Gidget Goes to Rome (1963)

"Gidget Goes to Rome....and it was never like home!"

After riding the waves in Malibu and basking in the Hawaiian sun, our favorite Southern California beach girl, Gidget, traded in her surfboard for a passport and embarked on her most exciting journey yet—a trip to Rome!  In Gidget Goes to Rome (1963), Francesca "Gidget" Lawrence (now played by Cindy Carol) explores the Eternal City with her ever-doting boyfriend Moondoggie (James Darren) and the "gang" from back home. 

Rome proves to be the perfect playground for Gidget's romantic and cultural escapades. She gets to marvel at the Colosseum, daydream in the Roman Forum, toss coins into the Trevi Fountain, and also find time to go over the deep end for a sophisticated Italian magazine writer, Paolo (Cesare Danova), who claims to be writing an article about an American girl's impressions of Rome. He is really keeping an eye on her as a favor to her father, an old war buddy, but poor Gidge doesn't realize this. 

Jeff aka "Moondoggie" takes Gidget's romantic fling in stride because he has fallen in love himself - with Daniela (Danielle DeMetz), the group's curvaceous tour guide.  

"Everyone falls in love in Rome, Jeff. It is our national pastime - like your baseball."

While Gidget and Moondoggie adjust to their new pairings, she also gets involved in a series of comedic mishaps, all set against the stunning backdrop of a postcard-perfect Italy. The film captures a breezy, early-1960s ideal of international travel—where every piazza is picturesque and romance is always just around the corner. This was a dream trip that every college student at the time wanted to take. 

Gidget Goes to Rome plays like a Technicolor travelogue, making full use of its on-location shooting in Italy. Director Paul Wendkos, who helmed all three Gidget films, gives audiences a delightful tour of Rome’s most iconic landmarks, from the Spanish Steps to St. Peter’s Basilica.

The sights aren't the only dazzling part of the film—the wardrobe is just as eye-catching. The girls get to wear gorgeous Fontana fashions, and a highlight of the film is the elegant fashion show sequence at the legendary Fontana studio where Gidget accidentally stumbles onto the runway. 

Cindy Carol, who steps into the shoes of Sandra Dee and Deborah Walley, plays Gidget with a sprightly flair all her own. Gidget Goes to Rome was the first Gidget film that I watched as a young girl and the movie - as well as Cindy Carol's performance in it - still remain my favorite in the series. Who can resist the catchy title song by James Darren, too? 

Joby Baker returns as Jeff's pal Judge, while Peter Brooks, Noreen Corcoran, and Trudi Ames round out the cast as Gidget's travelling companions. Of course, no Gidget movie would be complete without parental intervention, and this time it’s in the form of the not-so-watchful chaperone Aunt Albertina played by the wig-swapping Jessie Royce Landis.

Gidget Goes to Rome is a typical light-hearted romance adventure that was perfectly in step with the beach-party films and globetrotting romances of the era. It’s a breezy farewell to the Gidget film series and well worth a watch. Just don’t expect too many waves—this time, the only surfing Gidget does is through the winding streets of Rome.