Where was 'Gidget' filmed? Know about shooting locations of Sandra Dee's 1959 film

Directed by Paul Wendkos, Gidget is a 1959 American comedy movie that is based on Frederick Kohner's 1957 novel Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas. The character Gidget was created by Hollywood writer Kohner who drew inspiration from his daughter and the 1959 movie was the first of many screen appearances of Gidget. Starring Sandra Dee, James Darren, Cliff Robertson, Arthur O'Connell and The Four Preps, this movie has inspired various sequel films, a television series and commenced the entire beach party film genre. Let's see where was Gidget filmed.

A look at Gidget filming locations

The plot of the comedy-drama revolves around the story of a young 17-year-old girl Francine Lawrence played by Sandra Dee who gets attracted to the California surf culture and falls in love with a fellow surfer Moondoggie/ Jeffery Matthews played by James Darren.

According to LA Insider, the movie Gidget was shot extensively in Malibu, California. The surfing scenes of the movie was shot in Surfrider Beach, one of the best surfing spots in Southern California. The spot was actually made famous after the release of the film Gidget and post that the beach turned into a popular tourist attraction.

Surfrider Beach is a part of the Leo Carrillo State Park and the vast area has had a lot of films shot at different spots. Some parts of Gidget were also shot in Paradise Cove which is deemed to be the favourite filming spots in all of Malibu. Some of the other movies that were also shot in and around Paradise Cove include American Pie 2, Lethal Weapon 4, The Rockford Files, Monster-in-law, X-Men and The House of Sand and Fog. In fact, Britney Spears music video for Sometimes was also shot at Paradise Cove. Here is a scenic shot of the beach.

A look at Gidget review and rating

The movie has a rating of 6.7 stars out of 10 on IMDb with over 30k votes. While the film did not win any awards or accolades, there were many sequels and spin-offs made of Gidget including Gidget Goes Hawaiian starring Deborah Walley as the titular character and Gidget Goes to Rome starring Cindy Carol. In 1965, an ABC television series called Gidget released which got cancelled after one season. Sally Field played Gidget in the television series. In 1969 another telemovie Gidget Grows Up starring Karen Valentine was released followed by Gidget Gets Married and Gidget's Summer Reunion.

IMAGE: STILL FROM GIDGET'S TRAILER