Sally Field and I are close to the same age, she was 18 when this series first aired in September 1965 and I was 19 and starting my third year of college. I had never yet been to the West Coast so for me this was more than just an entertaining comedy-family show, it also my introduction to California.
Sally Field is 15 1/2 year old Gidget, called that by friends because she was so small. Sort of a "girl midget", a term we probably could not get away with in 2023. Her mother had died when she was younger and she has a special bond with her father, a professor at UCLA. She has a married older sister who worries about her but Gidget is very independent. She is chasing the cute boy, Moondoggie, but he is soon off to college.
It is refreshing to re-watch an old series like this where times were simpler and the "problems" not as big as they tend to be today. Sally Field as a teenager was just perfect in this role and, as we now know, she has had a fine career after Gidget.
Watching the first episode today, it was fun to see a few typical things of 1965. As they were driving their red Mustang convertible to the beach and passing a service station with posted fuel prices, that was not $3.19 per gallon for regular, that was 31.9 cents a gallon. And when Gidget and her friend got back home they were snacking on a plate of bologna slices and chunks of cheese.
Fun series that brings back good memories of my own teen years, I now will try to find the complete series. I found the very first episode streaming on u-tube.
Sally Field is 15 1/2 year old Gidget, called that by friends because she was so small. Sort of a "girl midget", a term we probably could not get away with in 2023. Her mother had died when she was younger and she has a special bond with her father, a professor at UCLA. She has a married older sister who worries about her but Gidget is very independent. She is chasing the cute boy, Moondoggie, but he is soon off to college.
It is refreshing to re-watch an old series like this where times were simpler and the "problems" not as big as they tend to be today. Sally Field as a teenager was just perfect in this role and, as we now know, she has had a fine career after Gidget.
Watching the first episode today, it was fun to see a few typical things of 1965. As they were driving their red Mustang convertible to the beach and passing a service station with posted fuel prices, that was not $3.19 per gallon for regular, that was 31.9 cents a gallon. And when Gidget and her friend got back home they were snacking on a plate of bologna slices and chunks of cheese.
Fun series that brings back good memories of my own teen years, I now will try to find the complete series. I found the very first episode streaming on u-tube.