the year: 1961
the genre: surfing / comedy
the cast: James Darren (Jeff "Moondoggie" Matthews); Deborah Walley (Frances "Gidget" Lawrence); Carl Reiner (Russ Lawrence); Michael Callan (Eddie Horner); Vicki Trickett (Abby Stewart)
the plot: Gidget and Moondoggie have just gotten pinned. Jeff is home from college for the summer, so he and Gidget only have a short amount of time to spend together before he has to go back. That's why Gidget's parent's plans of a Hawaiian family vacation comes at such a bad time. Not initially wanting to go, Gidget changes her mind after she and Jeff get into a fight about the trip. Gidget is miserable in Hawaii, despite an abundance of boys who are interested in her, including celebrity Eddie Horner - a dancer performing at one of the hotels. But just as Gidget decides to get out of her funk and have a good time, Gidget's father gets the idea to bring Jeff to Hawaii to surprise Gidget. Jeff is indeed surprised as he catches Gidget in Eddie's arms. To get back at Gidget, Jeff decides to have some fun of his own with Abby Stewart, a girl Gidget met on the plane from the mainland. Oh, the teenage angst!
count: how many shots have the same view of Diamondhead in the background.
don't miss: the case of the missing parents.
watch for: the beautiful, scenic shots of Hawaii and the fabulous 60s hawaiian outfits.
did you know: the film was shot on location at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, with some scenes from the first film re-shot using the new cast as flashbacks.
listen for: James Darren singing the theme song - his voice is like buttah.
did you know: James Darren starred as Moondoggie in all 3 Gidget movies - but with 3 different co-stars as Gidget (Sandra Dee, Deborah Walley, and Cindy Carol).
