Gidget: Don't Defrost the Alligator

Gidget: Don't Defrost the Alligator
ABC
April 21, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is a very silly episode to end on, as symbolized by the fact that the most recognizable guest star is Marvin Kaplan.  Of course, no one knew that Gidget wouldn't be renewed, and it was in fact a hit in summer reruns.  But this was the end of the line for this particular series, although of course not for Gidget the character.  The show was never amazing, but it was solid (averaging out to a B-) and could've run another couple years, maybe till Gidget went off to college.  That said, it's so representative of the mid-'60s that it is hard to quite imagine how it would've looked in '68, let alone beyond.

Gidget: I Have This Friend Who...

Gidget: I Have This Friend Who...
ABC
April 14, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Even though Toby (Bob Beach) criticized Gidget in "We Got Each Other" (also written by John McGreevey) for being too attached to her father, here his father (Spiro-Agnew-lookalike Herb Voland, who'd later be Gen. Crandell Clayton on M*A*S*H) accompanies them on all their dates.  When Gidget says the title phrase to John, he of course misunderstands.  Note Sally Field's shorter hairstyle than usual.

Gidget: Ask Helpful Hannah

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Gidget: Ask Helpful Hannah
ABC
March 31, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

The plot of this episode somewhat resembles my favorite ABC after-school special, Dear Lovey Hart, I Am Desperate, which we'll look at in '76.  Gidget reluctantly takes over the campus newspaper advice column and things backfire for her and others.  I don't think it's handled as well here as there, but there are some things I like, gimmicky though they are.  The Bewitched-sounding sound effect whenever Gidget has (or thinks she has) a realization is cute, as are the "bubbles" of her family and Larue commenting on the mess.

Barbara Hershey again plays Ellen, but this time she doesn't seem to be friends with Gidget.  Jewel Jaffe, who plays Kathy, would go on to write eight Welcome Back, Kotter episodes.  Rick Cooper again is Ted.  Bob Beach is again Toby, and pretends he's never been to the local teen hang-out before, although he was on "We Got Each Other."

Gidget: One More for the Road

Gidget: One More for the Road
ABC
March 24, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Gidget, now "sweet 16 and never been licensed," lies about being able to drive in order to get a job at a flower shop.  The episode is full of poor decision-making, mostly but not entirely on Gidget's part.  Nonetheless, it's nice to see the ever classy John McGiver as her boss.

Gidget: Independence Gidget Style

Gidget: Independence Gidget Style
ABC
March 17, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This episode has some biographical details, not necessarily consistent with the rest of the series.  Gidget, who's been 15 1/2 since at least the beginning of the school year, claims to have a May 7th birthday.  Russ's birthday takes place during the episode, whenever it's set.  He refers to Anne reading her sister's diary, as if this has happened recently.  And John and Anne have been married for three years.  The episode is also notable for its Playboy Club satire, here the Kit Kat Club.  The family, Anne in particular of course, suspect that Gidget is working there.  Along with a Lolita reference, that makes this one of the more suggestive episodes in the series.

Rick Sorensen makes his fourth appearance on the show, here as a Boy Surfer.  And Bob Beach is back as Toby.

Gidget: Love and the Single Gidget

Gidget: Love and the Single Gidget
ABC
March 3, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B

With Russ out of town, John and Anne give Gidget permission to go to a surfing tournament (as a viewer not competitor), but they hire college senior Scott to keep an eye on her.  Scott tricks Gidget into thinking he's interested in her romantically, and then she's very upset when she finds out.  Meanwhile, a vain guy named Richie thinks she must be a swinger if she needs a bodyguard, so he takes her parking.  I like how Gidget gets out of the risky situation on her own, even before Scott shows up.  And I like how Larue finds Gidget at the bus stop earlier and talks her out of going home, convincing her to stay despite the "slurky gleek" Scott.

This time Barbara Hershey plays Karen, Pamela McMyler plays Janet, and Tim Rooney plays Ken.  Twenty-six-year-old Ron Rifkin, in his TV debut, does his best to pass as a college student.  The episode is co-written by John McGreevey and Stephen Kandel, the last of four by the latter.

Gidget: Ring-a-Ding-Dingbat

Gidget: Ring-a-Ding-Dingbat
ABC
February 24, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
C+

After the satires of Dylan and "sickies" earlier in the season, this episode seems particularly dated, like it should've aired a year or two earlier, when the British invasion was fresher and jokes about wigs made more sense.  Not only that, unlike the more mod-looking Mosquitoes on Gilligan's Island, the Dingbats don't even sing!  So it's mostly Gidget and Larue racing around, trying to find the teen idols, with a pay-off that can't match the classic Davy Jones episode of The Brady Bunch five years later.  Note, I don't think Anne is old enough to have been part of Elvis's first wave of fans, since that would make her about a decade older than Gidget, rather than the more likely five or seven years.

Gidget: Operation Shaggy Dog

Gidget: Operation Shaggy Dog
ABC
February 17, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This is Dorothy Cooper Foote's second of two Gidget episodes and it doesn't really work.  While it is nice to see Lew Parker, shortly to be Lew Marie on That Girl, as Socrates the crusty owner of the local teen hang-out, the battle between Russ and Gidget over what will happen to Sock's business feels out of character for Russ.  Usually when he disagrees with Gidget, he'll at least try and listen to her viewpoint.  Here there has to be a heavy-handed scene where Russ meets a young doctor that Sock encouraged.  Still, the episode is interesting for the generation gap aspect.  It's Hal Cooper's first of three Gidget gigs, although he had already directed a Gilligan.

Yet another member of the cast of Village of the Giants appears, this time Tim Rooney (Mickey's son) as Tommy.  Bob Beach is back as Toby.  And Don Edmonds, who plays Buzz, was in Gidget Goes Hawaiian.

Gidget: We Got Each Other

Gidget: We Got Each Other
ABC
February 10, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Earlier episodes hinted that Gidget might have an Electra Complex, but this one, written by John McGreevey, addresses the issue relatively directly.  The phrase isn't used ("father image" is), but it's pretty clear that Gidget is worried she has such a complex.  So she decides to first encourage one of his relationships, and then to distance herself from Russ.  Of course it all backfires on her and Russ, till they clear the air at the end.

Bob Beach had earlier appeared as Pete on "Chivalry Isn't Dead," but this is his first of five appearances as Toby.  Penny Kunard, who plays Katie would be on That Girl.  (No, that's not the Michael York as Perry.)

Below, the contrast between mid '60s TV farce and early '80s TV farce.

Gidget: Ego-a-Go-Go

Gidget: Ego-a-Go-Go
ABC
January 27, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

While it's fun to see 18-year-old Richard Dreyfuss play a nerd, I think the script could've used another rewrite.  A rivalry is built up between Gidget and a transfer student, but there's no pay-off.  And it looks like Gidget is going to try to go to the "Spinster Hop" with another boy, but that fizzles out.  Kudos though to getting a plausible calendar date for the dance this time: Saturday the 14th, which would place this in either February or March of that year.

Gidget: Gidget's Career

Gidget and the Goreys

Gidget: Gidget's Career
ABC
January 20, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B

This is both a sweet look at Gidget's friendship with Larue and a gentle satire of then-current rock trends.  (The Rolling Stones and Sonny & Cher among others get shout-outs.)  The thing of Gidget being the untalented girl playing the tambourine is funny in light of how often this would be a motif in rock & roll cartoons later in the decade and on into the '70s, e.g. The Archies.

Jimmy Hawkins, who plays Paul, was Tommy Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, and he was making Elvis movies around this time.  Sandy Kenyon, who plays Rick Farmer, would be on a few That Girl episodes.  And, yes, Joanna Lee proves she can write as well for Gidget as for Gilligan.

Gidget: Like Voodoo

Gidget: Like Voodoo
ABC
January 13, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
C

This was the night that Gidget switched to Thursdays, opposite Gilligan's Island.  I'm not sure which show I'd have chosen at the time, but I think a few minutes of this episode would've made me defect to CBS for the evening.  It's bad enough watching the castaways be superstitious, but it's too much for Gidget.  That there's no clear distinction between witches, Gypsies, and voodoo-practioners doesn't help.  This is easily my least favorite episode so far, and even the orange cat can't save it.

Gidget: Now There's a Face

Gidget: Now There's a Face
ABC
December 22, 1965
Sitcom
DVD
B

Gidget, still 15 1/2, falls for a 24-year-old photographer played by Daniel J. Travanti.  Obviously, Anne and John (making their first appearances in awhile) are concerned, as is Russ.  As with the episode where Larue and Russ became friends, the subject is handled tastefully and sweetly, here in a script by Dorothy Cooper Foote.  Note, Gidget's middle name is Elizabeth.  Lillian Adams, who plays Mrs. Daley, would be a Pushcart Woman on That Girl.

Gidget: My Ever Faithful Friend

Gidget: My Ever Faithful Friend
ABC
November 24, 1965
Sitcom
DVD
B

This episode manages to work both as a touching look at the friendship between Russ and Larue and as flat-out farce, with Gidget and then others, including Larue, being convinced that Russ is in love with Larue.  It never becomes tasteless, but remains alternately funny and sweet.  I could've done without all the put-downs of Larue's looks, but I like that she is mostly comfortable with herself and her interests, including horses.

Gidget: Is It Love or Symbiosis?

Gidget pretending to be "gay," i.e. happy.

Gidget: Is It Love or Symbiosis?
ABC
November 10, 1965
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Anne and John think that Gidget is too unlady-like and destined to be an old maid living with Russ in twenty years, and so they want her to attend boarding school, in France!  The premise doesn't fit in with anyone's character as established.  In particular, you would think that if Anne is that over-protective and controlling of Gidget, she'd want to keep her local and under her thumb.  Nonetheless, there are some nice performances by Don Porter and Sally Field, separately and together, and I like that Lynette Winter gets to show the sympathetic side of Larue.  A pre-Laugh-In Judy Carne appears as one of the girlfriends of Russ's bachelor friend (Roy Stuart, who'd be in the movie The Love God? four years later).

Gidget: Image Scrimmage

Still wholesome and unsophisticated
but she's trying.

Gidget: Image Scrimmage
ABC
November 3, 1965
Sitcom
DVD
B

This, the first episode written by Barbara Avedon, is the also the first since the pilot that I feel lives up to its potential.  When Larue's sophisticated New Yorker cousin buys Gidget a "junior ticket" on their blind date to the movies (is that equivalent to a child's ticket or what?), Gidget decides she needs to have a more sophisticated image, which includes a dress with feathers.  The five main cast members all have their moments here, with the height being the reactions to Russ's student with the crush on him explaining that she has a tendency to take things off, like her earrings.

Jan Crawford, who plays cousin Roger, would return in a different role.  Note that I'm tagging Mike Nader even when he's uncredited and/or has no lines.

Gidget: Gidget Is a Proper Noun

Gidget: Gidget Is a Proper Noun
ABC
October 27, 1965
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Another episode with a lot of school stuff.  (Westside High.)  This time Gidget is struggling in her English class because her teacher is a former student of Russ's.  So she submits one of her father's old papers to prove that the teacher is biased.  And of course both Gidget and the teacher learn a lesson.  Note, when sister Anne says everyone considers cheating, Gidget says, "Well, with a husband like John."  This is the first Gidget episode written by Austin and Irma Kalish, although he wrote some Gilligan without his wife, while director Oscar Rudolph had some Brady Bunch episodes in his future.

Gidget: Gidget Gadget

Gidget: Gidget Gadget
ABC
October 13, 1965
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Anne leaves John (going home four blocks) after six months of marriage, feeling neglected.  Gidget of course interferes, including setting them up with dance lessons.  The male dance instructor is a pre-Get-Smart Dick Gautier.  The "instructress" is played by Janis Hansen, who'd return in a different role.  Larue has some cute moments, including dressed a spy.  I would've given this a B, but the ending with both Anne and John spanking Gidget is just wrong by modern standards, on so many levels.  Both writer Stephen Kandel and director E. W. Swackhamer would return.

Gidget: Daddy Come Home

Gidget: Daddy Come Home
ABC
October 6, 1965
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Russ stays out on a date later than planned, so Gidget worries, leading to cop Harvey Korman scolding the "mama's boy."  The mix of drama and comedy doesn't really work here.  Larue is mentioned but not seen.

Gidget: The Great Kahuna

He's no Cliff Robertson but kind of cute.

Gidget: The Great Kahuna
ABC
September 29, 1965
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Martin Milner plays the title character in this episode, with a different backstory than in the first movie.  Amusingly, considering the images of flight that appear (wings vs. roots), Albert Mannheimer would write a Flying Nun episode (no, not a series I own), as well as a couple more for this show.  Interestingly, Gidget's idea of being a free spirit is traveling with the Kahuna and cooking for him and taking care of him.  Also, note that she clearly thinks cigarettes are icky.  Her father as always remains protective but reasonable, a contrast to other TV fathers, e.g. Mr. Marie on That Girl a year later.