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Gidget (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Gidget is an American sitcom about a surfing
, boy-crazy teenager called "Gidget
" and her widowed father Russ Lawrence, a UCLA professor. 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 Nielsen 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.
novel Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas, which Kohner based upon the adventures of his teenage daughter Kathy. The novel was adapted
into a 1959 movie
starring Sandra Dee
, James Darren
, and Cliff Robertson
. The 1965 weekly, half-hour television series is seen by some as a sequel to the 1959 film, despite numerous discontinuities in plot, time frame and other details. It can also be seen as an independent incarnation, related to but distinct from either the novels or the films. Kohner served as a script consultant on the show.
The series reintroduced Gidget's friend Larue
and married sister Anne Cooper, both of whom appear in Kohner's original novel, but are absent from the motion picture series. Gidget's brother in law, who appears in the novels as the intelligent but condescending child psychiatrist Larry Cooper is reinvented in the TV series as John Cooper, an obtuse but lovable psychology student.
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. Larue
(Lynette Winter) is Gidget's best friend.
Recurring characters include Gidget's boyfriend Jeff "Moondoggie
" Matthews (Stephen Mines), and her schoolmates Siddo (Michael Nader
), Randy (Rickie Sorensen), and Toby (Bob Beach).
sometimes takes part in her escapades. Episodes typically end with Gidget receiving moral instruction from her father and gaining wisdom from her zany experiences. On occasion, Gidget "breaks through the Fourth wall
" and directly addresses her audience, usually reflecting on what she's learned from the evening's story, sometimes ending with "Toodles!"
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. Phil Sauer(s), her instructor, served as the series' "Surfing Technical Consultant" (and provided the surfboards used during filming).
While the Gidget of the novel and original film are both blondes, the Gidget of the TV series is a brunette.
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
.
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.
for several years. 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
.
released Gidget: The Complete Series featuring all 32 episodes of the series, on DVD in Region 1. The release contains an all-new interview with Sally Field as well as the original pilot.
can be streamed for free in the US on YouTube, Hulu
, and Crackle
.
As of July 2011 the show can be seen on weekends on Antenna TV
.
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
, boy-crazy teenager called "Gidget
Gidget
Gidget is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner in his 1957 novel, Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas. The novel follows the adventures of a teenage girl and her surfing friends on the beach at Malibu. The name Gidget is a portmanteau of "girl and midget"...
" and her widowed father Russ Lawrence, a UCLA professor. Sally Field
Sally Field
Sally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
stars as Gidget with Don Porter
Don Porter
Donald Porter was an American actor who appeared in a number of films in the 1940s, including Top Sergeant and Eagle Squadron, but is perhaps best known for his role as Russell Lawrence, the widowed father of 15-year old Frances "Gidget" Lawrence in the 1965 ABC television series...
as her father. The series was first broadcast on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from September 15, 1965 through April 21, 1966. Gidget was among the first regularly scheduled color programs on ABC, but did poorly in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
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.
Background
The television series was based upon concepts and characters created by Frederick Kohner in his 19571957 in literature
The year 1957 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Lawrence Durrell publishes the first volume of The Alexandria Quartet. The final of the four volumes will be published in 1960....
novel Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas, which Kohner based upon the adventures of his teenage daughter Kathy. The novel was adapted
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
into a 1959 movie
Gidget (film)
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...
starring Sandra Dee
Sandra Dee
Sandra Dee was an American actress. Dee began her career as a model and progressed to film. Best known for her portrayal of ingenues, Dee won a Golden Globe Award in 1959 as one of the year's most promising newcomers, and over several years her films were popular...
, James Darren
James Darren
James William Ercolani , known by his stage name James Darren, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer.-Career:...
, and Cliff Robertson
Cliff Robertson
Clifford Parker "Cliff" Robertson III was an American actor with a film and television career that spanned half of a century. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film PT 109, and won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie Charly...
. The 1965 weekly, half-hour television series is seen by some as a sequel to the 1959 film, despite numerous discontinuities in plot, time frame and other details. It can also be seen as an independent incarnation, related to but distinct from either the novels or the films. Kohner served as a script consultant on the show.
The series reintroduced Gidget's friend Larue
Larue Wilson
Larue Wilson is a fictional character introduced in Frederick Kohner's 1957 novel Gidget, the Litte Girl with Big Ideas. She also appears in much of the television work involving Gidget.-The Novel:...
and married sister Anne Cooper, both of whom appear in Kohner's original novel, but are absent from the motion picture series. Gidget's brother in law, who appears in the novels as the intelligent but condescending child psychiatrist Larry Cooper is reinvented in the TV series as John Cooper, an obtuse but lovable psychology student.
Characters
Gidget
Gidget is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner in his 1957 novel, Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas. The novel follows the adventures of a teenage girl and her surfing friends on the beach at Malibu. The name Gidget is a portmanteau of "girl and midget"...
" Lawrence (Sally Field
Sally Field
Sally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
), the prototypical southern California beach bunny and her widowed father Russell Lawrence (Don Porter
Don Porter
Donald Porter was an American actor who appeared in a number of films in the 1940s, including Top Sergeant and Eagle Squadron, but is perhaps best known for his role as Russell Lawrence, the widowed father of 15-year old Frances "Gidget" Lawrence in the 1965 ABC television series...
), an English professor at UCLA.
Secondary characters include Anne Cooper (Betty Conner), Gidget's older married sister, and John Cooper (Pete Duel
Pete Duel
Pete Duel was an American actor, best known for his role in the television series Alias Smith and Jones.-Early life:Peter Ellstrom Deuel was born in Rochester, New York, and grew up in nearby Penfield....
), Anne's psychology student husband. Larue
Larue Wilson
Larue Wilson is a fictional character introduced in Frederick Kohner's 1957 novel Gidget, the Litte Girl with Big Ideas. She also appears in much of the television work involving Gidget.-The Novel:...
(Lynette Winter) is Gidget's best friend.
Recurring characters include Gidget's boyfriend Jeff "Moondoggie
Moondoggie
Moondoggie is a fictional character created by Frederick Kohner in his novel Gidget, The Little Girl with Big Ideas. He appears as a principal character in five of the eight Gidget novels, but is a minor character or is only mentioned in passing in Cher Papa, The Affairs of Gidget and Gidget Goes...
" Matthews (Stephen Mines), and her schoolmates Siddo (Michael Nader
Michael Nader
Michael Nader is an American actor of Lebanese descent, known for his role on the ABC primetime soap opera Dynasty from 1983 to 1989 as Farnsworth "Dex" Dexter, the third husband of Alexis Colby .Nader's first soap opera role was opposite actress Marie Masters playing the character of Kevin...
), 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 zany adventures in school, at home, and on the nearby beaches. Russell Lawrence has much ado guiding his daughter through her fifteenth year. Married sister Anne and her husband John offer child-rearing tips. Gidget's friend LarueLarue Wilson
Larue Wilson is a fictional character introduced in Frederick Kohner's 1957 novel Gidget, the Litte Girl with Big Ideas. She also appears in much of the television work involving Gidget.-The Novel:...
sometimes takes part in her escapades. Episodes typically end with Gidget receiving moral instruction from her father and gaining wisdom from her zany experiences. On occasion, Gidget "breaks through the Fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
" and directly addresses her audience, usually reflecting on what she's learned from the evening's story, sometimes ending with "Toodles!"
Production details
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
. The exterior of the Lawrence house and its kitchen set were used in previous years as the Baxter house and kitchen on Hazel
Hazel (TV series)
Hazel is a Screen Gems television series about a fictional live-in maid named Hazel Burke and her employers, the Baxters. The five-season, 154-episode series aired in primetime from September 1961 until April 1966...
. The house is situated next door to the principal residence on Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
, 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. Phil Sauer(s), her instructor, served as the series' "Surfing Technical Consultant" (and provided the surfboards used during filming).
While the Gidget of the novel and original film are both blondes, the Gidget of the TV series is a brunette.
The Gidget theme song lyrics were written by Howard Greenfield, with music by Jack Keller. The song was sung in the pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
by The Four Freshmen
The Four Freshmen
The Four Freshmen is a multiple Grammy-nominated American male vocal band quartet that blends open-harmony jazz arrangements with the big band vocal group sounds of The Modernaires , The Pied Pipers , and The Mel-Tones , founded in the barbershop tradition...
and in the series by Johnny Tillotson
Johnny Tillotson
Johnny Tillotson is an American singer and songwriter. He enjoyed his greatest success in the early 1960s, when he scored 9 top-ten hits on the pop, country and adult contemporary billboard charts including "Poetry In Motion" and the self-penned "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'"...
.
Reception
The series faced stiff competition from The Beverly HillbilliesThe Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and The Virginian
The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, 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
The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun is an American sitcom produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book The Fifteenth Pelican, by Tere Rios, which starred Sally Field as Sister Bertrille...
rather than revive Gidget. Field later stated that while she loved working on Gidget, she despised The Flying Nun.
Subsequent history
Gidget remained in syndicationTelevision syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
for several years. Two telemovie sequels were produced: Gidget Grows Up
Gidget Grows Up
Gidget Grows Up is a 1969 television film directed by James Sheldon and starring Karen Valentine, Paul Lynde and Edward Mulhare, freely adapted from the novel Gidget Goes New York by Frederick Kohner...
and Gidget Gets Married
Gidget Gets Married
Gidget Gets Married is a 1972 television film produced by Screen Gems for ABC. It was written by John McGreevey and directed by E.W. Swackhamer and starred Monie Ellis as Gidget.-Plot:...
. 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
The New Gidget
The New Gidget is an American television sitcom that aired in syndication from 1986 to 1988. The series was produced by original Gidget series producer Harry Ackerman and was launched after the television movie Gidget's Summer Reunion starring Caryn Richman as Gidget aired in 1985...
.
Merchandise
- In the 1960s Milton Bradley CompanyMilton Bradley CompanyThe Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
manufactured and marketed a "Gidget Fortune Teller" game which used Sally FieldSally FieldSally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
's image on the box, the playing board and some of the game cards.
DVD release
On March 21, 2006, Sony Pictures Home EntertainmentSony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
released Gidget: The Complete Series featuring all 32 episodes of the series, on DVD in Region 1. The release contains an all-new interview with Sally Field as well as the original pilot.
Syndication
As of August 2009, the show can purchased on iTunes, and MinisodesThe Minisode Network
The Minisode Network is a Sony Pictures Television internet television network launched in June 2007. The term minisode is a portmanteau of "mini" and "episode." Unlike webisodes, which are initially broadcast on the internet, minisodes are condensed versions of previously broadcast, full length,...
can be streamed for free in the US on YouTube, Hulu
Hulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
, and Crackle
Crackle
Crackle is a digital network and studio, featuring commercially supported streaming video content in Flash Video format. It is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and its content consists primarily of Sony's library of films and television shows...
.
As of July 2011 the show can be seen on weekends on Antenna TV
Antenna TV
Antenna TV is an American digital broadcast television network, primarily featuring classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s, along with some feature films. It is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, a division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
.
See also
- Surf cultureSurf cultureSurf culture includes the people, language, fashion and life surrounding the art of surfing.The culture began early in the 20th century, spread quickly during the 1950s and 1960s, and continues to evolve. It affected fashion, music, literature, films, jargon, and more...
- Psycho Beach PartyPsycho Beach PartyPsycho Beach Party is a 2000 Comedy horror film based on the off-Broadway play of the same name, directed by Robert Lee King. Charles Busch wrote both the original play and the screenplay...
, a film by Charles BuschCharles BuschCharles Louis Busch is an American actor, screenwriter, playwright and female impersonator, known for his appearances on stage in his own camp style plays and in film and television. He wrote The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, which was a success on Broadway.-Early life:Busch was born in 1954 and...
parodying the teen beach party movies of the sixties - Larue WilsonLarue WilsonLarue Wilson is a fictional character introduced in Frederick Kohner's 1957 novel Gidget, the Litte Girl with Big Ideas. She also appears in much of the television work involving Gidget.-The Novel:...
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
- Frederick Kohner at NNDB