The beach genre and surfing in
American movies idealized with
fictitious characters such Gidget
and Moondoggy has been rekindled in
musical plays. Above is a
playbill from one such effort to
memorialize that spirit. Back when
girls wore modest two-piece bathing
suits and teased hair, and beach
boys were torn between surfing and
their girls, romance usually found a
way to overcome the obstacles set in
its path.
Themes of love and romance
introduced in a movie and musical,
Bye, Bye, Birdie, in 1963, held mass
appeal, suddenly catching the
attention of teens and their
parents. The time was ripe to
introduce beach-themed movies such
as Gidget in 1965 and surfing films
such as Bruce Brown's surf-themed
Endless Summer in 1966.
While nearly forgotten, some who've
experienced that era are attempting
to resurrect its cultural nuisances
of time and place through plays such
as the Surf City musical. (poster
courtesy Shirley Westlie Orlando,
author and playwright)
