Gidget

Gidget is a 1959 American romantic comedy teen movie about living in California. It is about a teenage girl who goes surfing. She has a romance with a young surfer.

Gidget
Directed by	Paul Wendkos
Screenplay by	Gabrielle Upton
Based on	Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas 1957 novel by Frederick Kohner
Produced by	Lewis J. Rachmil
Starring	Sandra Dee James Darren Cliff Robertson
Cinematography	Burnett Guffey, ASC
Edited by	William A. Lyon
Music by	Theme: Fred Karger (music) Patti Washington (lyrics)
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	April 10, 1959 (1959-04-10)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1.5 million (est. US /Canada rentals)[1][2]

The movie stars Sandra Dee, Cliff Robertson, and pop singer James Darren. The movie was based on a novel by Frederick Kohner titled Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas. The movie was directed by Paul Wendkos.

Legacy

Gidget was the first beach party" movie. It was followed by two sequel movies, various television series, several made-for-TV movies, and the parody Psycho Beach Party.

Gidget is credited by numerous sources, including a documentary movie by Stacy Peralta, as being the single main influence to bring surfing and the surfing subculture into the American mainstream.^[3][4]

The movie received a 1960 Golden Laurel Award nomination for Top Female Comedy Performance for actress Sandra Dee.