The New Gidget
Encyclopedia
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
. Richman would go on to reprise the role of Gidget in the series.
). The couple live in Santa Monica, California
where Moondoggie works as an architect and Gidget runs the "Gidget Travel Agency" with her long-time best friend, Larue
(Jill Jacobson
).
Gidget and Moondoggie take care of Gidget's niece, Dani (Sydney Penny
), who lives with the couple while her parents (supposedly Gidget's sister, Anne and husband John) are overseas. Dani is similar to Gidget when she was a teen and was always getting into trouble with her best friend, Gail (Lili Haydn
). Gidget's father, Russ (William Schallert
), is on hand to provide advice to the young couple and to remind Gidget that Dani's exploits were similar to the ones she experienced (and sometimes caused) as a teen.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that aired in syndication
Television 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...
from 1986 to 1988
1988 in television
The year 1988 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1988.For the American TV schedule, see: 1988-89 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:...
. The series was produced by original Gidget
Gidget (TV series)
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...
series producer Harry Ackerman
Harry Ackerman
Harry Stephen Ackerman was an American TV executive producer at Screen Gems, the television division of Columbia Pictures....
and was launched after the television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
Gidget's Summer Reunion
Gidget's Summer Reunion
Gidget's Summer Reunion is a 1985 television film produced by Columbia Pictures Television for television syndication. It was written by Robert Blees and George Zateslo and directed by Bruce Bilson and starred Caryn Richman as Gidget.-Plot:...
starring Caryn Richman
Caryn Richman
Caryn Richman is an actress who primarily appeared in television series in the 1980s and early 1990s. Her roles include Elena Dekker on the soap opera Texas, Gidget on the television series The New Gidget, and Nora Brady in A Very Brady Christmas and The Bradys.-External links:...
as 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"...
aired in 1985
1985 in television
The year 1985 involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1985.For the American TV schedule, see: 1985-86 United States network television schedule.-Events:*January 1 – VH1 launches in the United States....
. Richman would go on to reprise the role of Gidget in the series.
Characters
- Caryn RichmanCaryn RichmanCaryn Richman is an actress who primarily appeared in television series in the 1980s and early 1990s. Her roles include Elena Dekker on the soap opera Texas, Gidget on the television series The New Gidget, and Nora Brady in A Very Brady Christmas and The Bradys.-External links:...
played Francine "GidgetGidgetGidget 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 Griffin - Dean ButlerDean Butler (actor)Dean Butler was born May 20, 1956, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, is an American movie and television actor and producer of documentaries....
played Jeff "MoondoggieMoondoggieMoondoggie 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...
" Griffin - Lili HaydnLili HaydnLili Haydn is a violinist, vocalist, composer, guitarist, and actress. As a child, she pursued a career as an actress; at age eight she discovered the violin and began to focus on classical music. By the time Haydn was fifteen, she had played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.After graduating from...
played Gail Mitchell - Sydney PennySydney PennySydney Penny is an American Daytime Emmy-nominated actress best known for the roles of Julia Santos Keefer on the soap opera All My Children and Samantha "Sam" Kelly on the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.She is of part Cherokee descent and raised in Chatsworth, California, the daughter...
played Danielle "Dani" Collins-Griffin - William SchallertWilliam SchallertWilliam Joseph Schallert is an American actor who has appeared in many films and in such television series as The Smurfs, The Rat Patrol, Gunsmoke, The Patty Duke Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Waltons, Bonanza, Leave It to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Love, American Style, Get...
played Russell "Russ" Lawrence - Jill JacobsonJill JacobsonJill Jacobson is an American actress, best known for her performances on television.Her credits include: Crazy Like a Fox, Falcon Crest, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap, Who's The Boss?, Murphy Brown and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-External links:...
played 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:... - Richard PaulRichard PaulRichard Paul was an American actor.He was born in Los Angeles, California. He was able to imitate most American and many foreign dialects. He had a tenor voice and trained with Lee Sweetland....
played Wilton Parmenter - David N. Preston played Murph the Surf
Plot
The series featured Gidget, who is in her late 20s and married to her idol, "Moondoggie" (Dean ButlerDean Butler (actor)
Dean Butler was born May 20, 1956, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, is an American movie and television actor and producer of documentaries....
). The couple live in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
where Moondoggie works as an architect and Gidget runs the "Gidget Travel Agency" with her long-time best 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:...
(Jill Jacobson
Jill Jacobson
Jill Jacobson is an American actress, best known for her performances on television.Her credits include: Crazy Like a Fox, Falcon Crest, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap, Who's The Boss?, Murphy Brown and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-External links:...
).
Gidget and Moondoggie take care of Gidget's niece, Dani (Sydney Penny
Sydney Penny
Sydney Penny is an American Daytime Emmy-nominated actress best known for the roles of Julia Santos Keefer on the soap opera All My Children and Samantha "Sam" Kelly on the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.She is of part Cherokee descent and raised in Chatsworth, California, the daughter...
), who lives with the couple while her parents (supposedly Gidget's sister, Anne and husband John) are overseas. Dani is similar to Gidget when she was a teen and was always getting into trouble with her best friend, Gail (Lili Haydn
Lili Haydn
Lili Haydn is a violinist, vocalist, composer, guitarist, and actress. As a child, she pursued a career as an actress; at age eight she discovered the violin and began to focus on classical music. By the time Haydn was fifteen, she had played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.After graduating from...
). Gidget's father, Russ (William Schallert
William Schallert
William Joseph Schallert is an American actor who has appeared in many films and in such television series as The Smurfs, The Rat Patrol, Gunsmoke, The Patty Duke Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Waltons, Bonanza, Leave It to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Love, American Style, Get...
), is on hand to provide advice to the young couple and to remind Gidget that Dani's exploits were similar to the ones she experienced (and sometimes caused) as a teen.
Season 1
| Episode # | Episode Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Windsurfing Lesson" | September 15, 1986 |
| 2 | "The Project" | September 22, 1986 |
| 3 | "Crime and Punishment" | September 29, 1986 |
| 4 | "On Account of Danni" | October 6, 1986 |
| 5 | "Fighting City Hall" | October 13, 1986 |
| 6 | "The List" | October 20, 1986 |
| 7 | "Jeff's Anniversary Present" | October 27, 1986 |
| 8 | "The Concert" | November 3, 1986 |
| 9 | "The Baby" | November 10, 1986 |
| 10 | "Super Gidget" | November 17, 1986 |
| 11 | "The '65 Mustang (a.k.a. The '65 Convertible)" | November 24, 1986 |
| 12 | "Stand Up and Cheer (a.k.a. Danni Becomes a Cheerleader)" | December 1, 1986 |
| 13 | "Kahuna Kahoona The Kahoona is a character created by Frederick Kohner in his 1957 novel, Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas... for Sale" |
December 18, 1986 |
| 14 | "Passion for Fashion" | December 15, 1986 |
| 15 | "The Perfect Man" | December 22, 1986 |
| 16 | "The Royal Bluff" | August 29, 1986 |
| 17 | "Citizen Moondoggie" | January 5, 1987 |
| 18 | "It's Only Rock & Roll" | January 12, 1987 |
| 19 | "Oddballs" | January 19, 1987 |
| 20 | "Jake's Shakes" | January 26, 1987 |
| 21 | "Does Paul Know?" | February 2, 1987 |
| 22 | "Dead Man's Curl" | February 9, 1987 |
Season 2
| Episode # | Episode Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | "Gilligidge Island" | September 17, 1987 |
| 24 | "Bred to Shred" | September 24, 1987 |
| 25 | "Invasion of the Gidget People" | October 1, 1987 |
| 26 | "Sealed With a Kiss" | October 8, 1987 |
| 27 | "Head Over Handlebars" | October 26, 1987 |
| 28 | "Drag City" | October 29, 1987 |
| 29 | "Boy Talk" | November 5, 1987 |
| 30 | "The Getaway" | November 12, 1987 |
| 31 | "Kahuna, Jr." | November 19, 1987 |
| 32 | "Malibu Man" | November 26, 1987 |
| 33 | "Potion Emotion" | December 3, 1987 |
| 34 | "Calendar Boys" | December 10, 1987 |
| 35 | "A Christmas Curl" | December 17, 1987 |
| 36 | "Radio Free Malibu" | January 7, 1988 |
| 37 | "Gidget's Guide to Surfing" | January 21, 1988 |
| 38 | "Blast From the Past" | February 4, 1988 |
| 39 | "Rad Chad" | February 11, 1988 |
| 40 | "Altered Surf" | February 18, 1988 |
| 41 | "Perky Pirates of the Pipeline" | February 25, 1988 |
| 42 | "Avocado Heads" | April 28, 1988 |
| 43 | "The Bare Facts (a.k.a. Gidget and Danni Get Arrested)" | May 5, 1988 |
| 44 | "Make Waves, Not War" | May 12, 1988 |