In this third “Gidget” movie, the college-bound Malibu, California-based surfer girl takes the summer off as “Gidget Goes to Rome.” She is on holiday with boyfriend Moondoggie and they are chaperoned by her aunt. However, her father in California is still nervous about Gidget being far from home, so he asks an Italian friend to keep an eye on her. Unfortunately, Gidget gets a serious crush on him and the zany comedy proceeds from there.
Cindy Carol plays Frances “Gidget” Lawrence in this third project with enough energy as her two predecessors (Sandra Dee & Deborah Walley). Returnees include James Darren as boyfriend Jeff “Moondoggie” Matthews, Jean “Jeff” Daniels as her mother, and Joby Baker as their friend Judge. Other co-stars include Don Porter as Gidget’s father, Jessie Royce Landis as her aunt, Cesare Danova as the friend in Rome, Noreen Corcoran, Danielle De Metz, Trudi Ames, Peter Brooks, Lisa Gastoni, and Claudio Gora.
Director Paul Wendkos kept a tight rein on the production, as he did at the helm of the two previous films in the series: “Gidget” (1959) and “Gidget Goes Hawaiian” (1961). The respectable screenplay was written by Ruth Brooks Flippen. Even with a musical score composed by John Williams, “Gidget Goes to Rome” was not successful enough at the box office for Columbia Pictures to warrant a fourth film in the series. A television series of the same name ran on ABC for one season (32 episodes), 1965-1966, starring Sally Field.
Gidget Goes to Rome (1963)
cinema
My Review
In this third “Gidget” movie, the college-bound Malibu, California-based surfer girl takes the summer off as “Gidget Goes to Rome.” She is on holiday with boyfriend Moondoggie and they are chaperoned by her aunt. However, her father in California is still nervous about Gidget being far from home, so he asks an Italian friend to keep an eye on her. Unfortunately, Gidget gets a serious crush on him and the zany comedy proceeds from there.
Cindy Carol plays Frances “Gidget” Lawrence in this third project with enough energy as her two predecessors (Sandra Dee & Deborah Walley). Returnees include James Darren as boyfriend Jeff “Moondoggie” Matthews, Jean “Jeff” Daniels as her mother, and Joby Baker as their friend Judge. Other co-stars include Don Porter as Gidget’s father, Jessie Royce Landis as her aunt, Cesare Danova as the friend in Rome, Noreen Corcoran, Danielle De Metz, Trudi Ames, Peter Brooks, Lisa Gastoni, and Claudio Gora.
Director Paul Wendkos kept a tight rein on the production, as he did at the helm of the two previous films in the series: “Gidget” (1959) and “Gidget Goes Hawaiian” (1961). The respectable screenplay was written by Ruth Brooks Flippen. Even with a musical score composed by John Williams, “Gidget Goes to Rome” was not successful enough at the box office for Columbia Pictures to warrant a fourth film in the series. A television series of the same name ran on ABC for one season (32 episodes), 1965-1966, starring Sally Field.