Gidget Grows Up is a 1969 American made-for-television comedy film directed by James Sheldon with stars Karen Valentine, Edward Mulhare and Paul Petersen as well as alphabetically listed special guest stars Warner Anderson, Bob Cummings, Nina Foch and Paul Lynde. Freely adapted from the novel Gidget Goes New York by Frederick Kohner, the film premiered on ABC on December 30, 1969, and was intended as a pilot for a possible new Gidget series, possibly a sequel to the 1960s sitcom Gidget.[1]
| Gidget Grows Up | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Based on | Gidget Goes New York by Frederick Kohner |
| Written by | John McGreevey |
| Directed by | James Sheldon |
| Starring | Karen Valentine Edward Mulhare Paul Petersen Guest Stars: Warner Anderson Bob Cummings Paul Lynde Nina Foch |
| Theme music composer | Shorty Rogers lyrics by Kelly Gordon sung by Jean King |
| Composer | Shorty Rogers |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Harry Ackerman |
| Producer | Jerome Courtland |
| Cinematography | John M. Stephens |
| Editor | Aaron Nibley |
| Running time | 74 minutes |
| Production company | Screen Gems |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | December 30, 1969 |
| Related | |
Plot
editAfter two years of college abroad, Gidget returns to Santa Monica. She discovers that the letters she wrote to her boyfriend Jeff, intended to make him jealous, have backfired, and her attempts to patch things up with him are rebuffed. Inspired by a speech she hears on television made by the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, she hops a bus to New York City to work for the United Nations.
She meets the ambassador, who finds her a job, but because she has only two years of college education, the best position the United Nations will offer her is tour guide. She meets and has a fling with Alex Mac Laughlin, an Australian agronomist who finds her and two of her fellow employees an inexpensive Greenwich Village apartment, managed by the eccentric Louis B. Latimer, a grown child actor has-been attempting a comeback as an independent film director.
Gidget has a number of comical and romantic adventures before being reunited with former boyfriend Jeff.
Cast
edit- Karen Valentine as Gidget
- Edward Mulhare as Alex Mac Laughlin
- Paul Petersen as Moondoggie
Guest stars in alphabetical order
- Warner Anderson as Ambassador Post
- Bob Cummings as Russ Lawrence[2]
- Nina Foch as Bibi Crosby
- Paul Lynde as Louis B. Latimer
| Susan Batson | Diana |
| Hal Frederick | Lee |
| Helen Funai | Minnie |
| Mario Aniov | Abdul |
| Gunilla Knudsen | Katrina |
| Doreen Lang | Mrs. Willard |
| Michael Lembeck | Arnold |
| Davis Roberts | Bukumbu Representative |
| Cynthia Lynn | Dispatcher |
| Donald Symington | Clerk |
| Harlan Carraher | Ben |
| Margot Jane | Rae Ellen |
| Leo G. Morrell | Turkish Delegate |
| Lloyd Kino | Japanese Delegate |
| Hugo Bianqui | Italian Delegate |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Gidget is Returning to the Screen--Only Now She's a Valentine". Los Angeles Times December 28, 1969: L 39 d.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (29 October 2024). "Movie Star Cold Streaks: Robert Cummings". Filmink. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
External links
edit- Gidget Grows Up at IMDb
- Gidget Grows Up at OVGuide, eight video clips comprising the entire film, more or less