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June 21, 2006 When I was fifteen I fancied myself as Gidget. I was close in height and weight to Sandra Dee (give or take ten pounds), and I loved the beach so it wasn't a huge stretch to picture myself frolicking beside the gorgeous James Darren (aka Moondoogie) and watching him hang ten when the surf was up James Darren, real name, James Ercolani from Philly, was my ideal man. I even crushed on Cliff Robertson, the Big Kahuna. During the summer months I was a permanent fixture on Zuma Beach in Southern, California and aside from being very tanned (without any thought of the perils of skin cancer and premature wrinkles), I was in absolute heaven just lying on my beach towel and fantasizing that I was about to be swept up and carried into the sea by the beautiful Moondoggie. I could see myself hanging around with the surfer boys and being the ONLY blonde girl allowed to be in their presence. There would be no competition and they would protect me from all manner of harm including sharks of the fish and human variety. Jimmy (Moondoggie) would sing to me under the moonlight and I would treasure every lyric of my favorite song, "Goodbye Cruel World" and of course, the theme to the Gidget the movie. One day, as I stared into the sparkling sea I noticed a commotion a few yards away and snapped back to reality to see a bunch of burly men setting up a make-shift shack. My mind went into over-drive as I pictured The Kahuna's shack in all of it's manufactured glory. I would rise up and take my place in the magic of celluloid and really BE Moondoggie's girl. Kahuna would protect me and Jimmy would start to sing (between catching a wave or two). Much to my disappointment, although it was a film crew that I saw, they were getting ready to do a tanning lotion commercial and there was no Moondoggie in sight. As the summer waned and I sadly realized that school was on the horizon I spent one of my last days on the beach dreaming of things that would never be and Moondoggies and Kahunas that I would never meet. Life went on and eventually I grew out of my fantasies but I never stopped wanting to be Gidget. Strangely enough I got close to Gidget herself because my father was a producer and he worked on a film that Sandra Dee was in so I was able to accompany him to the studio one day and meet her in the flesh. She was extremely thin and nervous, and had a show biz mom who was right out of "Mommy Dearest". Sandra was still in her late teens when I met her and already chain smoked and acted like a much older woman. She threw some diva-like fits and insisted that things be just so in her dressing room. She refused to eat the food provided by the catering truck (little did anyone know that she suffered from severe anorexia that would one day contribute to a premature death in her early 60's). But, she was still Gidget to me and I worshiped her. No matter how nasty she was or how difficult to handle, I still visualized her as that carefree young girl running on the beach, longing for the older Moondoggie. On February 20th, 2005 I heard that she had died. It was like the end of an era for me because I still pictured her as young and spunky and cute. I still remembered Gidget and never imagined the reality of Sandra Dee who's life was one of prolonged suffering misery and love lost. The other day the subject of James Darren came up as I spoke to a friend and I was transported back to that innocent time and those wonderful sun-filled days on the beach. I could still smell the salt air and the cocoanut scent of the tanning lotion that I slathered on and I could still picture myself as Gidget. "Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee Lousy with virginity Won't go to bed 'til I'm legally wed I can't; I'm Sandra Dee Watch it! Hey I'm Doris Day I was not brought up that way Won't come across, Even Rock Hudson lost His heart to Doris Day I don't drink (no) Or swear (no) I don't rat my hair (eew) I get ill from one cigarette (cough, cough, cough) Keep your filthy paws Off my silky draws Would you pull that crap with Annette? As for you Troy Donahue, I know what you wanna do You got your crust I'm no object of lust I'm just plain Sandra Dee Elvis, Elvis, let me be! Keep that pelvis far from me! Just keep your cool Now your starting to drool Hey Fongool, I'm Sandra Dee! The above lyrics from the movie "Grease" are like the lyrics to part of my life......a part I'll never forget. ------------ About the author: Meri has a Medical/Legal background and is a former forensic researcher specializing in psychological profiling. https://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=27335 Email: writers2@cox.net Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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