Gidget, The Original Surfer Girl Icon
Cover image: joesmoviestuff.blogspot.com
Gidget, for many, was the ambitious surf-crazed Southern California girl who brought stoke to the post-war American youth. The cultural sensation marks a part of the boom of surf popularity and surf culture. Here is the story of the original Gidget, the icon's rise to fame, and the post-Gidget impact on surfing in America.
The History Behind the Girl
Before Gidget arrived on the scene, a post-war surf girl scene was present in Malibu. This original crew consisted of Clair Cassidy, Robin Grigg, and Vicki Flaxman. They charged the waves a few years before Gidget, making a splash, pun intended, on the male-dominated surf scene. During their time the Malibu beach boys were more accepting of the girls looking to surf. However, by the time Gidget came around, not only was she the only female in the line-up, but the regulars also didn’t look fondly on newcomers, especially a young girl looking to join the crew and learn to surf.
The real Gidget is a girl by the name of Kathy Kohner. She was born in 1941 and grew up in the Los Angeles Suburb, Brentwood. After getting a taste of riding waves in the summer of 1956, she spent almost every day at the beach. She was determined to learn to surf and hang out with the classic Malibu crew like Terry “Tubesteak” Tracy and Kemo Amberg. Standing five feet tall and weighing about 90 pounds, she earned the name Gidget from the combination of girl and midget.
Kohner described herself as a mascot for the beach boys and spent the summer going through initiation rituals and slight hazing to earn her spot with the group. She would also bring plenty of homemade peanut butter sandwiches that she’d trade for whatever board was laying around and a few pointers. By the end of her summer, she had bought a surfboard, was a competent surfer, and had earned respect from the crew.
The frothing 16-year-old would return home every evening and tell her parents about her daily adventures. She was having so much fun that she wanted to write a book recalling her days surfing in Malibu and hanging with the boys. Her father, Frederick Kohner, who had a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna, decided to take on the task, and in 1957, just six weeks later, “Gidget” the novel was finished.
The Spotlight
The book became an instant hit among the American youth, especially those that had never experienced surfing. By 1959, Hollywood brought Gidget to the big screens. The young, crazed surfer girl played by Sandra Dee, was smart, goofy, and determined to master riding the waves. Her love interest, Moondoggie, played by James Darren, and mentor, The Big Kahuna, played by Cliff Robertson, lived in a palm house on the sand and painted a scene of the classic Malibu crew.
Malibu regulars like Micky Dora, Tracy, Mike Doyle, and Johnny Fain are featured as stunt doubles in the film. The scenes of them all taking off and riding the same wave stoically to shore were filmed at a little beach 20 miles North of Malibu, called Leo Carillo.
After the films, and amidst the true beginnings of the nationwide Gidget craze, the real surfer girl, Kohner, had gone to Oregon State College. She left her surfing days behind and claimed her ego was never tied to Gidget. She was simply a girl who surfed, had been nicknamed Gidget by the boys, and before she knew it, the world had gone crazy.
After the original film came out, more novels and Hollywood screenplays followed. Gidget Goes Hawaiian in 1961, Gidget goes to Rome, The Affairs of Gidget, and more. In 1960, Surfer Magazine was founded, in 1962, the Beach Boys also came out with their first hit, Beach Party, and the crowds of surfers at Malibu steadily increased. Gidget spin-offs continued throughout the early 2000s, and the character of the young eager surfer girl acted as an icon and symbol of the youthful exuberance and excitement that gets people into the surf scene.
Kohner Today
In college, Kohner separated herself from the growing Gidget empire. After graduating, she returned to California and worked as a bookstore clerk, travel agent, and restaurant host. She married a Yiddish Scholar and had two kids. In the 1990s, first edition Gidget novels were selling for $1,000, and Kohner decided to embrace her surf girl side and started selling black and white copies of her 1960s Malibu scrapbook. In 1999, she started a Gidget postcard line. In March of the same year, Wahine Magazine featured her as the cover, and Surfer Magazine named her seventh most influential surfer in the world.
The character of Gidget has had an enormous impact on the surf world. Not only did she act as a driving force for mainstreaming surf culture, but it set the stage for female surfers to get out in the waves and try their hand at the male-dominated sport.
Did reading about Gidget inspire you to hit the waves? Remember to check out the Jamie O’Brien Surf App here for anytime, anywhere surf coaching.
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