For a show that lasted only one season, "
Gidget" is a strong fan favorite that found its audience some 20 years, more or less, after its debut on
ABC. "Gidget" lasted only one season because it was on third place network, ABC, which was trying hard to build its viewer base. They had "Bewtiched" and "
The Patty Duke Show" but seemingly not much else that would build a loyal following. Posted here is a very clever radio spot promoting the show to teenagers in
Memphis on station
WHBQ.
Unfortunately, "Gidget" was the victim of the ratings bully, "
The Beverly Hillbillies." Then something amazing happened. During the summer, "GIdget" went into reruns and started building an audience who missed it during the regular season. The show went into the Top Ten, but by then, ABC had performed it's
Lizzie Borden act and gave the show the ax.
Sally Field certainly was enough to convert anyone into an instant fan, but the show was stocked from top to bottom with some excellent talent:
Don Porter, as
Russell Lawrence, Gidget's dad; Lynette
Winter, as Larue, Gidget's best friend (and was to Gidget as
Ethel Mertz was to
Lucy);
Betty Conner, as Gidget's big sister,
Anne;
Pete Duel as Gidget's brother-in-law,
John.
Everyone involved was above excellent in their roles and in a rare instance, the characters came across as fresh, realistic and not at all like stock, seen-it-a-million-times cut-outs.
If all this wasn't enough, the show was uniquely progressive in how Gidget was portrayed. Never one to whine and passively sit and wait for life to happen to her, Sally Field's Gidget took situations firmly in hand and made things happen.
Taken as a whole, the episodes paint Gidget as an independent,
Girl Power icon. One episode had her taking an auto shop class at school, just so she would be prepared to do her own repairs on a car she was going to buy. On most any other show of the era, this would been played for cheap laughs where the girl would have had to admit something like "it's a man's world."
Instead, even though Gidget found the class more challenging then she expected, we learn from the ending that Gidget had learned a few things in that class after all. The only other teen-oriented show from that time that portrayed a girl with a mind of her own was "The Patty Duke Show."
"Gidget" worked simply because Sally Field made it work. An author commenting on vintage television shows made a perfect observation that
Sally's enthusiasm, charm and charisma were genuine and so strong that her acting didn't come across as a gimmick or some
Hollywood writers' plot device.
Whatever it was that Sally brought to the table, it sure impressed a bunch of us guys who were in high school when this show seeming came out of nowhere in the 80's. This could have been passed off as a "
Girl's
Show," but again, Sally made it click with everyone.
So, a one-season wonder became a hit show, gaining new viewers in the 80's and still gaining new viewers now.
Treat yourself to the
DVD of the complete series. You can find it at Wal-Mart for an excellent price.
- published: 18 Jan 2015
- views: 578