Beach Movies—The 50s

August is the month when it’s difficult to get in touch with people—they’re all on a beach somewhere and not at their desk to answer your question. Why is it that the beach is the ultimate vacation spot for many families, singles, couples? There must be something primal going on there, after all, we all began our life in a sack of water called amniotic fluid, right?

I was thinking about beach movies and wondering why there aren’t more good ones. So today begins a five- part series about beach movies and their appeal. Let’s take a look at their stories and see what we can find out.

Going back to the 50s, the quintessential beach movie has to be Gidget. It starred Sandra Dee—the blonde heartthrob of her era. She played a young girl—maybe 16?—who was a bit of what used to be called a tomboy—she wasn’t that interested in boys or clothes like most of her friends. In fact, she has to be dragged out of her house by a girlfriend who wants to spend the day at the beach.

Once at the beach, in Malibu, she watches the guys surf—all guys, btw, no girls on those surfboards. The only other females at the beach are heavily made up, in suits that emphasize their capacious breasts, and are there for one reason only—to be noticed by the surfers. But Gidget? She’s mesmerized by the surfers and gets the chance to feel what it’s like when she’s rescued by a young guy with the mysterious name of Moondoggie… a young lady’s man of about 18. And she also meets the Big Kahoona, an older guy [all of 30] who lives in a shack on the beach and is looked up to by all the younger surfers.

The guys all have nicknames so they decide to give her one—treating her as a kind of a mascot. They come up with Gidget because it’s a combination of ‘girl’ and ‘midget’—Gidget’s on the short side. They sing a song about it.

After her first taste of surfing she’s got to have more. She wheedles a few bucks from her parents and buys a second-hand board, determined to join the surfers. But they mostly just laugh at her. Eventually, though, she can really surf.

She’s now become more used to her body and laments her slightly flat chest and tries very hard to get Moondoggie’s attention, even going so far as to pay a friend of his to take her to a big party she knows Moondoggie’s going to. Gidget is so down to earth and genuine that Moondoggie is a bit drawn to her, but he won’t admit it.

Get the picture? She’s sweet, he’s not interested, she tries to remake herself to attract him, she almost does but he puts the brakes on… and then there’s a twist at the end.

Good, wholesome fun.

What is the beach in this movie? It’s a place of transformation. Guys become surfers. Surfers move up the pecking order. And a girl like Gidget just might end the summer with everything she never dreamed of!

Ah, the good old days…

Copyright © Diane Lake

06Aug17

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