If you're a fan of Bikini.com, then you probably know that we take our creative inspiration from many of the old 60's beach movies, including one of our very favorites, "Gidget". So we're stoked to let you know that now there's a documentary that takes you behind the scenes at that iconic movie. "Accidental Icon, The Real Gidget Story" will have its Hollywood Premiere at the landmark Egyptian Theater (American Cinematheque) this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Kathy “Gidget” Zuckerman, the central subject of the 60-minute documentary, will attend the Premiere with the director and members of the cast and crew. The film first screened in March at Australia’s Noosa Festival of Surfing, the biggest surfing event in the world, and was hailed as a “huge success” by surf media impresario Peter Townend. The Newport Beach Film Festival hosted the project in April, where it played to an enthusiastic standing-room-only audience as well.
"Accidental Icon" explores the largely untold story of the real “Gidget” and how her account of surfing Malibu in the mid-50’s became the basis for a best-selling novel and a series of feature films and TV shows. A half century later, “Gidget” is celebrated as a slice of Americana, with considerable impact on pop culture (like Bikini.com) and the sport of surfing. In the movie, surf legends and present-day “surfer girls” set the stage and take the Gidget story full circle. Prominent actors, writers and directors, many of whom brought Gidget to the big and small screen, provide an often enlightening behind-the-scenes perspective. Some of them include Sally Field-Oscar winning actor (“Gidget” TV Series), Cliff Robertson-Oscar winning actor (“Gidget”), James Darren-Actor/Singer (“Gidget”), and Gregory Harrison-Actor (“Ed,” “North Shore”). If you're in L.A. this weekend and in the mood to experience some early California beach culture, check it out!
