Gidget (film)
| Gidget | |
|---|---|
1959 Theatrical Poster
|
|
| Directed by | Paul Wendkos |
| Produced by | Lewis J. Rachmil |
| Screenplay by | Gabrielle Upton |
| Based on |
Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas 1957 novel by Frederick Kohner |
| Starring |
Sandra Dee James Darren Cliff Robertson |
| Music by | Theme: Fred Karger (music) Patti Washington (lyrics) |
| Cinematography | Burnett Guffey, ASC |
| Edited by | William A. Lyon |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.5 million (est. US /Canada rentals) |
Gidget is a 1959 Columbia Pictures CinemaScope feature film. It stars Sandra Dee, Cliff Robertson, and James Darren in a story about a teenager's initiation into the California surf culture and her affiliated romance with a young surfer. The screenplay was written by Gabrielle Upton, a nom de plume of Gillian Houghton who was then head writer of the soap opera The Secret Storm. This would be Upton's sole contribution to the Gidget canon. The screenplay was based upon Frederick Kohner's 1957 novel Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas. The film was directed by Paul Wendkos. Gidget was the precursor to the "beach party film" genre and was followed by two sequel films, various television series, several telemovies, and the spoof Psycho Beach Party. Gidget received one award nomination.
Gidget is credited by numerous sources (Stoked! A History of Surf Culture by Drew Kampion; The Encyclopedia of Surfing by Matt Warshaw; Riding Giants documentary film by Stacy Peralta – to name just three) as being the single main influence to bring surfing and the surfing subculture into the American mainstream.
Frances Lawrence (Sandra Dee) is about to turn 17 years old and is on her summer break between her junior and senior years of high school. She resists the pressure to go "manhunting" with her girlfriends and laments the days when the girls had fun together without boys. Frances also rejects her parents wishing to fix her up on a date with the son of a friend of the family, Jeffrey Matthews.
...
Wikipedia