Deborah Walley in Gidget Goes Hawaiian 1961
Southern Californian surf bums Francie Lawrence and Jeff Matthews – Gidget and Moondoggie to their friends – have just gotten pinned. Jeff is home from college for the summer, so he and Gidget only have a short amount of time to spend together before he has to go back to college. That’s why Gidget’s parents’ plans of a Hawaiian family vacation comes at such a bad time. Not initially wanting to go, Gidget does decide to go after she and Jeff get into a fight about the trip. Gidget is miserable in Hawaii, despite an abundance of boys who are interested in her, including celebrity Eddie Horner, a dancer performing at one of the hotels. But just as Gidget decides to get out of her funk and have a good time on this vacation, Russ Lawrence, Gidget’s father, gets the idea to bring Jeff to Hawaii to surprise Gidget. Jeff is indeed surprised as he catches Gidget in Eddie’s arms. To get back at Gidget, Jeff decides to have some fun of his own with Abby Stewart, a girl Gidget met on the plane from the mainland. A few words from Abby about Gidget gets the ball rolling for a few obstacles to get in the way of a Gidget/Jeff happy ending. A few extra unexpected words from Abby to Jeff may turn the tides in Gidget’s favor, but not until a few missing persons are found.