SYNOPSIS

There was lots of California sun and surf in this frothy comedy about the adventures of a bright, winsome teenager. Gidget was age 15 1/2, the daughter of Prof. Russ Lawrence, a widower. Despite the best efforts of her overly protective older sister, Anne, and Anne's husband John (a psychology student who practiced on the family), Gidget and her best friend Larue managed to find endless fun. Gidget's boyfriend, Jeff (Stephen Mines) was "off to college" and seldom seen.

Sally Field was plucked from obscurity for the starring role in this series. Only 18 when the show began, she had enrolled in a Columbia Pictures actors' workshop as a summertime lark after completing high school and before beginning college. It proved to be a direct path to TV and, later, movie stardom.

Based on the Gidget series of movies, the first of which (1959) starred Sandra Dee in the title role.