"Just remember, she might be pint-sized, but she's quite a woman." The original surfer girl gets her own three-film DVD collection, dippy fun from a more innocent time. 1959's
Gidget made real surfers nauseated, but it's a kicky movie with some great lounge-era lingo. Sandra Dee, perkiness personified, plays the curious teen who breaks the gender line in surfing. She's also got the attention of surf-happy Moondoggie (James Darren) and the big Kahuna (Cliff Robertson), the latter the prototype of the surf bum who roams the globe in search of the endless summer. The film actually kicked off the great boom in surfing popularity (the Beach Boys and the
Beach Party movies followed), much to the chagrin of purists. It was based on a novel by Frederick Kohner, who was inspired by his daughter's experiences.
Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) puts Deborah Walley in the title role. She's no Sandra Dee, but at least there are shots of Walley doing her own surfing stunts. The action's in Waikiki, and Gidge is pursued by a confused Moondoggie and a famous dancer. They are played by James Darren and Michael Callan, and having the two 1960s male ingenues in the same movie suggests a weird collision of matter and anti-matter. The spark goes flat in Gidget Goes to Rome (1963), with yet another new actress (Cindy Carol) paired with a loyal James Darren. It's closer to Three Coins in the Fountain than the sandy beaches of Malibu.
DVD caveat: none of the films is in widescreen. The sequels don't suffer much, but the original Gidget was shot in CinemaScope, and the pan-and-scan approach hurts the summery look of the picture--even if it's just Sandra Dee balancing in front of blue-screen waves. --Robert Horton
1 WHY DO PEOPLE WANT WIDESCREEN ANYWAY
I HATE WHEN DVD'S ARE RELEASED ON WIDESCREEN ONLY..THANK GOD FOR FULL FRAME..WHO WANTS THOSE ANNOYING BLACK BARS ACROSS THE TOP AND WHO CARES IF PART OF THE PIC IS MISSING...DID WE CARE YEARS AGO???..PEOPLE ARE JUST TOO SPOILED..IF ANYTHING THE STUDIOS NEED TO RELEASE ALL MOVIES IN BOTH FORMATS SO PEOPLE CAN CHOOSE WHICH THEY WANT..THIS WIDESCREEN JUNK IS RIDICULOUS...GO FULL FRAME
2 It's about time...
It's about time Gidget came out on DVD! I read the reviews about this and almost didn't buy it. Other reviewers almost made me think it would be horrible because half of the picture was cut off, you can see cellulite, etc. I don't know what all the big fuss is about. It's Gidget as I remembered it and it's better than not having anything at all. My old VHS tapes were at the end of their rope. I'm glad it is finally here (long overdue) and would recommend to anyone.
3 OK with ME
If this is the only way I can get to see Sandra Dee as Gidget on DVD, so be it. Widescreen would be nice this will have to do for now.
4 Columbia Tri-Star just doesn't care
The other viewers are correct in lambasting Columbia Tri-Star for releasing these pictures (not to mention Roz as Mother Superior) in pan-and-scan full-frame. But it is not merely for the original "Gidget" that this matters; "Gidget Goes Hawaiian" is delightful as well and features some snappy production numbers. Columbia put itself to no expense apparently in doing the DVD transfer, since it looks like the same unrestored, sometimes dirty print as the VHS issue was used. Even so, it doesn't look half as bad as some pan-and-scan jobs and for many who encountered this picture first on TV, the full-screen will at least look "normal."
5 Why????
Why? Why? Why? What made these people think they could make any other Gidget movie WITHOUT Sandra Dee? The first Gidget with her was wonderful! I loved it. The whole ocean theme was really great and enjoyable!! Sandra Dee was wonderful. And then they go and make these other two movies without her and they have the nerve to call her Gidget?? How? Why? However, let me tell you, if you forget about the whole "Gidget" thing. They are actually really entertaining. Though a bad choice for Gidget, it was really nice. Deborah wasn't good, and neither was Cindy Carol. Cindy was annoying, and Deborah was annoying, but hey they did it. If you are buying this set, because you loved the first Gidget, don't. It is a waste of money. But if you are buying it for a enjoyable movie, and don't know the real Gidget well, they are good. I really did enjoy them!
6 Hmm
These were 3 great movies that got horrible DVD release. I mean I bought the DVD set because it was better than nothing. But still Columbia House should have given these 3 glorious films the respect they rightfully deserved, I mean why couldn't they release it in Widescreen format. The first movie in the set gets a 1 disc release that isn't double sided. It is the best Gidget movie of them all. The 1959 Film Gidget which Sandra Dee, James Darren, and Arthur O'Connell. Which was the best ever. Than comes Gidget Goes Hawaiian. With Deborah Walley, Michael Callan, James Darren, and Carl Reiner. Then the last Gidget Film, Gidget Goes To Rome, which starred Cindy Carroll as Gidget, James Darren in his last role as Moondoggie, and Don Porter as Gidgets father, who played Gidgets father in the 60's TV Series Gidget which starred Sally Fields as Gidget. Which Gidget Goes To Rome, also stars the beautiful Jessie Royce Landis, as the funny guardian. The movies are great, but the set was ick.
7 Scary details in fullscreen
I'm not used to seeing 'Gidget' in fullscreen. Even when this movie plays on classic movie channels, it's played as intended - in Cinemascope widescreen - and rightfully so. The first Gidget movie is beautifully shot. Since these DVDs are all in fullscreen, we only get to see one-third of what is supposed to be onscreen. Even though this gives the picture a grainy quality, the stretched-out one-third of the screen reveals scary details that I'd never seen in Cinemascope widescreen, like cellulite on various beach-goers (not naming names among Gidget's friends in the first beach scene of the first movie) and the heavy eyeliner on a certain leading man in the later two movies. So I agree with other reviewers who believe that at the least, the first Gidget movie should be available in widescreen. But the fullscreen format was not such a disappointment in the later two movies. 'Gidget Goes Hawaiian' has a B-quality plot. It reminds me of those teen romance books I used to get at the book fair in middle school. 'Gidget Goes To Rome' was a small improvement, but still doesn't measure up to the first movie. The worst thing about these two later movies is that Sandra Dee is in neither of them. But it wouldn't have been believable when Jeff temporarily breaks up with Gidget in 'Gidget Goes To Rome.' Breaking up with the bland Cindy Carol as Gidget is believable. Breaking up with Sandra Dee as Gidget is not believable.
8 Agree with everyone else here...
"Gidget" (the original, the one I ordered the set for) should be in WideScreen, not FullScreen. It's a sad, sad day in a movie lover's world when my AMC taped copy is better than the DVD I shelled out $25+ for.
I was so excited when it came in, only to be disappointed after the opening credits rolled. Thanks God my Sandra Dee/Bobby Darin collection came in the mail the same time as "Gidget".
What a disappointment! Execs at Universal should be forced to write letters of apology (personal, not form letters) to us who rushed out and bought the collection. And then replace our DVDs with the WideScreen. Made an already bad Saturday that much worse...
jenn m.
Oxford, Mississippi, USA
9 WIDE SCREEN GIDGET
I agree with the other reviews. This definately should have been released in it's original aspect ratio. 2.35 and the other two 1.85. If they all were only 1.66 it would not have been so bad. I am certainly waiting till it comes out in wide screen, and hope it does, but will hang on to my video's in the meantime.
It would have been a wonderful set to have, VERY DISAPPOINTING.
10 GIDGET COLLECTION
This could have been the perfect mid-summer diversion. However, someone at Columbia/Tri-Star decided this collection should be
released in full screen. (The first Gidget feature is in CinemaScope). Such a let-down. I guess I shall just have to keep the Cinemascope tape copy I made off Turner Classic Movies Channel. I hope I can get my money back. Note to those in charge of such things. Full-frame is for VHS. Wide-screen is for DVD. Pass it on.
11 Disappointed
I also was set to purchase these DVDs in order to view the other Gidget movies in widescreen (probably 1.85:1) as I have on tape the original Gidget movie from TCM in widescreen. However, I will NOT purchase cheesy, full-frame editions. Columbia-Tristar has really stumbled lately with their DVD releases (Ship of Fools, Divorce American Style, Trouble with Angels, etc.). When will they get with it?
12 Certainly not formatted to fit MY screen!
Hey, what's going on Columbia? The age of pan and scan VHS is over! The first "Gidget" movie cries out for the original CinemaScope aspect ratio, and the two follow-ups should be in standard "widescreen" format. Releases like this one are a giant step in the wrong direction for the DVD industry. 99% of potential consumers for movies like these want to see them in correct versions on DVD. I doubt that teenagers today would find Gidget & Co. amusing or even worth ten seconds of their time. But for us who were teens around 1960, films like these are great time travels loaded with nostalgia. (And by the way - who says that today's kids are allergic to widescreen? I don't think they're as stupid as some video companies seem to think.) So why bother to pan & scan? I'm sure Columbia will lose many, many more customers this way than by doing a decent and correct job aimed at film buffs and smart people. I will certainly not spend a cent on this release untill Columbia has the decency to remaster it!
13 Butchered movies in a 3 pack
I was ready to snatch these up....until I saw those dreaded words on the back of the case: "Full Frame"!
These movies were made in the late 50's, early 60's....so there is NO EXCUSE for issuing them in this format. They were shot in 2.35:1 ratio....so almost HALF THE PICTURE IS MISSING!!!
This is the second time Columbia Tristar has deeply disappointed me on films I wanted in DVD. The first was their butchering of "Where Angels Go Trouble Follows" and "The Trouble With Angels".
Alas, they will remain missing from my film library until they are released in their proper ratio!!
14 No widescreen, no sale!
How dare they, in this day and age forsake widescreen TV owners and others that wish to have movies in thier original aspect ratio.
I wanted the first Gidget movie, I have it taped on VHS in Pan and Scan and wanted a modern 16:9 trasnfer of this Cinemascope film.
Shame on Columbia/Tristar for not doing this the right way. Shame on them!
This will never be bought by me unless they release a widesceen version like they should've in the first place.
You would think that the studios would learn thier lesson from the fullscreen only Willy Wonka fiasco.
If you must put Pan and Scan on DVD, make sure the widescreen version is also available (preferably on a seperate release).
This potential sale has been cancelled.
15 yes, me too
won't buy it if it isn't is widescreen.
so is it really double sided?? ouch!!
16 Full Screen Version -- Great
This DVD is done right! Full screen as all movies should be! Buy it and write to the studio to thank them! Full Screen for Me! Ban the Bars!
17 umm hello
Okay so I know my wife has been waiting for these movies to come out on DVD since dvd was around and what does the studio do, they release it in full screen mode only. Umm Hello , anybody else see major problems with this,
to the Studios who produce it, GO BACK AND FIX IT
not worth the money, also since it appears to be only on one disc, even using double sided, it would still most likely be using a very high ( translated to bad picture ) compression scheme
its a shame too because they are truely excellent movies
18 BOYCOTT THIS RELEASE
Who wants a cropped pan-and-scan edition? Who wants to see LESS of the original film frame?!!! Shame on you CTS for this poor, long-awaited release. The people who want to buy this film DO NOT CARE if there are black bars on the top and bottom. We like films released on DVD in their original aspect ratio!! Why the VHS mentality?
I will happily buy this set when they are released in widescreen, as they were intended to be seen.
19 AVOID this HORRIBLE DVD set
GIDGET was shot and released in CinemaScope, and yet the DVD is an unwatchable panned and scanned copy, which crops out 50% of the frame. Unacceptable, especially since TCM airs the widescreen version on cable! The film is ruined; don't bother.
The sequels were not Scope; they do not suffer as much.
Avoid and boycott this DVD until they go back and do it right.
20 What a letdown!
I've been waiting for these films to be released on DVD so I could see the ENTIRE frame, not a cropped pan-and-scan portion of the frame. Why did you decide to limit the image, Columbia? It is so easy to just encode the entire original widescreen film and let the DVD viewer choose whether they want to crop it to fit their TV. Send the originals to me and I'll encode them! The more people that reject this release, the quicker we will see a proper widescreen release on the market. Unfortunately Sandra Dee, I will be waiting longer to see thee.
21 Avoid This Hacked Up DVD Like The Plague
Gidget, a wonderful film for film buffs(it kicked off the beach movie genre), and 40 yrs later still a fine film in it's own right thanks to some sensitive writing a performances from Dee, Darren and Robertson, is unfortunately yet another victim of a bottom-of-the-barrel dvd issue by its studio Columbia/Tri-Star.
For some reason, the execs there believe that this 45 yr old film will have more sales cachet to the fickle, superficial Wal-Mart crowd if it 2.35 scope ratio is hacked up to fill the screen of their $45 Symphonic tv's .
this leaves people who actually saw the film in the theaters way back when and would like to see it again, intact, for the first time in 45 years , as well as serious film fans who already understand and appreciate what letterboxing is- totally in the cold.
Columbia, early on one of the finest of all the studios producing dvds, continues its slide into the gutter as the format finally starts to reach some maturity.
my pre-order has been cancelled.
if only more people who loved movies, and appreciated the art that went into them, did the same, maybe the clowns in charge would eventually get the message.
22 Gidget's the ultimate...
The original Gidget is my favorite. I've seen it at least 50 times beginning when I was younger than she was when she made the movie. I have always loved Sandra Dee and with James Darren, it was the perfect teen romance movie. I think kids today should check it out to see how it used to be and maybe still can. It really was a time of innocence and there's nothing wrong with that.The other two Gidget movies just can't compare! But they are good for a rainy afternoon.
23 Yay!
I've been waiting for the Gidget movies to come out on DVD for a long time, as I no longer have a VHS player. I grew up on these movies, and was particularly obssessed with Gidget Goes Hawaiian. I can't wait to get my pre-ordered copies of the DVD's as I had begun to despair that they would never make the conversion!
24 BEWARE - Gidget DVDs are pan & scan
I was all set to pre-order this DVD set of the first three Gidget films when I learned that they are pan & scan, not widescreen. All three films were made in widescreen, and the original "Gidget" was filmed in Panavision--meaning that the pan & scan version will cut off 1/2 of the picture. (I'm not sure if the other two Gidget films were Panavision (2.35) or 1.85 widescreen.)
If you're thinking about buying this as a permanent part of your DVD library, you may want to wait until Columbia does a proper job on the DVD. Even if you don't have a widescreen televison now, you will before too much longer...
25 Fond Memories
I grew up with these movies and in fact have two out of three of them on VHS already. My daughters who are just entering their twenties enjoy them with me. James Darren was my teen idol, and Sandra Dee was so sweet it was a joy to watch. Now Gidget goes Hawaiian still gave me James Darren, but I also got to enjoy the dance and music of a variety of other stars, it takes me back to a softer time. I can't say I enjoyed Gidget goes to Rome as much, but the scenery was worth it.
26 YAY! They Are FINALLY Out On DVD!!!
I grew up with these movies. My mom had me watching them when I was very young. They are VERY dear to my heart. They are somewhat dated (style-wise), but still completely enjoyable. The issues involved still ring loud and true among teens nowadays. I am just out of my teens (I'm 20 years old) and even with all the "teen flicks" coming out these days, I would have to say that Gidget Goes Hawaiian is one of my favorite teen movies of all time. But here you don't just get that one, you get all three (although let it be known I've never seen the entire Gidget Goes to Rome--but I would pay 20 bucks just to get the first two!)! These movies are just ADORABLE!
