1 00:00:15,066 --> 00:00:15,506 Speaker 1: Pushkin. 2 00:00:19,156 --> 00:00:22,136 Speaker 2: Hey, Lost Hills listeners, it's Dana. I wanted to let 3 00:00:22,156 --> 00:00:24,596 Speaker 2: you know that you can hear the entire new season 4 00:00:24,636 --> 00:00:28,436 Speaker 2: of Lost Hills ad-free, along with other great binge listens, 5 00:00:28,596 --> 00:00:32,486 Speaker 2: by becoming a Pushkin Plus subscriber. Find Pushkin Plus on 6 00:00:32,506 --> 00:00:35,506 Speaker 2: the Lost Hills show page in Apple Podcasts or at 7 00:00:35,626 --> 00:00:46,446 Speaker 2: pushkin.fm slash plus. Pushkin Plus The Gidget movie came out 8 00:00:46,526 --> 00:00:49,016 Speaker 2: in the spring of 1959. 9 00:00:49,016 --> 00:00:51,536 Speaker 3: Gidget is the story of a young blonde teenage gal 10 00:00:51,556 --> 00:00:55,576 Speaker 3: who spends a fabulous summer at Malibu Beach with the surfboarders. 11 00:00:56,196 --> 00:00:58,656 Speaker 3: Of course, you know Gidget was a very big bestseller, 12 00:00:58,956 --> 00:01:01,816 Speaker 3: and they made it into a tremendous motion picture, in 13 00:01:01,876 --> 00:01:03,536 Speaker 3: color and in cinemascope. 14 00:01:04,316 --> 00:01:07,476 Speaker 2: It starred a 16-year-old Sandra Dee as Gidget. 15 00:01:08,026 --> 00:01:09,666 Speaker 4: Hi, I'm Sandra Dee. 16 00:01:10,266 --> 00:01:12,926 Speaker 5: It's such fun living in California and being able to 17 00:01:12,986 --> 00:01:14,666 Speaker 5: pick fresh flowers for my hair. 18 00:01:15,446 --> 00:01:18,996 Speaker 2: Sandra Dee was tiny and blonde, the Hollywood version of 19 00:01:19,036 --> 00:01:23,436 Speaker 2: the all-American girl. In the movie, Gidget's real name was 20 00:01:23,516 --> 00:01:27,436 Speaker 2: Frances Lawrence, not Kathy Coner, and she had a bland 21 00:01:27,476 --> 00:01:30,296 Speaker 2: American mom and dad right out of a 50s sitcom. 22 00:01:31,836 --> 00:01:34,146 Speaker 2: But the real Gidget had a family that was much 23 00:01:34,226 --> 00:01:38,746 Speaker 2: more layered. They were European and Jewish, and for what 24 00:01:38,786 --> 00:01:42,866 Speaker 2: it's worth, Kathy had dark hair. In the early 30s, 25 00:01:42,986 --> 00:01:46,466 Speaker 2: Kathy's father, Frederick Kohner, had been a screenwriter in Berlin. 26 00:01:47,246 --> 00:01:50,126 Speaker 2: His first film premiered just as Hitler was declaring a 27 00:01:50,166 --> 00:01:53,716 Speaker 2: boycott on Jewish businesses. Here's Kathy. 28 00:01:54,616 --> 00:01:57,596 Speaker 5: They took his name off the screen credit for a 29 00:01:58,156 --> 00:02:03,356 Speaker 5: movie that did not show very long by Stefan Zweig, 30 00:02:04,736 --> 00:02:08,006 Speaker 5: The Burning Secret. And he had a pen name because 31 00:02:08,146 --> 00:02:11,586 Speaker 5: when he died, my... We looked, you know, they came 32 00:02:11,646 --> 00:02:15,366 Speaker 5: across a name called Alex Bang. So he had a pseudonym. 33 00:02:16,106 --> 00:02:18,186 Speaker 2: Was that to disguise his Jewish identity? 34 00:02:18,226 --> 00:02:22,526 Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, that was a difficult 35 00:02:22,566 --> 00:02:23,666 Speaker 5: period in the time. 36 00:02:25,106 --> 00:02:28,206 Speaker 2: Gidget's dad, Frederick, made his way to Los Angeles and 37 00:02:28,246 --> 00:02:32,226 Speaker 2: continued writing movies. In 1939, he was nominated for an 38 00:02:32,266 --> 00:02:36,886 Speaker 2: Academy Award. Two years later, Kathy was born. The family 39 00:02:36,946 --> 00:02:39,776 Speaker 2: lived in L.A. till the mid-50s. when Frederick took a 40 00:02:39,796 --> 00:02:43,056 Speaker 2: job in Berlin. When they got back, Kathy didn't know 41 00:02:43,096 --> 00:02:43,876 Speaker 2: where she fit in. 42 00:02:44,676 --> 00:02:46,416 Speaker 5: We'd lived in Berlin for a year and a half 43 00:02:47,296 --> 00:02:49,396 Speaker 5: when I was 13 and 14. I came home and 44 00:02:49,436 --> 00:02:53,806 Speaker 5: I really, you know, I'd missed out on the junior 45 00:02:53,836 --> 00:02:59,166 Speaker 5: high school graduation and sticking with the girls. And so 46 00:02:59,206 --> 00:03:03,006 Speaker 5: when I came back, I was a little bit, where's 47 00:03:03,026 --> 00:03:07,066 Speaker 5: my place? And then the folks, you know, you got 48 00:03:07,086 --> 00:03:08,866 Speaker 5: to come to Malibu with us. You know, you're not 49 00:03:08,906 --> 00:03:10,566 Speaker 5: going to go to a movie theater on a Saturday 50 00:03:10,626 --> 00:03:13,126 Speaker 5: afternoon to the Bruin Theater in Westwood Village. You're going 51 00:03:13,146 --> 00:03:17,216 Speaker 5: to come. So it was sort of like, okay, but 52 00:03:17,236 --> 00:03:18,916 Speaker 5: I'm going to learn how to, I'm going to do this. 53 00:03:20,196 --> 00:03:23,376 Speaker 2: Frederick saw potential in Kathy's stories of the Malibu surf 54 00:03:23,416 --> 00:03:24,436 Speaker 2: scene right away. 55 00:03:25,796 --> 00:03:27,596 Speaker 5: I don't really know what he was working on, but 56 00:03:28,116 --> 00:03:31,386 Speaker 5: he hit on, when he decided, I'm going to take 57 00:03:31,546 --> 00:03:34,266 Speaker 5: what Kathy's telling me, I'm going to write a book. 58 00:03:34,676 --> 00:03:37,656 Speaker 5: And so he wrote that book in three weeks. He 59 00:03:37,696 --> 00:03:38,776 Speaker 5: wrote Gidget in three weeks. 60 00:03:40,336 --> 00:03:44,026 Speaker 2: Kathy's uncle, Frederick's older brother, Paul Coner, was a famous 61 00:03:44,086 --> 00:03:47,206 Speaker 2: Hollywood agent. So Frederick took the manuscript to him to 62 00:03:47,226 --> 00:03:47,956 Speaker 2: see what he thought of it. 63 00:03:49,086 --> 00:03:53,546 Speaker 5: And I remember Uncle Paul like, well, what is this? 64 00:03:53,766 --> 00:03:55,906 Speaker 5: You know, maybe this would be a good story for 65 00:03:55,926 --> 00:04:00,596 Speaker 5: Reader's Digest. You know, it was so different. The Even 66 00:04:00,676 --> 00:04:03,536 Speaker 5: though Malibu is 20 minutes from the house, it was 67 00:04:03,616 --> 00:04:05,656 Speaker 5: a world away. It was a world apart. 68 00:04:07,096 --> 00:04:10,136 Speaker 2: A teenage love story set among the surfing beatniks of 69 00:04:10,216 --> 00:04:14,346 Speaker 2: Malibu didn't appeal to Uncle Paul. He encouraged Frederick to 70 00:04:14,386 --> 00:04:15,026 Speaker 2: shop it around. 71 00:04:16,286 --> 00:04:18,666 Speaker 5: I remember when a phone call came to my dad. 72 00:04:18,686 --> 00:04:21,226 Speaker 5: It was around dinnertime and my dad got off the 73 00:04:21,246 --> 00:04:24,426 Speaker 5: phone and he said, this agent at William Morris just thinks, 74 00:04:25,566 --> 00:04:28,136 Speaker 5: he said, Mr. Conner, you have hit the jackpot. 75 00:04:30,316 --> 00:04:33,716 Speaker 2: Soon, Hollywood scouts would show up in Malibu, looking for 76 00:04:33,776 --> 00:04:37,616 Speaker 2: locations to film beach movies and actual bona fide surfers 77 00:04:37,676 --> 00:04:41,026 Speaker 2: to do the stunts. Mickey Dora would be right there, 78 00:04:41,466 --> 00:04:45,806 Speaker 2: auditioning for roles and getting paid handsomely. Friends of his 79 00:04:45,866 --> 00:04:48,526 Speaker 2: told me it was actually the only honest money he 80 00:04:48,586 --> 00:04:51,326 Speaker 2: made in his whole life, and he was still getting 81 00:04:51,366 --> 00:04:55,526 Speaker 2: residual checks into his old age. But he also claimed 82 00:04:55,546 --> 00:04:58,746 Speaker 2: to hate Hollywood. and everyone who worked in the business 83 00:04:59,126 --> 00:05:02,546 Speaker 2: or had a connection to it. About his work on 84 00:05:02,566 --> 00:05:05,826 Speaker 2: the Gidget movie, he said, quote, unquote. It's pretty gross. 85 00:05:26,746 --> 00:05:30,276 Speaker 2: Especially when you consider Kathy was from a family of 86 00:05:30,456 --> 00:05:34,536 Speaker 2: Eastern European immigrants who helped create the film industry in Hollywood. 87 00:05:35,196 --> 00:05:38,116 Speaker 2: And Mickey Dora, well, he was the son of an 88 00:05:38,216 --> 00:05:41,676 Speaker 2: Eastern European immigrant who came to Hollywood to make it. 89 00:05:42,506 --> 00:05:46,006 Speaker 2: The two families, the Coners and the Doras, had both 90 00:05:46,126 --> 00:05:49,126 Speaker 2: escaped the rise of fascism in Europe for a better 91 00:05:49,186 --> 00:05:54,516 Speaker 2: life in California. They shared roots. And, as I discovered, 92 00:05:55,016 --> 00:05:58,686 Speaker 2: they shared a specific history in Los Angeles at the 93 00:05:58,746 --> 00:06:07,696 Speaker 2: dawn of Hollywood. I'm Dana Goodyear, and this is Lost Hills. 94 00:06:11,286 --> 00:06:12,166 Speaker 1: Lost Hills. 95 00:06:34,636 --> 00:06:43,956 Speaker 2: Episode 4, Gidget Goes to Hollywood, Part 2. You can't 96 00:06:43,996 --> 00:06:46,486 Speaker 2: tell the story of Hollywood without the story of the 97 00:06:46,546 --> 00:06:51,926 Speaker 2: Conner family, especially Gidget's uncle, Paul Conner, her father Frederick's 98 00:06:52,006 --> 00:06:56,326 Speaker 2: older brother. He was a producer-turned-agent who helped define the 99 00:06:56,366 --> 00:07:00,716 Speaker 2: golden age of Hollywood. This is Gidget's cousin, Paul's son. 100 00:07:01,296 --> 00:07:02,956 Speaker 2: He's a writer, director, and producer. 101 00:07:04,986 --> 00:07:08,526 Speaker 1: I'm Poncho Conner. I was born here in Los Angeles 102 00:07:08,526 --> 00:07:10,046 Speaker 1: 84 years ago. 103 00:07:12,166 --> 00:07:16,056 Speaker 2: Paul Conner, Poncho's father, had first come to Los Angeles 104 00:07:16,096 --> 00:07:19,596 Speaker 2: in the 1920s to work for Carl Lemley, the founder 105 00:07:19,736 --> 00:07:21,036 Speaker 2: of Universal Studios. 106 00:07:22,696 --> 00:07:27,396 Speaker 1: My dad was the eldest of three brothers from Czechoslovakia, 107 00:07:27,416 --> 00:07:32,166 Speaker 1: a small town in Bohemia, which was German-speaking Czechoslovakia. 108 00:07:33,496 --> 00:07:37,576 Speaker 2: After Paul, there was Frederick, Gidget's father. Their youngest brother 109 00:07:37,836 --> 00:07:38,356 Speaker 2: was Walter. 110 00:07:39,576 --> 00:07:45,826 Speaker 1: My grandfather, Julius Koner, in Templates, he had a cinema theater, 111 00:07:46,586 --> 00:07:51,186 Speaker 1: and he also published a monthly film journal magazine. 112 00:07:51,966 --> 00:07:54,646 Speaker 2: When Paul was 18, Julius asked him to do an 113 00:07:54,766 --> 00:07:57,726 Speaker 2: interview with Carl Lemley, who was visiting the area. 114 00:07:58,466 --> 00:08:02,166 Speaker 1: And Lemley took a liking to him and hired him 115 00:08:02,246 --> 00:08:03,236 Speaker 1: to come to America. 116 00:08:03,566 --> 00:08:07,246 Speaker 2: Your Koner grandfather had a nickname. Is it Kino Koner 117 00:08:07,946 --> 00:08:08,886 Speaker 2: or Kino Koner? 118 00:08:09,476 --> 00:08:13,236 Speaker 1: Kino is a movie theater. People were nicknamed by what 119 00:08:13,296 --> 00:08:19,056 Speaker 1: their profession was. My father here was nicknamed Phoner Koner 120 00:08:19,116 --> 00:08:20,516 Speaker 1: because he was always on the phone. 121 00:08:23,126 --> 00:08:26,806 Speaker 2: In Los Angeles, Paul met the Mexican actress Lupita Tovar. 122 00:08:27,986 --> 00:08:32,916 Speaker 1: My mother was Mexican. She... Was born in Oaxaca in 123 00:08:32,936 --> 00:08:36,976 Speaker 1: the southern part of the state. Outdoor plumbing, dirt floors. 124 00:08:37,896 --> 00:08:39,756 Speaker 1: The eldest of nine children. 125 00:08:40,756 --> 00:08:44,826 Speaker 2: Lupita was discovered in Mexico by an American director, Robert Flaherty, 126 00:08:45,106 --> 00:08:49,326 Speaker 2: the inventor of the feature-length documentary film. Lupita was given 127 00:08:49,366 --> 00:08:52,266 Speaker 2: a contract at Fox Studios in Hollywood and became a 128 00:08:52,306 --> 00:08:56,526 Speaker 2: silent movie star. But soon, the silent era was over. 129 00:08:57,406 --> 00:09:00,156 Speaker 2: And that was problematic for a Spanish-speaking actress. 130 00:09:01,696 --> 00:09:04,856 Speaker 1: And they weren't going to renew her contract. But the 131 00:09:05,676 --> 00:09:08,776 Speaker 1: people at Fox sent her over to Universal, where they 132 00:09:08,796 --> 00:09:12,286 Speaker 1: were dubbing pictures into Spanish, and that's where she met 133 00:09:12,366 --> 00:09:16,106 Speaker 1: my father. And it was sort of love at first sight. 134 00:09:17,186 --> 00:09:19,826 Speaker 1: She did three nights dubbing and didn't know what to 135 00:09:19,866 --> 00:09:23,766 Speaker 1: do and was going to go back to Mexico. But 136 00:09:23,866 --> 00:09:27,036 Speaker 1: first she wisely went back to say goodbye to that 137 00:09:27,096 --> 00:09:30,136 Speaker 1: nice man, Paul Conner, who said, give me 24 hours. 138 00:09:31,406 --> 00:09:34,706 Speaker 1: And he went to Lemley and said, we're wasting half 139 00:09:34,746 --> 00:09:37,286 Speaker 1: the studio here. At six o'clock, we turn off the 140 00:09:37,346 --> 00:09:39,966 Speaker 1: lights till six in the morning. We should bring in 141 00:09:40,026 --> 00:09:44,996 Speaker 1: another crew, Spanish-speaking actors, and shoot the same film in Spanish. 142 00:09:45,716 --> 00:09:48,356 Speaker 1: It'll cost peanuts because we use all the same everything. 143 00:09:49,276 --> 00:09:52,776 Speaker 1: And Lemley said, fantastic, do it. And my father said, 144 00:09:53,156 --> 00:09:56,256 Speaker 1: there's an actress here thinking of going back to Mexico. 145 00:09:56,316 --> 00:09:58,936 Speaker 1: And Lemley said, we'll sign her to a year's contract 146 00:09:58,976 --> 00:09:59,336 Speaker 1: right away. 147 00:10:00,886 --> 00:10:03,476 Speaker 2: One of the first big talkies at Universal was a 148 00:10:03,526 --> 00:10:05,856 Speaker 2: horror film that became iconic. 149 00:10:06,976 --> 00:10:08,436 Speaker 1: I am Dracula. 150 00:10:11,236 --> 00:10:14,856 Speaker 2: During the day, they shot Bela Lugosi. At night, they 151 00:10:14,896 --> 00:10:18,576 Speaker 2: filmed the Spanish version of Dracula with Pancho's mother, Lupita, 152 00:10:18,836 --> 00:10:21,856 Speaker 2: playing the female lead. Paul supervised the film. 153 00:10:23,176 --> 00:10:26,956 Speaker 1: And two years later, they got married in Czechoslovakia. 154 00:10:28,716 --> 00:10:31,036 Speaker 2: Paul and his new bride decided to stay in Europe 155 00:10:31,196 --> 00:10:34,256 Speaker 2: and make films. They moved to Berlin, where the political 156 00:10:34,316 --> 00:10:38,966 Speaker 2: situation was taking a dark turn. In the early 30s, 157 00:10:39,156 --> 00:10:43,236 Speaker 2: when Paul and Lupita were living there, Hitler was consolidating power, 158 00:10:43,976 --> 00:10:49,996 Speaker 2: ultimately declaring himself Führer of the German Reich in 1934. 159 00:10:49,996 --> 00:10:53,236 Speaker 1: My mother was Catholic and my father was Jewish, but 160 00:10:53,256 --> 00:10:57,406 Speaker 1: he had an American passport, so he was fairly safe. But, uh, 161 00:10:58,506 --> 00:11:02,446 Speaker 1: They were not allowed to live together, a Gentile and 162 00:11:02,486 --> 00:11:07,236 Speaker 1: a Jew. So they had to move constantly. I have 163 00:11:07,256 --> 00:11:13,616 Speaker 1: a letter from Lemley authorizing the accounting department to pay 164 00:11:13,696 --> 00:11:17,876 Speaker 1: my father a bonus for living in Berlin in hazardous times, 165 00:11:18,016 --> 00:11:18,616 Speaker 1: as they said. 166 00:11:19,176 --> 00:11:19,776 Speaker 5: Danger pay. 167 00:11:20,176 --> 00:11:25,406 Speaker 1: Yes. They used to travel to Paris and to London 168 00:11:25,446 --> 00:11:27,106 Speaker 1: for the opening of the films they were making. 169 00:11:28,506 --> 00:11:32,166 Speaker 2: Because of their work and Paul's American passport, Paul and 170 00:11:32,206 --> 00:11:37,506 Speaker 2: Lupita could travel freely. So they became smugglers, helping friends 171 00:11:37,566 --> 00:11:39,256 Speaker 2: and family move money to the West. 172 00:11:40,776 --> 00:11:45,016 Speaker 1: My mother describes how she used to carry jewelry in 173 00:11:45,296 --> 00:11:48,896 Speaker 1: jars of cold cream or in her knitting, in a 174 00:11:48,956 --> 00:11:53,786 Speaker 1: roll of knitting, she would hide cash and valuables to 175 00:11:53,866 --> 00:11:55,546 Speaker 1: smuggle this stuff out for friends. 176 00:11:56,806 --> 00:12:01,016 Speaker 2: It seemed to work. Until, one day, Paul and Lupita 177 00:12:01,036 --> 00:12:04,496 Speaker 2: were stopped at the German-Czech border. They were taken off 178 00:12:04,516 --> 00:12:08,296 Speaker 2: the train and were about to be strip-searched. Paul ran 179 00:12:08,376 --> 00:12:10,816 Speaker 2: back on the train saying he had forgotten his suitcase 180 00:12:11,216 --> 00:12:13,236 Speaker 2: and got rid of a wad of cash he was carrying. 181 00:12:14,596 --> 00:12:16,636 Speaker 1: So he threw that wad of cash under an empty 182 00:12:16,696 --> 00:12:18,876 Speaker 1: seat somewhere. It looked like it was going to be 183 00:12:18,896 --> 00:12:23,316 Speaker 1: a problem, except my father loved to be photographed with personalities, 184 00:12:23,336 --> 00:12:26,256 Speaker 1: with important people. And in his briefcase, he had a 185 00:12:26,766 --> 00:12:32,196 Speaker 1: photograph of himself with the Reichsmarschall, the air minister, shaking hands. 186 00:12:33,206 --> 00:12:36,546 Speaker 1: And when they saw that, he said, ah, why didn't 187 00:12:36,566 --> 00:12:39,386 Speaker 1: you tell us? And he said, we can call him 188 00:12:39,426 --> 00:12:41,086 Speaker 1: at his home if you'd like. He'll vouch for me. 189 00:12:41,486 --> 00:12:43,886 Speaker 1: They said, no, it's all right. So they let them go. 190 00:12:45,346 --> 00:12:49,546 Speaker 2: But clearly, someone had reported them for smuggling. It wasn't 191 00:12:49,666 --> 00:12:52,936 Speaker 2: safe to go back to Berlin. They had to escape. 192 00:12:54,156 --> 00:12:56,876 Speaker 1: So through Switzerland, they went to Paris for six months. 193 00:12:57,466 --> 00:12:59,566 Speaker 1: The news was worse and worse from what they heard 194 00:12:59,646 --> 00:13:03,836 Speaker 1: from refugees in Paris, and so they finally took a 195 00:13:03,856 --> 00:13:05,316 Speaker 1: boat and came back to America. 196 00:13:06,936 --> 00:13:10,596 Speaker 2: After Paul and Lupita returned to Los Angeles in 1935, 197 00:13:10,596 --> 00:13:12,836 Speaker 2: Paul changed course and became a talent agent. 198 00:13:14,176 --> 00:13:18,756 Speaker 1: He was a very successful agent of what they called 199 00:13:18,796 --> 00:13:21,746 Speaker 1: a boutique agency. It didn't have a lot of clients. 200 00:13:22,846 --> 00:13:26,376 Speaker 1: It was one big family. All of these clients were 201 00:13:26,436 --> 00:13:30,316 Speaker 1: over at the house all the time. Sundays, dinner parties, 202 00:13:31,016 --> 00:13:32,136 Speaker 1: it was a family affair. 203 00:13:33,306 --> 00:13:35,626 Speaker 2: His clients were some of the biggest movie stars of 204 00:13:35,666 --> 00:13:41,166 Speaker 2: the time. John Huston, Henry Fonda, Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner. 205 00:13:42,146 --> 00:13:44,236 Speaker 1: My sister and I used to put on puppet shows 206 00:13:44,866 --> 00:13:46,836 Speaker 1: for Lana's daughter's birthday. 207 00:13:47,896 --> 00:13:53,396 Speaker 2: But Paul specialized in the European emigres. Billy Wilder, Marlena Dietrich, 208 00:13:53,756 --> 00:13:54,436 Speaker 2: Ingmar Bergman. 209 00:13:55,296 --> 00:13:58,216 Speaker 1: Any with an accent was a client of the Kohner Agency. 210 00:13:59,016 --> 00:14:02,136 Speaker 1: They understood each other. They were a tight-knit group. 211 00:14:03,316 --> 00:14:06,556 Speaker 2: The late 30s brought a flood of Europeans into Hollywood, 212 00:14:06,896 --> 00:14:10,516 Speaker 2: many of them refugees from Nazi oppression. They flocked to 213 00:14:10,556 --> 00:14:11,416 Speaker 2: the Kohner Agency. 214 00:14:12,916 --> 00:14:16,136 Speaker 1: Anyone who came to Hollywood would go straight to 9169 215 00:14:16,136 --> 00:14:21,566 Speaker 1: Sunset Boulevard because that was a European refuge. My father 216 00:14:21,586 --> 00:14:24,386 Speaker 1: spoke their languages and got them jobs. 217 00:14:25,586 --> 00:14:29,216 Speaker 2: The Koner Agency became a salon for the emigre film community. 218 00:14:30,456 --> 00:14:34,236 Speaker 1: His office on Sunset Boulevard is an art deco, small 219 00:14:34,276 --> 00:14:38,856 Speaker 1: building but large offices. And there's an oval office in 220 00:14:38,896 --> 00:14:42,916 Speaker 1: the oval entry room with couches. And that's where these 221 00:14:43,066 --> 00:14:47,246 Speaker 1: European actors, out of work, would hang out, would be. 222 00:14:47,326 --> 00:14:51,986 Speaker 1: And then in the afternoon, my father's right hand, his secretary, 223 00:14:53,046 --> 00:14:56,486 Speaker 1: also had grown up in Berlin, there would be a 224 00:14:56,526 --> 00:15:01,186 Speaker 1: coffee clutch. She would have pastries from poopies and coffee, 225 00:15:01,726 --> 00:15:05,666 Speaker 1: and that was the meeting place for many of these 226 00:15:05,786 --> 00:15:09,326 Speaker 1: European actors, writers, directors. 227 00:15:10,966 --> 00:15:14,106 Speaker 2: They discussed the news from Europe endlessly, and it was 228 00:15:14,366 --> 00:15:15,446 Speaker 2: always horrible. 229 00:15:16,626 --> 00:15:20,026 Speaker 4: Through the snow, the legions of occupation march into Czechoslovakia. 230 00:15:20,746 --> 00:15:23,856 Speaker 4: This rapid stroke, which has outraged all freedom-loving nations of 231 00:15:23,866 --> 00:15:28,376 Speaker 4: the world, is carried out with military exactitude. 232 00:15:28,496 --> 00:15:31,946 Speaker 2: In 1938, the Nazis took over the part of Czechoslovakia 233 00:15:32,066 --> 00:15:34,666 Speaker 2: that included Teplice, the Koners' hometown. 234 00:15:36,046 --> 00:15:41,566 Speaker 1: My grandmother, Helena, didn't want to leave because they were 235 00:15:41,606 --> 00:15:47,946 Speaker 1: still uncles and aunts. Until finally the situation became untenable 236 00:15:48,106 --> 00:15:52,746 Speaker 1: and the Nazis were in Teplice and she made a 237 00:15:52,786 --> 00:15:55,916 Speaker 1: phone call saying, Get me out. 238 00:15:56,976 --> 00:16:00,876 Speaker 2: Paul Conner was exceptionally well-connected. One of his friends was 239 00:16:00,916 --> 00:16:04,806 Speaker 2: the eldest son of President Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt. 240 00:16:05,646 --> 00:16:08,366 Speaker 2: With his help, they were able to get Helena out 241 00:16:08,446 --> 00:16:08,886 Speaker 2: of Europe. 242 00:16:09,866 --> 00:16:13,066 Speaker 1: The rest of the family perished, were sent to Terezin 243 00:16:13,306 --> 00:16:15,116 Speaker 1: camp and other camps. 244 00:16:18,556 --> 00:16:21,836 Speaker 2: Back in Los Angeles, the emigre film community realized that 245 00:16:21,876 --> 00:16:25,506 Speaker 2: the situation was dire. and the U.S. government was making 246 00:16:25,566 --> 00:16:29,836 Speaker 2: it harder for refugees to immigrate. Paul and Frederick Koner, 247 00:16:30,076 --> 00:16:33,516 Speaker 2: along with Billy Wilder and Marlena Dietrich, decided they needed 248 00:16:33,556 --> 00:16:35,936 Speaker 2: to do something to help their friends who were trapped 249 00:16:35,956 --> 00:16:36,416 Speaker 2: in Europe. 250 00:16:37,476 --> 00:16:40,016 Speaker 1: In order to get here, they had to have visas, 251 00:16:40,056 --> 00:16:43,986 Speaker 1: they had to have proof of financial support that they 252 00:16:44,026 --> 00:16:46,926 Speaker 1: wouldn't be a burden on the United States. So my 253 00:16:46,966 --> 00:16:50,346 Speaker 1: father had to get affidavits, offers of work from the 254 00:16:51,006 --> 00:16:54,816 Speaker 1: various studios, the various employers around town. And so financially, 255 00:16:54,896 --> 00:16:57,816 Speaker 1: my father was part of the group that started the 256 00:16:57,896 --> 00:16:58,916 Speaker 1: European Film Fund. 257 00:17:00,196 --> 00:17:05,866 Speaker 2: The Koners saved some 60 people, Jews from Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, 258 00:17:06,016 --> 00:17:10,186 Speaker 2: and Hungary. In L.A., the new refugees joined the tight-knit 259 00:17:10,306 --> 00:17:13,406 Speaker 2: emigre community. And when they weren't hanging out at the 260 00:17:13,446 --> 00:17:16,886 Speaker 2: Koner agency eating pastries, they were at the restaurant down 261 00:17:16,926 --> 00:17:20,186 Speaker 2: the street. That's where some of the best and most 262 00:17:20,326 --> 00:17:24,026 Speaker 2: authentic European food in Los Angeles was served. and where 263 00:17:24,046 --> 00:17:28,126 Speaker 2: the European movie stars and directors hung out, at Little Hungary, 264 00:17:29,146 --> 00:17:48,736 Speaker 2: the restaurant owned by Mickey Dora's dad. Mickey Dora and 265 00:17:48,756 --> 00:17:54,276 Speaker 2: Kathy Koner, Gidget, met on the beach in Malibu in 1956. 266 00:17:54,276 --> 00:17:57,836 Speaker 2: But their families have been deeply intertwined for decades through 267 00:17:57,926 --> 00:18:03,546 Speaker 2: Mickey's dad's restaurant, Little Hungary. Miklos Sr., with his young 268 00:18:03,606 --> 00:18:09,346 Speaker 2: American wife and little Mickey, had emigrated to America in 1935. 269 00:18:10,586 --> 00:18:14,866 Speaker 2: Little Hungary was a swanky place on Sunset Boulevard. The 270 00:18:14,906 --> 00:18:18,436 Speaker 2: waiters wore bow ties and traditional Hungarian outfits, and a 271 00:18:18,476 --> 00:18:23,416 Speaker 2: sign outside advertised, Gypsy Music. But it was also cozy. 272 00:18:24,046 --> 00:18:28,176 Speaker 2: You could get Transylvanian goulash with an apple strudel for dessert. 273 00:18:29,296 --> 00:18:32,556 Speaker 2: For the many, many European émigrés living and working in 274 00:18:32,596 --> 00:18:36,716 Speaker 2: Hollywood at that time, Little Hungary was a reminder of home. 275 00:18:37,596 --> 00:18:42,506 Speaker 2: That was absolutely true for Gidget's family, the Coners. Paul 276 00:18:42,546 --> 00:18:47,446 Speaker 2: and Frederick, Gidget's uncle and her dad, were regulars. And 277 00:18:47,486 --> 00:18:50,846 Speaker 2: when their youngest brother, Walter, arrived in Los Angeles, he 278 00:18:50,886 --> 00:18:54,796 Speaker 2: started working there. He was a pianist, playing Viennese waltzes 279 00:18:54,876 --> 00:19:00,116 Speaker 2: for the after-theater crowd. He'd later write that he played for, quote, 280 00:19:00,116 --> 00:19:02,196 Speaker 2: $ 10 a week and all the goulash I could eat. 281 00:19:03,696 --> 00:19:04,856 Speaker 2: Here's Cousin Poncho again. 282 00:19:06,456 --> 00:19:08,096 Speaker 1: It was marvelous when I was growing up. 283 00:19:08,236 --> 00:19:09,276 Speaker 2: What do you remember about it? 284 00:19:09,276 --> 00:19:12,916 Speaker 1: I remember my uncle playing the piano there, my Uncle Walter. 285 00:19:14,956 --> 00:19:17,876 Speaker 2: Late one night in the spring of 1940, Walter was 286 00:19:17,916 --> 00:19:22,456 Speaker 2: at Little Hungary. Miklos Dora, Mr. Dora to Walter. was 287 00:19:22,516 --> 00:19:26,396 Speaker 2: there too. Miklos came and sat next to Walter at 288 00:19:26,416 --> 00:19:32,166 Speaker 2: the piano and delivered terrible news. The Nazis, Miklos said, 289 00:19:32,606 --> 00:19:37,326 Speaker 2: had invaded Holland. It was a solemn moment between boss 290 00:19:37,446 --> 00:19:43,266 Speaker 2: and employee, two Europeans in grim solidarity. But to Walter, 291 00:19:43,306 --> 00:19:49,416 Speaker 2: the news was excruciatingly personal. His childhood sweetheart, Hannah, who, 292 00:19:49,716 --> 00:19:59,236 Speaker 2: like him, was Jewish... was stuck in Amsterdam. Later their 293 00:19:59,276 --> 00:20:02,356 Speaker 2: dramatic reunion would be the subject of an episode of 294 00:20:02,436 --> 00:20:03,316 Speaker 2: This Is Your Life. 295 00:20:04,476 --> 00:20:08,976 Speaker 3: This Is Your Life, television's most talked-about program. And now 296 00:20:09,016 --> 00:20:11,236 Speaker 3: meet our host, Ralph Edward. 297 00:20:11,556 --> 00:20:12,316 Speaker 5: Hey, hello. How are you? 298 00:20:14,906 --> 00:20:17,846 Speaker 2: On the show, which was wildly popular and ran for 299 00:20:17,886 --> 00:20:21,136 Speaker 2: more than a decade, the host would surprise an unsuspecting 300 00:20:21,176 --> 00:20:23,936 Speaker 2: member of the audience, filling the stage with the most 301 00:20:23,996 --> 00:20:25,576 Speaker 2: important people in the subject's life. 302 00:20:26,716 --> 00:20:29,736 Speaker 1: This is your life, Hannah Black-Conner. 303 00:20:30,396 --> 00:20:30,996 Speaker 5: Oh, no! 304 00:20:32,906 --> 00:20:33,496 Speaker 1: Yes! 305 00:20:36,106 --> 00:20:40,526 Speaker 2: The program told an extraordinary story, how Hannah had defied 306 00:20:40,566 --> 00:20:44,566 Speaker 2: the odds, enduring a series of concentration camps and escaping 307 00:20:44,586 --> 00:20:47,356 Speaker 2: with her life. It was the first time the show 308 00:20:47,396 --> 00:20:51,236 Speaker 2: was devoted to a survivor of the Holocaust. People from 309 00:20:51,316 --> 00:20:54,556 Speaker 2: different parts of Hannah's wartime odyssey, people she had not 310 00:20:54,616 --> 00:20:57,296 Speaker 2: seen in years and she thought she'd never see again, 311 00:20:57,896 --> 00:21:05,146 Speaker 2: appeared on stage for tearful reunions. Hannah and Walter had 312 00:21:05,206 --> 00:21:07,926 Speaker 2: met in Teplitz when they were young, but when the 313 00:21:07,986 --> 00:21:10,786 Speaker 2: war broke out in Europe, they were separated. 314 00:21:11,866 --> 00:21:15,966 Speaker 1: They were sweethearts in high school, and then Walter came 315 00:21:16,016 --> 00:21:21,266 Speaker 1: to America, and Hannah, his sweet artist girlfriend, he was 316 00:21:21,326 --> 00:21:23,686 Speaker 1: going to try to arrange a visa for her to come. 317 00:21:24,686 --> 00:21:26,726 Speaker 1: But that was delayed. 318 00:21:28,306 --> 00:21:31,816 Speaker 2: Hannah fled home for the relative safety of Prague. When 319 00:21:31,876 --> 00:21:34,516 Speaker 2: Prague became too dangerous, she went to Amsterdam. 320 00:21:36,296 --> 00:21:43,316 Speaker 1: And she worked first as a housekeeper, and the war started. 321 00:21:44,236 --> 00:21:51,146 Speaker 1: And She worked as a typist in the German Nazi offices, 322 00:21:51,866 --> 00:21:54,106 Speaker 1: and she had access to all the lists of who 323 00:21:54,126 --> 00:21:55,846 Speaker 1: they were going to round up. 324 00:21:57,546 --> 00:22:01,676 Speaker 2: Once the Nazis invaded Holland, it became basically impossible for 325 00:22:01,736 --> 00:22:04,196 Speaker 2: Hannah to get a visa to come to the United States. 326 00:22:05,956 --> 00:22:10,156 Speaker 2: Then Hannah sent a letter that broke Walter's heart. She 327 00:22:10,176 --> 00:22:12,056 Speaker 2: had fallen in love with someone else. 328 00:22:13,936 --> 00:22:19,766 Speaker 1: She had a suitor. Carl was his name, and she 329 00:22:19,806 --> 00:22:22,326 Speaker 1: hadn't heard from Walter in a long time, and her 330 00:22:22,786 --> 00:22:25,726 Speaker 1: chances of getting a visa were slim to none. It 331 00:22:25,786 --> 00:22:29,026 Speaker 1: was a five-year waiting list. And then I think the 332 00:22:29,206 --> 00:22:34,826 Speaker 1: American embassy there in Amsterdam was bombed or blew up, 333 00:22:34,926 --> 00:22:38,466 Speaker 1: and all the paper was gone. So she and Carl 334 00:22:38,486 --> 00:22:41,236 Speaker 1: got married. They were rounded up and taken to a 335 00:22:41,236 --> 00:22:43,586 Speaker 1: camp and released several times. 336 00:22:44,556 --> 00:22:50,666 Speaker 2: Eventually, they were sent to Auschwitz. Carl died there. Hannah, miraculously, 337 00:22:51,126 --> 00:22:51,526 Speaker 2: did not. 338 00:22:53,306 --> 00:22:56,546 Speaker 1: Her brother, who was a medical student, also was in 339 00:22:56,586 --> 00:22:59,106 Speaker 1: the camps, and they actually saw each other through a 340 00:22:59,146 --> 00:22:59,846 Speaker 1: fence once. 341 00:23:01,106 --> 00:23:04,296 Speaker 2: Meanwhile, Walter had left his job playing piano for Mr. 342 00:23:04,336 --> 00:23:04,696 Speaker 5: Dora. 343 00:23:05,236 --> 00:23:06,876 Speaker 2: He'd been drafted into the U.S. 344 00:23:06,936 --> 00:23:07,216 Speaker 3: Army. 345 00:23:09,716 --> 00:23:12,096 Speaker 2: Walter was in Europe, but he had no idea where 346 00:23:12,116 --> 00:23:17,016 Speaker 2: Hannah was, or if she was alive. Then, one day... 347 00:23:17,196 --> 00:23:19,876 Speaker 2: Not long after the war was over, Walter got a letter. 348 00:23:20,656 --> 00:23:25,416 Speaker 2: It was addressed simply to Walter Koner, Sunset Boulevard. The 349 00:23:25,436 --> 00:23:27,946 Speaker 2: letter had made it to his brother's talent agency, and 350 00:23:27,986 --> 00:23:30,666 Speaker 2: they had sent it to Walter, who was then in Luxembourg. 351 00:23:31,826 --> 00:23:35,326 Speaker 2: The letter was from two American soldiers. They'd liberated a 352 00:23:35,366 --> 00:23:38,386 Speaker 2: concentration camp and had found Hannah alive. 353 00:23:40,236 --> 00:23:45,596 Speaker 1: So he borrowed a Jeep and was racing from camp 354 00:23:45,636 --> 00:23:49,706 Speaker 1: to camp, trying to find her. At one point, I 355 00:23:49,776 --> 00:23:55,306 Speaker 1: demolished the Jeep, commandeered another vehicle. He got to Prague, 356 00:23:56,006 --> 00:24:00,066 Speaker 1: and by chance, in the streets of Prague, he found Friedel, 357 00:24:00,106 --> 00:24:03,846 Speaker 1: Hannah's brother, and told him that his sister was alive, 358 00:24:03,876 --> 00:24:07,656 Speaker 1: but they didn't know where. And so they thought, well, 359 00:24:07,676 --> 00:24:12,636 Speaker 1: maybe she went back to Amsterdam. So Walter went to Amsterdam. 360 00:24:12,676 --> 00:24:15,216 Speaker 1: He knew the house where she had worked as a maid. 361 00:24:16,356 --> 00:24:18,936 Speaker 1: and rang the doorbell, and there she was. 362 00:24:21,196 --> 00:24:25,236 Speaker 2: Hannah and Walter married in the fall of 1945. They 363 00:24:25,256 --> 00:24:28,466 Speaker 2: decided to return to Los Angeles, where Walter went back 364 00:24:28,496 --> 00:24:32,006 Speaker 2: to playing piano at Mr. Dora's restaurant, which he had 365 00:24:32,066 --> 00:24:37,006 Speaker 2: renamed Little Gypsy. Hungary had joined the Axis during the war, 366 00:24:37,366 --> 00:24:40,506 Speaker 2: and Miklos didn't want to be associated with the Nazis. 367 00:24:43,166 --> 00:24:48,886 Speaker 2: Gidget's family knew firsthand the evils of antisemitism. They knew 368 00:24:49,206 --> 00:24:53,806 Speaker 2: what a swastika meant. A swastika meant, you don't belong here. 369 00:24:54,866 --> 00:25:02,316 Speaker 2: It meant, you're not safe. It meant, leave. All this 370 00:25:02,456 --> 00:25:07,336 Speaker 2: made what happened at Malibu, what Kathy's so-called friends did, 371 00:25:07,876 --> 00:25:26,516 Speaker 2: even uglier and more personal. Really unforgivable. When Kathy Coner 372 00:25:26,576 --> 00:25:29,496 Speaker 2: returned to Malibu after college, the scene on the beach 373 00:25:29,616 --> 00:25:36,286 Speaker 2: was unrecognizable. And something else had changed. Kathy wasn't surfing anymore. 374 00:25:37,286 --> 00:25:37,886 Speaker 2: She'd quit. 375 00:25:38,816 --> 00:25:41,256 Speaker 5: So when I came home in 1960, I don't even 376 00:25:41,296 --> 00:25:46,186 Speaker 5: remember having my own surfboard anymore. But I do remember 377 00:25:46,266 --> 00:25:52,066 Speaker 5: it being pretty crowded. So the movie came out in 1959. 378 00:25:52,066 --> 00:25:54,986 Speaker 5: And that, you know, Gidget the movie, I think, is 379 00:25:55,006 --> 00:25:58,246 Speaker 5: the start of the billion-dollar surf industry. I mean, you know, like, oh, 380 00:25:58,286 --> 00:26:01,716 Speaker 5: my gosh, I want to go to Malibu. I want 381 00:26:01,736 --> 00:26:08,496 Speaker 5: to surf. I want to meet Moondoggy. Pretty dramatic change, actually. 382 00:26:09,196 --> 00:26:14,296 Speaker 5: And the fellows that I had surfed with, they were 383 00:26:14,416 --> 00:26:17,496 Speaker 5: older than me always. So that when I came home, 384 00:26:17,996 --> 00:26:20,296 Speaker 5: they had sort of dispersed. They were in the military. 385 00:26:21,276 --> 00:26:23,396 Speaker 5: Maybe they went away to college. So it wasn't kind 386 00:26:23,416 --> 00:26:26,606 Speaker 5: of the same crew, the same grouping of surfers that 387 00:26:26,806 --> 00:26:27,806 Speaker 5: I had known in 56, 57, and 58, 59. But 388 00:26:27,826 --> 00:26:28,926 Speaker 5: that's not really the whole story. 389 00:26:37,366 --> 00:26:41,286 Speaker 2: The vibe at Malibu had turned toxic long before all 390 00:26:41,326 --> 00:26:45,336 Speaker 2: those teenyboppers came looking for their moon doggy, when Kathy 391 00:26:45,376 --> 00:26:49,736 Speaker 2: was still surfing at Malibu. It would be whitewashed out 392 00:26:49,756 --> 00:26:53,016 Speaker 2: of the movie and the TV show. The Gidget character, 393 00:26:53,116 --> 00:26:56,246 Speaker 2: played by Sandra Dee, never had to deal with it. 394 00:26:58,396 --> 00:27:02,916 Speaker 2: Here's what happened. The second summer Kathy Koner, the real Gidget, 395 00:27:03,176 --> 00:27:07,506 Speaker 2: surfed at Malibu, the summer of 1957... When her father's 396 00:27:07,566 --> 00:27:10,606 Speaker 2: novel was published and news was already out that it 397 00:27:10,626 --> 00:27:14,396 Speaker 2: would soon be a feature film, a symbol appeared on 398 00:27:14,436 --> 00:27:20,156 Speaker 2: the side of Tubestake's shack. It was a swastika. Kathy 399 00:27:20,196 --> 00:27:24,816 Speaker 2: told me about this, reluctantly. And she got really uncomfortable 400 00:27:25,016 --> 00:27:27,596 Speaker 2: when I asked her about another swastika I'd heard about. 401 00:27:28,686 --> 00:27:32,826 Speaker 2: It's an incident Kathy doesn't like to discuss. because this time, 402 00:27:33,486 --> 00:27:36,046 Speaker 2: it was drawn in the gravel of the driveway at 403 00:27:36,066 --> 00:27:40,646 Speaker 2: her family's home. This is something Kathy puts in the 404 00:27:40,686 --> 00:27:44,676 Speaker 2: category of prank, like disconnecting the distributor on her car. 405 00:27:45,736 --> 00:27:48,696 Speaker 2: She never found out who did it, but she refused 406 00:27:48,756 --> 00:27:49,576 Speaker 2: to let it get to her. 407 00:27:50,816 --> 00:27:54,936 Speaker 5: And had there been a swastika on the driveway or 408 00:27:55,036 --> 00:27:57,256 Speaker 5: no swastika on the driveway, we just kind of like 409 00:27:57,816 --> 00:28:00,036 Speaker 5: It was not a big, we kind of didn't want 410 00:28:00,056 --> 00:28:02,276 Speaker 5: to deal with something like that. So we just kind 411 00:28:02,336 --> 00:28:05,876 Speaker 5: of like, who cares? You know, you want to throw 412 00:28:05,916 --> 00:28:12,166 Speaker 5: my board over the fence? So I had a drive. 413 00:28:12,286 --> 00:28:14,866 Speaker 5: I mean, I had a drive to want to learn 414 00:28:14,906 --> 00:28:17,946 Speaker 5: how to surf, to prove it to, you know, maybe 415 00:28:17,986 --> 00:28:21,006 Speaker 5: to myself, but to the guys that I could be 416 00:28:21,046 --> 00:28:24,296 Speaker 5: just one. I could surf too. I'm going to surf. 417 00:28:25,866 --> 00:28:28,586 Speaker 2: Talking to me, she didn't want to dwell on swastikas. 418 00:28:29,286 --> 00:28:32,456 Speaker 2: It's the gidget in me, she explained. She got over it. 419 00:28:32,646 --> 00:28:39,286 Speaker 2: She learned to surf. Isn't that the story? At Duke's Restaurant, 420 00:28:39,466 --> 00:28:42,666 Speaker 2: it's literally Kathy's job to live in the past, to 421 00:28:42,686 --> 00:28:46,106 Speaker 2: be that piece of living history, talking about moon doggy 422 00:28:46,146 --> 00:28:48,586 Speaker 2: and tube steak in the shack in the bitchin' summer 423 00:28:48,626 --> 00:28:48,726 Speaker 2: of 1956. 424 00:28:48,706 --> 00:28:55,426 Speaker 5: She loves it. Hemingway wrote that story, A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, 425 00:28:55,466 --> 00:28:58,546 Speaker 5: which I loved because, you know, I kind of feel 426 00:28:58,586 --> 00:29:01,476 Speaker 5: like the barefoot bar at Duke's is somewhat like a clean, 427 00:29:01,496 --> 00:29:04,316 Speaker 5: well-lighted place. You go there, you can see the people, 428 00:29:04,336 --> 00:29:08,776 Speaker 5: they're regulars, they're welcoming you. I can go around and 429 00:29:08,796 --> 00:29:13,406 Speaker 5: get hugs. I got elevated to excellence. I have to 430 00:29:13,446 --> 00:29:19,186 Speaker 5: thank the Duke's Corporation. The title now is Ambassador of Aloha, 431 00:29:19,586 --> 00:29:21,986 Speaker 5: which means that I greet the guests when the doors 432 00:29:22,066 --> 00:29:27,346 Speaker 5: are open. I'm pretty much walking around. I'm allowed to 433 00:29:27,956 --> 00:29:30,956 Speaker 5: offer the free hula pie, which is our signature dessert. 434 00:29:31,436 --> 00:29:35,096 Speaker 5: I sometimes help seat, but usually I just, I dress up, 435 00:29:35,156 --> 00:29:37,976 Speaker 5: which is fun for me. And I walk around and 436 00:29:38,596 --> 00:29:41,256 Speaker 5: I smile. And if somebody smiles back, I'm like, have 437 00:29:41,276 --> 00:29:46,626 Speaker 5: you been here before? Where are you visiting from? Oh, 438 00:29:46,946 --> 00:29:48,986 Speaker 5: if I'll take them to a table where I'm happening 439 00:29:49,006 --> 00:29:51,176 Speaker 5: to walk by photos that are of me on the wall, 440 00:29:51,216 --> 00:29:52,836 Speaker 5: I'll say that's me when I was a kid. 441 00:29:52,836 --> 00:29:58,036 Speaker 2: 65 years after her dad's book came out, people still 442 00:29:58,096 --> 00:29:58,996 Speaker 2: care about Gidget. 443 00:30:00,226 --> 00:30:04,246 Speaker 5: This little girl said, I'm Anjali and Devin from Redondo Beach. 444 00:30:04,686 --> 00:30:07,586 Speaker 5: I wrote a paper report about you in high school. 445 00:30:08,056 --> 00:30:10,746 Speaker 5: We met you years ago here at Duke's. We love you. 446 00:30:12,226 --> 00:30:16,346 Speaker 5: And when she came in last Sunday, the face was familiar, 447 00:30:16,466 --> 00:30:18,846 Speaker 5: but she, oh, I'm so glad you're here. I'm so 448 00:30:18,886 --> 00:30:23,326 Speaker 5: glad you're here. This big hug. I met you several 449 00:30:23,366 --> 00:30:26,056 Speaker 5: years ago. You were going to Hawaii. You remember me? 450 00:30:26,076 --> 00:30:29,976 Speaker 5: Do you remember me? I don't remember my guests. I've 451 00:30:29,996 --> 00:30:33,636 Speaker 5: been there 20 years, but there's that feeling of warmth 452 00:30:33,676 --> 00:30:40,416 Speaker 5: that may generate to me or just to the type 453 00:30:40,456 --> 00:30:44,216 Speaker 5: of climate that Gidget represents to people today. 454 00:30:44,696 --> 00:30:45,456 Speaker 2: And what is that? 455 00:30:45,596 --> 00:30:49,176 Speaker 5: What is that climate? Well, that climate is, this was fun. 456 00:30:49,196 --> 00:30:55,006 Speaker 5: This was clean, you know, not, it was, um, there 457 00:30:55,046 --> 00:30:58,526 Speaker 5: weren't any, you know, I didn't, I wasn't aware of drugs. 458 00:30:58,886 --> 00:31:01,946 Speaker 5: I wasn't aware of homelessness, you know what I mean? 459 00:31:02,246 --> 00:31:04,176 Speaker 5: Except tube steak lived in the shack. So I thought 460 00:31:05,736 --> 00:31:11,076 Speaker 5: you have, um, A path to follow, and that path in, like, 461 00:31:11,476 --> 00:31:14,296 Speaker 5: the Judy Garland movie, you know, to the Yellow Brick Road. 462 00:31:14,856 --> 00:31:16,206 Speaker 2: So it's an innocent time. 463 00:31:16,226 --> 00:31:19,726 Speaker 5: It's an innocent time. I think so, an innocent time. 464 00:31:20,986 --> 00:31:23,746 Speaker 2: But what really endures about Gidget, and why the story 465 00:31:23,806 --> 00:31:27,286 Speaker 2: inspires women and girls today, has to do with Kathy's 466 00:31:27,426 --> 00:31:31,676 Speaker 2: incredible spirit. She was determined to surf, and she did it. 467 00:31:32,226 --> 00:31:33,946 Speaker 2: She carved out a place for herself. 468 00:31:35,326 --> 00:31:42,766 Speaker 5: The Gidget story may have an element of, you know, 469 00:31:43,566 --> 00:31:49,576 Speaker 5: it does have an element of don't drop in on me. 470 00:31:49,916 --> 00:31:53,396 Speaker 5: That's a surfic expression. So, you know, the book has 471 00:31:53,456 --> 00:31:57,296 Speaker 5: an element of nobody's going to take this spirit away 472 00:31:58,216 --> 00:32:00,796 Speaker 5: of the young girl and nobody's going to drop in 473 00:32:00,896 --> 00:32:03,846 Speaker 5: on her. She's going to, you know, in the last 474 00:32:03,906 --> 00:32:07,026 Speaker 5: line of the book, Maybe I'm just a woman in 475 00:32:07,066 --> 00:32:08,066 Speaker 5: love with a surfboard. 476 00:32:10,246 --> 00:32:11,926 Speaker 2: Kathy moved on from Malibu. 477 00:32:13,286 --> 00:32:19,756 Speaker 5: And in college, I had discovered, you know, that, hey, 478 00:32:19,796 --> 00:32:22,676 Speaker 5: I'm Jewish and I'm in Corvallis, Oregon. I better join 479 00:32:22,696 --> 00:32:27,416 Speaker 5: the Hillel Club. Or I wanted to. I wanted some identification. 480 00:32:27,436 --> 00:32:31,276 Speaker 5: And I came home. I thought, oh, wow, I'm going 481 00:32:31,296 --> 00:32:32,416 Speaker 5: to join the Peace Corps. 482 00:32:33,596 --> 00:32:37,056 Speaker 2: She met her husband, Marv. He's a retired professor of Yiddish. 483 00:32:37,576 --> 00:32:41,296 Speaker 2: They have two sons and three granddaughters. From about 1960 484 00:32:41,296 --> 00:32:46,266 Speaker 2: to about 2001, when Gidget the book was reissued, she 485 00:32:46,326 --> 00:32:51,686 Speaker 2: pretty much disappeared from surf culture, while surfing was ballooning 486 00:32:51,966 --> 00:32:56,726 Speaker 2: into the gigantic industry it is today. I asked Matt Warshaw, 487 00:32:56,846 --> 00:32:59,626 Speaker 2: the surf historian, what Gidget meant for surfing. 488 00:33:00,946 --> 00:33:03,546 Speaker 6: Kathy was the beginning of selling surfing to everybody. It 489 00:33:04,186 --> 00:33:08,036 Speaker 6: was going from Hollywood across the country and then across 490 00:33:08,076 --> 00:33:10,956 Speaker 6: the world. And you can literally see Gidget posters in 491 00:33:10,976 --> 00:33:13,036 Speaker 6: all these different languages. So, I mean, it really went 492 00:33:13,056 --> 00:33:18,446 Speaker 6: around the world. And it's just this call to come 493 00:33:18,486 --> 00:33:18,946 Speaker 6: to the beach. 494 00:33:20,166 --> 00:33:22,846 Speaker 2: Mickey, he had a different message. 495 00:33:24,346 --> 00:33:27,446 Speaker 6: I think Mickey was the one who was going to 496 00:33:28,126 --> 00:33:33,486 Speaker 6: originate surfers, you know, sort of telling everybody, then the 497 00:33:33,506 --> 00:33:35,486 Speaker 6: rest of the surf world and a lot of surfers 498 00:33:35,546 --> 00:33:40,546 Speaker 6: as well, you know, stay away from this break. Mickey 499 00:33:40,566 --> 00:33:43,366 Speaker 6: was the one who brought sort of theater to surfing 500 00:33:43,406 --> 00:33:49,086 Speaker 6: being a nonconformist anti-establishment thing. Came in and trolled the 501 00:33:49,136 --> 00:33:52,916 Speaker 6: people that didn't surf or you railed against those who 502 00:33:52,956 --> 00:33:57,976 Speaker 6: had sold out. So he invented that sort of rebellious 503 00:33:58,716 --> 00:33:59,736 Speaker 6: version of the surfer. 504 00:34:01,056 --> 00:34:08,626 Speaker 2: So it's also, you could say that Gidget's contribution was 505 00:34:09,346 --> 00:34:10,706 Speaker 2: surfing is for everyone. 506 00:34:11,126 --> 00:34:11,346 Speaker 3: Right. 507 00:34:11,666 --> 00:34:15,846 Speaker 6: And Mickey's, in a way, was to try to, with 508 00:34:15,896 --> 00:34:21,016 Speaker 6: as much flair as possible, push everyone away. It was 509 00:34:21,096 --> 00:34:25,096 Speaker 6: him and a few other hardcore surfers against everyone. Mickey 510 00:34:25,476 --> 00:34:28,486 Speaker 6: was just as angry and sort of performative against other 511 00:34:28,546 --> 00:34:32,386 Speaker 6: surfers as he was against Non-surfers. More so, in fact. 512 00:34:32,446 --> 00:34:36,706 Speaker 6: It was a real purity test that you had to 513 00:34:36,746 --> 00:34:38,266 Speaker 6: pass with him to be okay with. 514 00:34:45,816 --> 00:34:50,076 Speaker 2: Next time on Lost Tales, Mickey Polices Malibu Beach. 515 00:34:53,616 --> 00:34:55,716 Speaker 7: So now we've got like a rich kid in fancy 516 00:34:55,756 --> 00:34:59,576 Speaker 7: sunglasses and fancy clothes and a fancy sports car. Passing 517 00:34:59,616 --> 00:35:03,166 Speaker 7: bad checks and putting swastikas on his board and being 518 00:35:03,206 --> 00:35:05,106 Speaker 7: a jerk to outsiders because they don't know how to 519 00:35:05,186 --> 00:35:08,706 Speaker 7: surf and spewing all this vile stuff. 520 00:35:09,426 --> 00:35:09,826 Speaker 2: I don't know. 521 00:35:09,986 --> 00:35:13,066 Speaker 7: It just kind of started to turn, you know, green 522 00:35:13,126 --> 00:35:15,506 Speaker 7: and gross inside and feel to me like there's something 523 00:35:15,726 --> 00:35:16,366 Speaker 7: wrong with this. 524 00:35:17,856 --> 00:35:24,296 Speaker 2: That's next in Episode 5, Surf Nazi. Lost Hills is 525 00:35:24,356 --> 00:35:27,906 Speaker 2: written and reported by me, Dana Goodyear. It's created by 526 00:35:27,986 --> 00:35:31,306 Speaker 2: me and Ben Adair and produced by Western Sound and 527 00:35:31,346 --> 00:35:35,506 Speaker 2: Pushkin Industries. Subscribe to Pushkin Plus and you can binge 528 00:35:35,566 --> 00:35:39,916 Speaker 2: the entire season right now, ad-free. Find Pushkin Plus on 529 00:35:39,936 --> 00:35:42,516 Speaker 2: the Lost Hills show page in Apple Podcasts or at 530 00:35:42,616 --> 00:35:45,316 Speaker 2: pushkin.fm slash plus.