Sally Field as the all-American teenager, Gidget Lawrence Don Porter as her loving father, Russ Lawrence

Gidget (aired September 15, 1965-September 1, 1966 on ABC-TV ) This warm, wonderful, humorous series is about a fun loving all-American teenager who likes surfing and the beach. Her name is "Gidget", Frances Elizabeth Lawrence, (Sally Field), a student at Westside High School. She lives with her wonderful father, an English professor at UCLA, Russell Lawrence (Don Porter). Gidget has an older sister, Anne, who is prim and proper. Ever since their mother died, Anne has had a strong maternal instinct. Anne's husband, John Cooper, is studying to be a psychologist, likes to psychoanalyze people, and can be a pain. Larue (Lynette Winter) is a really good friend of Gidget's. Gidget has a boyfriend, Jeff, who is going back east for college at Princeton. Gidget is a treasure. She's innocent and she loves life. Sometimes, she'll look directly into the camera and tell us how she's feeling. Life is good. Don Porter and Sally Field as father and daughter are really great together. The show is well written and it tells good stories. The sets look nice and are well lit. Why did Gidget last only one season? In 1965, Gidget was competing against the #8 program, "The Beverly Hillbillies", that was airing on CBS and the last third of the #25 program, "The Virginian" (90 minutes), that was airing on NBC. Those two shows had been on the air since 1962. Gidget was a new show for 1965, so it had some tough competition. According to a Sally Field interview on the fourth DVD, Gidget's ratings did increase to put the show in the top ten. But it was too late. The decision to take Gidget off the air had already been made. "Now There's A Face" is one of the best episodes. Gidget falls in love with an older guy, who's a photographer. In "Ego a Go-Go", Gidget tries to the help the self-confidence of Norman Durfner, otherwise known as Durf the Drag (Richard Dreyfuss), by inviting him to the Spinster Hop. The complete series of 32 episodes is available on DVD at www.amazon.com . It took some getting used to but it was well worth it. Most of the programs are a joy to watch and the video quality is really good.

Gidget episodes Dear Diary-Et Al (aired September 15, 1965) Creator & Script Consultant...Frederick Kohner Title song performed by.......The Four Freshmen Gidget........................Sally Field Russell Lawrence..............Don Porter Anne..........................Betty Connor Larry.........................Peter E. Deuel (this character is credited as Larry not John) Jeff (Moondoggie).............Stephen Mines Larue.........................Lynette Winter Cornbread.....................Pamela Colbert In God, and Nobody Else, We Trust (aired September 22, 1965) Creator & Script Consultant...Frederick Kohner Title song recorded by........Johnny Tillotson Gidget........................Sally Field Russell Lawrence..............Don Porter Anne..........................Betty Conner (last name spelled differently than in first episode) John..........................Pete Deuel Treasure......................Beverly Adams Pokey.........................Heather North Siddo.........................Mike Nader Randy.........................Rickie Sorensen The Great Kahuna (aired September 29, 1965) Story by......................Frederick Kohner Creator & Script Consultant...Frederick Kohner Title song recorded by........Johnny Tillotson Gidget........................Sally Field Russell Lawrence..............Don Porter Anne..........................Betty Conner John..........................Pete Deuel Larue.........................Lynette Winter Buff..........................Julie Parrish Siddo.........................Mike Nader Randy.........................Rickie Sorensen Kahuna........................Martin Milner Daddy Come Home (aired October 6, 1965) Gidget Gadget (aired October 13, 1965) A Hearse, a Hearse, My Kingdom for a Hearse (aired October 20, 1965) Gidget is a Proper Noun (aired October 27, 1965) Image Scrimmage (aired November 3, 1965) Is it Love or Symbiosis? (aired November 10, 1965) All the Best Diseases are Taken (aired November 17, 1965) My Ever Faithful Friend (aired November 24, 1965) Chivalry Isn't Dead (aired December 1, 1965) The War Between Men, Women and Gidget (aired December 8, 1965) Gidget's Foreign Policy (aired December 15, 1965) Now There's a Face (aired December 22, 1965) Too Many Cooks (aired December 29, 1965) I Love You, I Think (aired January 5, 1966) Like Voodoo (aired January 13, 1966) Gidget's Career (aired January 20, 1966) Ego-A- Go-Go (aired January 27, 1966) In and Out with the In-Laws (aired February 3, 1966) We Got Each Other (aired February 10, 1966) Operation Shaggy Dog (aired February 17, 1966) Ring-a-Ding-Dingbat (aired February 24, 1966) Love and the Single Gidget (aired March 3, 1966) Take a Lesson (aired March 10, 1966) Independence -- Gidget Style (aired March 17, 1966) One More for the Road (aired March 24, 1966) Ask Helpful Hannah (aired March 31, 1966) A Hard Night's Night (aired April 7, 1966) I Have This Friend Who . . . (aired April 14, 1966) Don't Defrost the Alligator (aired April 21, 1966) This Gidget page was created November 21, 2006.