.

Gidget was based on the popular novel of the same name by Frederick Kohner, who based the title character on the adventures of his own daughter, Kathy. The book was adapted for the screen by Gabrielle Upton. But no one could have guessed what a phenomenon Gidget would become. It spawned two film sequels (Gidget Goes to Rome (1963) and Gidget Goes Hawaiian, 1961), two television series (Gidget (1965-66) and The New Gidget, 1986), and several TV movies along the way. Sandra Dee did not reprise her role in any of the sequels, though co-star James Darren portrayed Moondoggie twice more in Gidget Goes to Rome and Gidget Goes Hawaiian.

The real "Gidget" via The Honolulu Star-Bulletin:

It was sun-kissed, private, in the country, glassy perfect waves rolling in from across the wide Pacific, a hideaway for kids fascinated by the tiny subculture of surfing. They all had nicknames: Tubesteak, Quik, Golden Boy, Scooterboy, The Jaw, The Fencer, Kahuna, Moondoggie.

Kohner, tiny and determined, bought a surfboard for $35 and insisted on being included. The kids at the beach dubbed her "Gidget," for "girl midget."

That was the past. Let's go to the present. Gidget, now Kathy Kohner Zuckerman -- and marking her 36th wedding anniversary with husband Marvin Zuckerman -- turned 60 this weekend. But what else can we call her, other than Gidget? The term "Gidget" is not only part of the English language, it is is a vital link to one of the major American cultural shifts of the 20th century, the celebration of the beach and of youth culture. Gidget is an icon to teen-age girls everywhere, and a kind of team mascot in surfing history.

Gidget's father, screenwriter Fred Kohner, wrote a 1958 novel based on his daughter's experiences and within six weeks of publication, a film based on the book was in preparation. Starring Sandra Dee, Cliff Robertson and James Darren, "Gidget" was an enormous hit in 1959, the first Hollywood motion picture to feature surfing, spawning sequels, more novels and a couple of TV series.