Product Description
Presenting the big screen adventures of Gidget the original queen of the Southern California beach scene. A winning combination of comedy romance and song THE COMPLETE GIDGET COLLECTION follows the summer vacations of America's favorite teenage surfer girl as she travels the world in search of fun love and excitement. Bask in the California sun (GIDGET) and then catch a wave that spans from Waikiki (GIDGET GOES HAWAIIAN) to Rome (GIDGET GOES TO ROME). This DVD collection features Gidget and steady beau Moondoggie and their fun-in-the-sun adventures.System Requirements:Running Time: 95 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 043396048072 Manufacturer No: 04807
"Just remember, she might be pint-sized, but she's quite a woman." The original surfer girl gets her own three-film DVD collection, dippy fun from a more innocent time. 1959's Gidget made real surfers nauseated, but it's a kicky movie with some great lounge-era lingo. Sandra Dee, perkiness personified, plays the curious teen who breaks the gender line in surfing. She's also got the attention of surf-happy Moondoggie (James Darren) and the big Kahuna (Cliff Robertson), the latter the prototype of the surf bum who roams the globe in search of the endless summer. The film actually kicked off the great boom in surfing popularity (the Beach Boys and the Beach Party movies followed), much to the chagrin of purists. It was based on a novel by Frederick Kohner, who was inspired by his daughter's experiences.
Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) puts Deborah Walley in the title role. She's no Sandra Dee, but at least there are shots of Walley doing her own surfing stunts. The action's in Waikiki, and Gidge is pursued by a confused Moondoggie and a famous dancer. They are played by James Darren and Michael Callan, and having the two 1960s male ingenues in the same movie suggests a weird collision of matter and anti-matter. The spark goes flat in Gidget Goes to Rome (1963), with yet another new actress (Cindy Carol) paired with a loyal James Darren. It's closer to Three Coins in the Fountain than the sandy beaches of Malibu.
DVD caveat: none of the films is in widescreen. The sequels don't suffer much, but the original Gidget was shot in CinemaScope, and the pan-and-scan approach hurts the summery look of the picture--even if it's just Sandra Dee balancing in front of blue-screen waves. --Robert Horton
GIDGET ![]()
I ENJOY THESE MOVIES THEY ARE LIGHT HEARTED AND FUN AND I ADORE JAMES DARREN IN THESE AND IN ALL HIS MOVIES, AND I LIKE THE SIMPLE FUN OF THESE MOVIES.
GIDGET MOVIES ![]()
The first movie is great. The other movies are what I would call knock offs. It's not Gidget if it is not Sandra Dee!!!
My 9 year old loved this movie ![]()
My daughter watched the first Gidget with Gidget learning to surf,this was a few years ago,she loved it and always asked when it would come on again,now that we own all three,she watches them all the time.It is a good clean old fashion movie.
Less Than Stellar Set ![]()
Not only did they put a Cinemascope film in a "Full Frame" dvd, but again, they put 3 movies together that should be sold separately (for those who disliked the second and third movies like me) or in a collector's box set. Sandra Dee was the best, and in my opinion, the only Gidget. The second and third movies were just horrible! Yes they have James Darren back as Moondoggie, but why not bring back Sandra Dee if they were going to make sequels? Save your money, this set is not worth buying.
If you want to see Gidget in all its original beauty and not hacked to pieces like on this dvd set, tune into TCM they play it occasionally.