ThiefHott Too much of everything

ShangLuda Admirable film.

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Humbersi The first must-see film of the year.

Mark Turner 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.

federovsky The greatest social revolution of the 20th century was the emergence of the teenager. Before the mid-50s teenagers didn't exist - people went straight from childhood to middle age - from Disney to Bing Crosby, apparently. Teens were neither a subject nor a market until rock and roll gave them a voice and James Dean gave them a presence. Up until then Hollywood had been in the grip of the old guard who had set things up in the 20s, and as they got older, film output calcified into stock formats - epics, melodramas, noirs, westerns to keep the old folk happy.This preamble is just to put Gidget into context. Trite and trivial now, it must have been vibrantly original at the time, spawning a mini genre of beach films and beach music through the 60s - this film was made a couple of years before the Beach Boys formed and the music in it is, bizarrely, still closer to Frank Sinatra than rock and roll. The authenticity of the innocent charm is the best thing about it, though titchy Sandra Dee (Gidget = girl-midget) is cute enough, and the good-natured sexual liberation is remarkable - a sixteen year-old is basically out to lose her virginity. Corny back-projection surfing is a must, there's a luau (new to me) and a wholesome family that gives it a Happy Days feel. But most of all it feels like the beginning of things.

bkoganbing The Gidget franchise gets its start with this 1959 starring Sandra Dee as the original Gidget. Dee never got to repeat the role which probably more than anything else established her image as the squeaky clean teen dream of the era.In fact Francie Lawrence as she's originally known is something of a tomboy, but she's slowly discovering an opposite sex is useful in more ways than beating them in sports. Her friends persuade her to go to the beach and see if they can attract some of the opposite sex. But young Francie Lawrence takes up with some surfer kids after one of them, James Darren, saves her life. She becomes a mascot for them and in the process learns how to surf, how to love surfing, and what boys are really for.She even picks up the nickname of Gidget where forever afterward she will be known except when her parents Arthur O'Connell and Mary Roche in this film are mad at her. Presiding over the surfing kids is surfing bum Cliff Robertson known as Kahuna. I'm wondering if it was in that film that the term Kahuna entered the English language to denote someone who was the kingpin in whatever field, besides surfing. He and Darren have a bit of a rivalry over Dee.The same things that made America for a generation check out Baywatch is present in abundance in Gidget. Nice Malibu scenery, gorgeous beach and scantily clad young and nubile females. Especially young and nubile Sandra Dee. We've grown up a bit since Gidget, but the film and its successors are still good, light, very light entertainment.

movie-viking Sandra Dee's "Gidget" is too naiive to be real by teen standards today, but what a fun trip to the late 50's past it is! She is determined to surf with the slightly older teen boys...and along the way she meets the grown "Big Kahuna"...a beachcomber guy who has no job but just surfs and leads a pack of teen boys to surf all day long...And she bumps heads with "Moondoggie" a boy near her age...Of course, she ends up with Moondoggie...and even the cynical "Big Kahuna" shapes up his act...because of little Gidget's influence!I love the 50's shirtwaist dresses, crop tops and original capri style pants...and the great old cars!The only slightly creepy thing is Gidget thinks she's not a woman because she came home "as pure as the driven snow". Mom does not do what I would have done...(I'd freak out & ask who was trying to seduce my underage daughter!!!) She does point to a late Victorian embroidered sampler hung on Gidget's bedroom wall which says "To be a Real Woman is to Bring out the Best in a Man". Hmmm Somehow Gidget never read that little sampler!That said, the movie is fun to watch. I'd use the slightly disturbing portion where Gidget tries to get seduced in order to "become a woman" to discuss with my tween or teen aged children why that lifestyle choice is foolish. Otherwise, Gidget actually exhibits some beginning strengths of character in her quest to find herself. She is not afraid to question her world and the adults around her.Enjoy the late 50's dresses, cars, and the beautiful California beaches and surf culture!!!