Gidget (TV series)
| Gidget | |
|---|---|
 Original title screen | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Frederick Kohner (novel) |
| Starring | Sally Field Don Porter Betty Conner Pete Duel Lynette Winter |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 32 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes (per episode) |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 1, 1965 – April 21, 1966 |
Gidget is a 1965 Screen Gems sitcom about a surfing, boy-crazy teenager called "Gidget" and her widowed father Russ Lawrence, a UCLA professor. New to the Gidget mythos with the sitcom was the introduction of a sister, Anne and brother-in-law, John for Gidget as well as a best friend, Larue. Sally Field stars as Gidget with Don Porter as her father. The series was first broadcast on ABC from September 15, 1965 through April 21, 1966. Gidget was among the first regularly-scheduled color programs on ABC, but did poorly in the Neilsen ratings and was cancelled at the end of its first season. The show gained some popularity in summer reruns but too late to reverse its cancellation. The single-season series was released to DVD in 2006.
Background
The television series was based on Frederick Kohner's 1957 novel Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas.[1] The novel was inspired by the adventures of the author's teenage surfer daughter Kathy, and was adapted into a 1959 movie starring Sandra Dee, James Darren, and Cliff Robertson. The 1965 Columbia Pictures' television wing Screen Gems weekly, half-hour television series was intended as something of a sequel to the 1959 film. Kohner served as a script consultant on the show.
Characters
Main characters are Frances "Gidget" Lawrence (Sally Field), the prototypical southern California beach bunny and her widowed father Russell Lawrence (Don Porter), an English professor at UCLA.
Secondary characters include Anne Cooper (Betty Conner), Gidget's older married sister, and John Cooper (Pete Duel), Anne's psychology student husband. The two often visit the Lawrence house to offer Russ child-rearing tips and advice. Gidget regards the Coopers as clueless squares. Larue Wilson (Lynette Winter) is Gidget's awkward best friend who accompanies her on various escapades.
Recurring characters include Gidget's boyfriend Jeff "Moondoggie" Matthews (Stephen Mines), and her schoolmates Siddo (Michael Nader}, Randy (Rickie Sorensen), and Toby (Bob Beach).
Plot
Gidget is about the father-daughter relationship between Frances "Gidget" Lawrence and her father Russell Lawrence. Episodes follow Gidget's adventures in school, at home, and on the nearby beaches. Russell Lawrence has much ado guiding his daughter through her fifteenth year. Gidget's friend Larue sometimes takes part in her escapades. Episodes typically end with Gidget receiving moral instruction from her father and gaining wisdom from her zany experiences.
Production details
Gidget was filmed at the Columbia/Warner Bros. Ranch in Burbank, California. The exterior of the Lawrence house and its kitchen set were used in previous years as the Baxter house and kitchen on Hazel. The house is situated next door to the principal residence on Bewitched, which was in production at the same time.
Though 18-year-old Sally Field defeated 75 other teenage girls for the title role, she exaggerated her surfing experience. The young actress had none and took lessons just to be able to pretend to surf for the cameras.
The Gidget theme song lyrics were written by Howard Greenfield, with music by Jack Keller. The song was sung in the pilot by The Four Freshmen and in the series by Johnny Tillotson.
Reception
The series faced stiff competition from The Beverly Hillbillies on CBS and The Virginian on NBC, two established shows with strong followings. Due to low ratings, ABC canceled Gidget in the spring of 1966. The series gained an audience during the summer of 1966 through reruns, but ABC executives decided to star Field in 1967's The Flying Nun rather than revive Gidget. Field later stated that while she loved working on Gidget, she despised The Flying Nun.[2]
Subsequent history
Gidget remained in syndication for several years, boosting the series' popularity and spawning a cult following. Two telemovie sequels were produced: Gidget Grows Up and Gidget Gets Married. Gidget received airtime again in the early 1980s, furthering the show's popularity. Another telemovie was produced, Gidget's Summer Reunion, followed in 1986 by the syndicated sitcom, The New Gidget.
Merchandise
The complete original series was released to Region 1 DVD in 2006 and included a brief documentary with Sally Field discussing her involvement in the series.[2]
Episodes
See also
- Surf culture
- Psycho Beach Party, a film by Charles Busch parodying the teen beach party movies of the sixties
References
External links
- The Real Gidget, essay by Deanne Stillman about Kathy Kohner Zuckerman
- In Malibu, Gidget's Up Interview with Zuckerman, Washington Post, September 16, 2005