From the Cafe's Bookshelf: "Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies"

Fans of the Beach Party movies and other 1960s surfing flicks will find no better spring break reading than Thomas Lisanti's Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969. Originally published in 2005 and reprinted as a paperback in 2012, Lisanti's book provides a comprehensive look at the genre from Gidget (1959) to The Sweet Ride (1969). While other books have covered these films in the context of 1960s pop culture, Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies goes behind the scenes with production details provided by veteran stars such as Shelley Fabares and Jody McCrea.

Sandra Dee and Cliff Robertson
in Gidget.

Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies is divided into three parts: an introduction; entries on each of the 32 films covered; and biographical sketches of selected performers. The introduction provides an historical overview, starting with Frederick Kohner's novel Gidget, which was based on his teenage daughter Kathy's obsession with surfing. Beginning the film version of Gidget, Lisanti traces the evolution of the beach movie genre and the influence of films such as Where the Boys Are, Beach Party, and The Endless Summer.While the author states that his "book does not contain in-depth analyses about the films in terms of their cultural importance," his introduction nonetheless offers insight into what made them popular and why they faded by the end of the decade.

Still, the focus of Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies is on the individual movies. For each film, Lisanti lists the complete credits, describes the plot, provides quotes from reviews, and--best of all--takes the reader behind the scenes for fascinating trivia, such as:

• The Beach Party series almost starred Fabian and Sandra Dee instead of Frankie and Annette.
• American International Pictures originally intended Bikini Beach for the Beatles--until the band's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show made their salaries too costly.
• Nancy Sinatra was first offered the role of Sugar Kane (played by Linda Evans) in Beach Blanket Bingo.
• Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield wrote two title songs for Where the Boys Are. The version they and Connie Francis preferred was not the one selected by producer Joe Pasternak. The Pasternak-preferred song became a huge hit, of course, and Connie's signature song.

Lisanti quotes frequently from many of the performers who appeared in these movies, particularly Jody McCrea, Aron Kincaid, and Luree Nicholson (daughter of AIP co-founder James H. Nicholson). Although the genre's biggest stars--Frankie and Annette--did not participate in interviews for the book, they are liberally quoted from other sources. McCrea offers an interesting perspective on his co-stars: "I got along very well with Frankie and Annette because I left them alone. They always had many lines to memorize or songs to sing. I just concentrated on my part and didn't fraternize with either of them at all."

Jody McCrea and Mary Hughes.

The comprehensiveness of Lisanti's film coverage is commendable. He does a fine job highlighting lesser-known films of interest such as The Girls on the Beach, A Swingin' Summer, and cult fave Ride the Wild Surf. Indeed, the only obvious omission is the Troy Donahue-Stefanie Powers 1963 romp Palm Springs Weekend. While it doesn't take place at a beach, it certainly fits within the genre. Plus, Lisanti does includes other non-beach efforts like the aforementioned A Swinging' Summer (Lake Arrowhead) and Ski Party (and its imitators).

In the third section of Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies, Lisanti profiles "a select number of actors and actresses who made their marks in...the genre." It would have been helpful to include the criteria for selection, for there are some notable omissions, to include: Harvey Lembeck, Bobbie Shaw, Dwayne Hickman, Timothy Carey, and Donna Loren. These performers are mentioned throughout the book, so it's not as if the author ignores them. It's just that their contributions to beach movies seems as notable as profiled performers Kincaid, Ed Garner, and Peter Brown (who only appeared in one surf movie).

Still, such criticisms amount to mere quibbles. With an exhaustive bibliography, an index, and 96 photos, this 456-page reference volume is highly recommended for fans of the beach movie genre and for libraries with extensive film book collections. So, the next time you head to the beach, be sure to grab your surfboard, your sun tan lotion, some Beach Party DVDs, and a copy of Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies!

McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers provided a review copy of this book.

Gidget: “How Cute Can One Girl Be?”

Sixteen-year-old straight A-student Francie (Sandra Dee) is coaxed into a beach excursion by her gal pals for some “man hunting.” A group of surfing guys pays little attention to the girls, which is blamed on the tomboyish Francie, who freely admits to disliking “smooching” and all that “pawing” from boys. When Francie takes a dip in the ocean, she’s caught in some kelp and is saved from a potential drowning by Moondoggie (James Darren). The girl’s short ride back to shore atop a surfboard spurs a newfound enthusiasm for surfing. She begs her father for the money to buy a used surfboard.

The next day, Francie returns to the beach and meets surf bum, Kahuna (Cliff Robertson), who lives in a shack on the sandy shore. Well beyond his teens (“He’s an older boy,” Francie tells her mother), Kahuna seems to take an instant liking to Francie, and she soon earns the respect of the other male surfers, who dub her “Gidget,” a merging of girl and midget (though she’s more affectionately called “Gidge”). Francie deftly handles the boys’ initiation and spends the summer honing her surfing skills. But it’s not long before smooching a boy doesn’t seem like such a bad idea, and the Gidge has her eyes set on Moondoggie.

Gidget (1959), helmed by TV/film director Paul Wendkos, was based on Frederick Kohner’s novel, Gidget, The Little Girl with Big Ideas (although more commonly known by the condensed title). The film not only popularized surfing (and surf culture in general, particularly surf rock groups) but was also a forerunner for the Beach Party films in the ‘60s.

While the Beach Party movies include crowds of guys ogling the girls in bikinis, the surfers in Gidget are a different breed. They care more for catching waves and even mock Francie’s friends when the girls “accidentally” hit a ball their way so that the boys will acknowledge them. Moondoggie and the others are there for the ocean, not the girls, one of whom is played by Yvonne Craig, who would later star as Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl) on the cult TV series, Batman, as well as Marta, the green slave girl from Star Trek recognizable even to novices of the show. The surf bum lifestyle that Kahuna lives and Moondoggie desires is a carefree, day-to-day existence. What makes Francie so appealing is that she seems to have the same attitude, unburdened by concern over what others think of her. From the beginning, she’s a surfer without a surfboard, and the surfing boys quickly accept her as one of them. The nickname with which Francie is bestowed seems like ridicule, but in little time, it’s abbreviated to Gidge, a moniker that Francie redefines with her generous nature and perseverance.

At the same time, Francie, in spite of being a tomboy, is still a teenager and prone to corresponding behavior. Francie, for instance, is smart enough to employ the “daddy’s little girl” routine to get what she wants. She asks her father to help her purchase a used surfboard, but he’s more precisely buying it for her, since he’s contributing over 80 percent of the 25-dollar price tag. Likewise, Francie tends to give too much significance to trivial things: she’s convinced that the surfboard is a “guarantee for a summer of sheer happiness,” while an invitation to a luau is something she wants “more than anything else in the whole wide world.” These characteristics are certainly not flaws, but instead make her seem more appropriate. As it happens, Francie is a little too perfect with her squeaky clean family life. She does occasionally argue with her parents, but no one ever seems truly upset or agitated, and there’s a distinct impression that there’s simply nothing wrong with Francie.

Despite its lightheartedness, Gidget is much more serious in overall tone than later films such as Beach Party (1963). Francie’s relationship with Moondoggie seems more meaningful because they began as friends and only later developed romantic feelings. At one point, Francie seems to question if a more shapely body would make boys take note. Though they never explicitly say it, she and her friend contemplate giving her an artificially bigger bust (fortunately the idea is almost immediately squelched). By the time this topic is addressed, Francie is already a surfer and a part of the boys’ clique. Her implication that a girl could so easily and superficially make boys aware of her presence seems highly critical of the male characters. Near the end of the film is a scene that’s more arduously dramatic. Had it been handled with any humor, it would have been far worse, but it remains a somewhat uncomfortable affair and is a relief when it’s over.

One of Francie’s friends, Betty Louise (Sue George), typically called B.L., is more a tomboy than Francie. B.L. is in the film’s first scene, and her short haircut and boyish attire initially make it difficult to determine whether or not she is a boy. More notable is the fact that B.L. never goes scouring for boys at the beach, and, unlike Francie, is apparently not even pressured to do so. She is, however, quite hilarious and a highlight of the movie. In one scene, Francie practices surfing on her bed, with B.L. reading a how-to book and shaking the mattress to replicate waves. When Francie insinuates that she should have spent more time surfing (or engaging in similar activities), B.L. accepts blame for congratulating Francie on her good grades: “I should have belted you one right then!”

The Four Preps performed the title song that plays over the opening credits, and the song later becomes diegetic when played on the radio. The band also performs “Cinderella” onscreen during the luau.

Gidget spawned two theatrical sequels, Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) and Gidget Goes to Rome (1963). Both were directed by Wendkos and featured a reprisal of Darren’s Moondoggie, but alas, Sandra Dee did not return. Deborah Walley, who starred in two of the Beach Party films, was Gidget in the first sequel, while Cindy Carol was the Gidget who went to Rome. Sally Field starred in the 1965-66 TV series, Gidget, while Karen Valentine played a slightly older Gidget in the TV movie, Gidget Grows Up (1969). Gidget really had grown up by the following TV films, Gidget Gets Married (1972), with Monie Ellis, and Gidget’s Summer Reunion (1985), with Caryn Richman. The latter inspired a TV series with Richman, The New Gidget, which lasted two seasons.

Sandra Dee is quite good as Gidget. Though she was sometimes mocked for her wholesome demeanor associated with her performances (see: the musical, Grease, and its 1978 film adaptation), Dee makes Francie a likable character. The title song instantly defines Francie, describing her short stature and her tomboy traits but stressing that she’s an ideal girl, with the refrain, “Gidget is the one for me,” and her “ring-sized” finger an unmistakable reference to marriage. When Francies wonders why she isn’t like her boy-crazy friends, her mom tells her that she is “too genuine.” That’s a perfect word for Francie, and when the opening credits song is praising a girl that the audience has not yet seen, she wins over the audience with minimal effort. Francie vies for attention in the film, but those watching the movie are hardly watching anyone other than the Gidge.