Gidget Goes Hawaiian
Directed by Paul Wendkos
Written by Ruth Brooks Flippen and Frederick Kohner
1961/USA
Jerry Bresler Films
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] “Umica ka hanu/ HOLD THE BREATH/ Be patient; don’t give up.” ― Toni Polancy, Hawaii in Love[/box]
Exactly what you are looking for in a movie with this title.
Gidget (Deborah Walley) has troubles a girl can only dream of. She gets pinned by the love of her life, Jeff AKA Moondoggie (James Darren), who is visiting California for the summer. Immediately thereafter, her parents announce a surprise Hawaiian vacation. She cannot bear to be separated from her beloved and is heartbroken. He encourages her to go, she blows up, and they break up.
Gidget continues to be despondent in Hawaii despite the fact every male within range is dying to be with her. She finally gets over this and starts flirting when Jeff arrives, expenses paid by papa, in Hawaii. Many misunderstandings and unseemingly innuendos about Gidget’s virginity ensue.
You don’t go to these things for surprises but for nostalgia. These films play exactly like early sixties sitcoms, which indeed they spawned. It’s a somewhat entertaining capsule from a much more innocent time. Lots of fake surfing to be had.
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