Gidget Grows Up

Upon finally returning to the United States, a young woman named "Francine 'Gidget' Lawrence" (Karen Valentine) is disappointed to find that her long-time sweetheart "Jeffrey 'Moondoggie' Griffith" (Paul Peterson) has since moved on and found another girlfriend. Of course, one of the factors in that decision was the fact that, while in Europe she continually wrote letters about meeting other men simply to make him jealous. Complicating matters even further, before she has a chance to make amends, Jeff--who is an officer in the United States Air Force--is sent to Greenland at the last minute. So, after watching an ambassador give a rousing speech, she decides to volunteer to work as a low-paid assistant at the United Nations in New York to start life anew. What she doesn't realize, however, is just how difficult that will be. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an okay romantic-comedy which could have been better with a bit more comedy and a little less romance. I say this because the romantic encounters between Gidget and "Alex MacLaughlin" (Edward Mulhare) was rather dull and boring. Likewise, the made-for-television format certainly didn't help in that regard either. In any case, while I don't consider this to be a good comedy necessarily, I suppose it passed the time well enough, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

I am so old now I remember watching Gidget Grows Up when it premiered on television when I was twelve years old! :) I loved the on-screen chemistry Karen Valentine had with Edward Mulhare in this film, plus the snappy, upbeat soundtrack. Paul Lynde was also delightful in the supporting cast, and had me laughing out loud. In the intervening years I have re-watched this delightful version numerous times. It's also great to see NYC in 1969 when everything looked so clean and everyone dressed so nicely. It was a different world and honestly I miss it very much. RIP Edward Mulhare, our beloved Captain Gregg. I will always love you.

I adored this movie when I first watched it as a young thirteen year old on TV when it premiered. I've always loved Karen Valentine ever since I first spotted her on Room 222. What a wonderful movie and step back in time. I have also been trying to find Gidget Goes Hawaiian on the Internet for years, but to no avail. They never show that one anymore. *Sigh* For anyone who Loved the Gidget movies, you are going to LOVE this one. Karen V, Paul L, and Paul P were the absolute BEST! It is great to see Gidget doing something other than surfing and hanging out at the beach. And as much as I have always loved Gidget and Moondoggie as a couple, it was also nice to see her not pining over him this time. I guess she really did "Grow Up!" I Loved It! Thank you for uploading this wonderful movie...

Another incarnation of Frederick Kohner's enduring "Gidget" character, here a college drop-out tired of the beach (and sometime-boyfriend Jeff) who hears a speech on television from the Ambassador to the United Nations and decides she wants to lend her services. In the lead, Karen Valentine certainly had big, perky shoes to fill, and she does so amiably (though her round, perpetually-teary eyes and overly-sincere gaze makes her seem more like Mary Tyler Moore than Sally Field or Sandra Dee). Gidge gets her foot in the door after arriving in New York City and trains to become a guide at the U.N., dating an older chair member from Australia while rooming with a black girl from Uganda and an Asian girl from the States. It's very neat and tidy, with general asides to the upheaval in our political world circa 1969. There's good location work, including some window browsing at Tiffany and Co., but all of the indoor scenes were obviously filmed on sets (several of which look suspiciously like the "I Dream of Jeannie" and "Bewitched" interiors from TV). Harmless fluff, bolstered by a strong supporting cast of character actors (including Paul Lynde as a former child star still in love with Helen Twelvetrees!).

Loosely adapted from Frederick Kohner's novel "Gidget Goes New York", This 1969 ABC MOW is remarkable principally for two standout performances: Karen Valentine is excellent as Gidget (of the seven women who have portrayed her in cinema and TV, I rank her second only to Sally Field), and Paul Lynde is hilarious as Louis B. Latimer, Gidget's eccentric and narcissistic landlord. Paul Peterson is alright as Jeff (though sometimes boring), and Robert Cummings is a bit flat as Russ Lawrence. Edward Mulhare seems to think he's in a 1960's soap opera. There are some truly beautiful performances in the smaller parts: Nina Fochs, for example, is magnificent as Mrs.Crosby, Gidget's job trainer (shades of Miss Jean Brodie), and the two girls who play Gidget's roommates are delightful and lovable. The plot is lame, and moves slowly, but Valentine and Lynde do a good job of buoying it.

No mention is made of Gidget's mother or sister, perhaps in an attempt to fudge continuity with both the Hollywood movies (no sister Anne) and the 60's sitcom (mother deceased).

Gidget fans will enjoy "Gidget Grows Up", but for anyone else it is a slightly above average MOW.