1 00:00:15,066 --> 00:00:21,996 Speaker 1: Pushkin. Hey Lost Hills listeners, it's Dana. I wanted to 2 00:00:22,036 --> 00:00:24,156 Speaker 1: let you know that you can hear the entire new 3 00:00:24,196 --> 00:00:27,936 Speaker 1: season of Lost Hills ad-free along with other great binge 4 00:00:27,986 --> 00:00:32,206 Speaker 1: listens by becoming a Pushkin Plus subscriber. Find Pushkin Plus 5 00:00:32,406 --> 00:00:35,406 Speaker 1: on the Lost Hills show page in Apple Podcasts or 6 00:00:35,446 --> 00:00:53,146 Speaker 1: at pushkin.fm slash plus. I'm at Duke's Restaurant in Malibu. 7 00:00:53,866 --> 00:00:57,596 Speaker 1: It's perched on the rocks right above the ocean. Out 8 00:00:57,666 --> 00:01:01,216 Speaker 1: front is a giant statue of legendary Hawaiian surfer and 9 00:01:01,276 --> 00:01:06,016 Speaker 1: swimmer Duke Kahanamoku, who helped introduce surfing to California in 10 00:01:06,036 --> 00:01:09,856 Speaker 1: the early part of the 20th century. This is where Gidget, 11 00:01:10,376 --> 00:01:12,016 Speaker 1: the real Gidget, works. 12 00:01:13,796 --> 00:01:15,936 Speaker 2: Hey, we're here to interview Kathy. 13 00:01:15,956 --> 00:01:16,796 Speaker 3: Kathy? 14 00:01:17,216 --> 00:01:17,856 Speaker 1: Kathy Conner. 15 00:01:21,046 --> 00:01:22,116 Speaker 2: She's a hostess. 16 00:01:22,476 --> 00:01:26,976 Speaker 3: Yeah, Gidget. Cool. 17 00:01:27,296 --> 00:01:34,616 Speaker 1: Thanks. Gidget's real name is Kathy Coner Zuckerman. The summer 18 00:01:34,636 --> 00:01:37,806 Speaker 1: of 1956, when she was 15, she hung out at 19 00:01:37,816 --> 00:01:41,786 Speaker 1: the beach in Malibu. She befriended Mickey Dora and Tube Steak, 20 00:01:42,046 --> 00:01:45,086 Speaker 1: who was later given the name The Big Kahuna. She 21 00:01:45,126 --> 00:01:48,486 Speaker 1: fell in love. But most of all, she learned to surf. 22 00:01:49,206 --> 00:01:51,966 Speaker 1: And her stories became the basis for the original Gidget, 23 00:01:52,446 --> 00:01:57,126 Speaker 1: a novel written by Frederick Koner, her dad. It's hard 24 00:01:57,146 --> 00:02:00,406 Speaker 1: to overstate the cultural impact of Gidget. When the book 25 00:02:00,426 --> 00:02:04,126 Speaker 1: was released in 1957, it hit the LA Times bestseller list, 26 00:02:04,606 --> 00:02:08,206 Speaker 1: ahead of Jack Kerouac's On the Road. It went on 27 00:02:08,246 --> 00:02:11,586 Speaker 1: to sell half a million copies. But the book was 28 00:02:11,706 --> 00:02:15,946 Speaker 1: only the beginning. In 1959, Gidget was adapted for film, 29 00:02:16,386 --> 00:02:17,906 Speaker 1: with Sondra Dee as Gidget. 30 00:02:18,586 --> 00:02:22,086 Speaker 4: What in the world is a Gidget? It's a girl, 31 00:02:22,566 --> 00:02:25,836 Speaker 4: a cuddling, befuddling teen, who set out to find her 32 00:02:25,916 --> 00:02:29,436 Speaker 4: a man of her own and found seven, seven young 33 00:02:29,496 --> 00:02:33,556 Speaker 4: beachcombers with a single thought, to enjoy life and love 34 00:02:34,156 --> 00:02:36,996 Speaker 4: without working. Meet Kahuna, their leader. 35 00:02:37,036 --> 00:02:41,616 Speaker 1: Sequels follow. Gidget goes Hawaiian. Gidget goes to Rome. Gidget 36 00:02:41,636 --> 00:02:46,506 Speaker 1: grows up. Gidget gets married. Gidget's summer reunions. It was 37 00:02:46,546 --> 00:02:54,146 Speaker 1: also a TV show starring a then-unknown Sally Field as Gidget. Today, 38 00:02:54,286 --> 00:02:57,706 Speaker 1: Kathy works as a kind of informal celebrity host at Duke's. 39 00:02:58,666 --> 00:03:01,606 Speaker 1: She seats diners, chats with them, and signs copies of 40 00:03:01,626 --> 00:03:06,126 Speaker 1: the Gidget novel. Around the corner from reception, there's a 41 00:03:06,146 --> 00:03:09,886 Speaker 1: wall with some old photos of Kathy, including one of 42 00:03:09,966 --> 00:03:10,986 Speaker 1: her with Mickey Dora. 43 00:03:12,266 --> 00:03:13,306 Speaker 3: Oh, wow, look at this. 44 00:03:14,746 --> 00:03:18,516 Speaker 1: That's Kathy and Mickey. There's sort of a pack of 45 00:03:18,596 --> 00:03:23,256 Speaker 1: dudes in the background. Oh, here she comes. She's got 46 00:03:23,296 --> 00:03:26,976 Speaker 1: a cute little flower on her hair. The person coming 47 00:03:27,016 --> 00:03:29,676 Speaker 1: toward me is tiny, with a big warm smile and 48 00:03:29,696 --> 00:03:33,266 Speaker 1: a bunch of chunky necklaces around her neck. This is 49 00:03:33,306 --> 00:03:39,026 Speaker 1: the person Mickey Dora says ruined Malibu. She's 82 and vibrant, 50 00:03:39,286 --> 00:03:41,766 Speaker 1: and I'll just say, she doesn't feel much like a 51 00:03:41,806 --> 00:03:42,406 Speaker 1: villain to me. 52 00:03:42,426 --> 00:03:46,536 Speaker 2: I just do high finance here, because... Somebody made me 53 00:03:46,556 --> 00:03:49,036 Speaker 2: a couple of really great photos of me, one at 54 00:03:49,056 --> 00:03:49,556 Speaker 2: the shack. 55 00:03:49,616 --> 00:03:52,666 Speaker 3: I want one, I want one, I want one. 56 00:03:53,926 --> 00:03:56,566 Speaker 1: Kathy says she sometimes sells photos of herself as a 57 00:03:56,606 --> 00:03:59,106 Speaker 1: teenager on the beach in Malibu to Duke's customers. 58 00:04:00,166 --> 00:04:04,966 Speaker 2: Gidget's always hustling. No, I love my guests, you know. 59 00:04:05,796 --> 00:04:09,736 Speaker 2: So that's the shack. That's amazing. That's the original shack 60 00:04:10,476 --> 00:04:16,046 Speaker 2: where the big kahuna lived. He was called kahuna, by 61 00:04:16,086 --> 00:04:18,566 Speaker 2: the way, but he lived in that shack, so that's 62 00:04:18,606 --> 00:04:19,306 Speaker 2: me in front of the shack. 63 00:04:21,026 --> 00:04:23,566 Speaker 1: Kathy's shift is over, and the plan is for me 64 00:04:23,586 --> 00:04:25,386 Speaker 1: to give her a ride back to her house in 65 00:04:25,406 --> 00:04:27,966 Speaker 1: the Palisades. Okay, okay. Do you want to go? 66 00:04:28,106 --> 00:04:29,786 Speaker 2: Yeah. I'm going to drive you home. 67 00:04:30,386 --> 00:04:30,806 Speaker 3: Thank you. 68 00:04:30,826 --> 00:04:32,216 Speaker 2: I have to clock off. 69 00:04:32,396 --> 00:04:32,616 Speaker 3: Okay. 70 00:04:35,426 --> 00:04:36,006 Speaker 4: Bye, everybody. 71 00:04:36,066 --> 00:04:37,026 Speaker 3: See you tomorrow. 72 00:04:37,926 --> 00:04:44,046 Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Why don't you come around to 73 00:04:44,086 --> 00:04:45,246 Speaker 2: the passenger side. 74 00:04:45,046 --> 00:04:50,176 Speaker 1: In the front? As we head out of Malibu on 75 00:04:50,216 --> 00:04:53,196 Speaker 1: Pacific Coast Highway, we start talking about what it was 76 00:04:53,256 --> 00:04:57,536 Speaker 1: like for her when the Gidget movie came out in 1959. 77 00:04:57,536 --> 00:04:59,676 Speaker 1: When you're in college and the movie comes out, did 78 00:04:59,716 --> 00:05:01,596 Speaker 1: people start to recognize you? 79 00:05:01,616 --> 00:05:06,006 Speaker 2: I know you weren't Nobody recognizes me. But did they 80 00:05:06,056 --> 00:05:06,446 Speaker 2: make the. 81 00:05:06,386 --> 00:05:08,796 Speaker 1: Connection between you and this famous movie? 82 00:05:10,136 --> 00:05:12,596 Speaker 2: Well, it wasn't famous when it came out. And I 83 00:05:12,656 --> 00:05:16,516 Speaker 2: saw it at the Whiteside Theater in Corvallis, Oregon. And 84 00:05:16,756 --> 00:05:21,636 Speaker 2: I wish you'd slow down a bit. And I thought 85 00:05:21,676 --> 00:05:24,476 Speaker 2: it was, you know, it was like, oh, my God, 86 00:05:24,516 --> 00:05:26,866 Speaker 2: this is a movie about my life at Malibu. You know, 87 00:05:26,966 --> 00:05:28,806 Speaker 2: obviously based on the book that my dad wrote. 88 00:05:29,956 --> 00:05:33,536 Speaker 1: Surfing, Kathy says, is completely different now from when she 89 00:05:33,576 --> 00:05:34,076 Speaker 1: was a kid. 90 00:05:35,336 --> 00:05:40,156 Speaker 2: When I was surfing, there were no contests, no surf music, 91 00:05:40,616 --> 00:05:44,616 Speaker 2: no surf clothing. It was all, that's what I loved 92 00:05:44,656 --> 00:05:47,556 Speaker 2: so much about it. It was way off, dead center. 93 00:05:47,856 --> 00:05:51,816 Speaker 2: I was the tomboy. I was, you know, the kids 94 00:05:51,856 --> 00:05:54,876 Speaker 2: would write in my annual when I graduated, good luck 95 00:05:54,926 --> 00:05:57,746 Speaker 2: with your water skiing. You know, they didn't know what 96 00:05:57,786 --> 00:05:59,246 Speaker 2: surfing was, you know. 97 00:06:01,286 --> 00:06:04,686 Speaker 1: With the phenomenal success of Gidget, the weird little boho 98 00:06:04,726 --> 00:06:08,486 Speaker 1: scene that was happening on the beach in Malibu became, instantly, 99 00:06:09,146 --> 00:06:15,476 Speaker 1: pop culture. Malibu got overrun. Mickey was furious. And in 100 00:06:15,556 --> 00:06:18,116 Speaker 1: his mind, and the minds of all those dudes who 101 00:06:18,176 --> 00:06:21,576 Speaker 1: worshipped the ground Mickey walked on, Gidget became the one 102 00:06:22,036 --> 00:06:30,956 Speaker 1: who ruined everything. I'm Dana Goodyear, and this is Lost Hills. 103 00:06:33,066 --> 00:06:43,106 Speaker 3: Episode 3, Gidget Goes to Hollywood, Part 1. 104 00:07:05,266 --> 00:07:07,986 Speaker 2: I believe Gidget was the trailblazer, yes. 105 00:07:10,596 --> 00:07:13,516 Speaker 1: Gidget ushered in the era of surfing as a pop 106 00:07:13,616 --> 00:07:14,636 Speaker 1: culture phenomenon. 107 00:07:15,756 --> 00:07:17,676 Speaker 4: But the biggest thrill is surfboarding. 108 00:07:17,776 --> 00:07:20,836 Speaker 2: The art of surfboarding is part of the Hawaiian culture. 109 00:07:21,236 --> 00:07:22,166 Speaker 1: Surf movies. 110 00:07:22,876 --> 00:07:29,526 Speaker 2: And then you got Beach Blanket Bingo. Ride the Wild Surf, 111 00:07:29,586 --> 00:07:40,326 Speaker 2: you know, Elvis Presley movies. And that Funicello, because people say, oh, 112 00:07:40,346 --> 00:07:43,206 Speaker 2: you're Annette Funicello. I'm like, no. Take a look at 113 00:07:43,226 --> 00:07:46,916 Speaker 2: those waves out there. Oh, you know, there's nothing out 114 00:07:46,956 --> 00:07:51,496 Speaker 2: there but you, the sea, the sky. You make it 115 00:07:51,536 --> 00:07:55,636 Speaker 2: sound good. And I actually never watched any of those 116 00:07:55,736 --> 00:07:59,926 Speaker 2: beach movies. I didn't ever watch a Frank the Avalon 117 00:08:00,006 --> 00:08:01,986 Speaker 2: muscle beach party. I don't even know the names of them. 118 00:08:03,526 --> 00:08:06,426 Speaker 2: Surf music. The Beach Boys. Surf competitions. 119 00:08:07,306 --> 00:08:09,316 Speaker 1: Surf brands. 120 00:08:09,396 --> 00:08:10,776 Speaker 4: There was no leashes. 121 00:08:10,816 --> 00:08:13,516 Speaker 3: There was no wetsuits. There was no merchandising. 122 00:08:33,436 --> 00:08:37,916 Speaker 2: I mean, who'd heard of surf clothing, or Roxy, or Quicksilver, 123 00:08:37,936 --> 00:08:41,076 Speaker 2: or Rip Curl, or Hurley, or any of these things, 124 00:08:41,116 --> 00:08:41,336 Speaker 2: you know? 125 00:08:41,356 --> 00:08:44,626 Speaker 4: We're seeing today some of the world's finest surfers. 126 00:08:45,506 --> 00:08:46,626 Speaker 2: Surfing became a business. 127 00:08:46,666 --> 00:08:47,646 Speaker 3: Here we go, Kelly. 128 00:08:47,446 --> 00:08:53,906 Speaker 5: Slater, looking for a 7, 1, 8. 129 00:08:53,906 --> 00:09:03,926 Speaker 3: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. 130 00:09:03,926 --> 00:09:07,726 Speaker 1: Before Gidget, there was just the waves and the beach 131 00:09:08,106 --> 00:09:11,346 Speaker 1: and the birds and a few stray humans doing something 132 00:09:11,526 --> 00:09:16,266 Speaker 1: very few people would credit as worthwhile. The early California 133 00:09:16,306 --> 00:09:20,326 Speaker 1: surfers were iconoclasts. Some of them were teenagers ditching school. 134 00:09:21,186 --> 00:09:24,166 Speaker 1: Some of them were disillusioned veterans of the Second World War. 135 00:09:25,286 --> 00:09:29,176 Speaker 1: All of them were rejecting the clean-cut, dutiful stereotypes of 136 00:09:29,216 --> 00:09:29,616 Speaker 1: the era. 137 00:09:29,636 --> 00:09:32,546 Speaker 6: I mean, even if you were a surfer, Your parents 138 00:09:32,616 --> 00:09:34,276 Speaker 6: wanted you to go to school, but we would rather 139 00:09:34,316 --> 00:09:38,616 Speaker 6: go surfing. So we were kind of outcast, would be 140 00:09:38,636 --> 00:09:39,646 Speaker 6: the best way of putting it. 141 00:09:40,496 --> 00:09:42,696 Speaker 7: Looked at differently. 142 00:09:43,936 --> 00:09:47,246 Speaker 1: This is Henry Ford, another early surfer who became a 143 00:09:47,286 --> 00:09:48,306 Speaker 1: lifeguard at Malibu. 144 00:09:49,206 --> 00:09:52,786 Speaker 6: You probably weren't working as much as other people because 145 00:09:52,826 --> 00:09:56,146 Speaker 6: you were bitten by the werewolf, as we call surfing, 146 00:09:56,246 --> 00:09:56,986 Speaker 6: surfing bit us. 147 00:09:57,586 --> 00:10:00,446 Speaker 7: And it's like you, once you're bitten, you're stuck with it, 148 00:10:00,476 --> 00:10:00,736 Speaker 7: you know. 149 00:10:02,536 --> 00:10:05,416 Speaker 1: Malibu has a number of surf spots, but when people 150 00:10:05,456 --> 00:10:09,826 Speaker 1: say Malibu, they're usually talking about Surfrider Beach. It's a 151 00:10:09,926 --> 00:10:13,336 Speaker 1: beautiful wave that peels slowly to the right instead of 152 00:10:13,366 --> 00:10:17,796 Speaker 1: breaking all at once. Malibu is so consistent, surfers call 153 00:10:17,856 --> 00:10:23,316 Speaker 1: it the machine or the conveyor belt. That green, unbroken water, 154 00:10:24,096 --> 00:10:25,476 Speaker 1: that was Mickey's canvas. 155 00:10:26,676 --> 00:10:30,956 Speaker 6: Malibu had a perfect right point it's kind of like 156 00:10:31,736 --> 00:10:34,676 Speaker 6: manufactured wave if you looked at it they were perfect 157 00:10:35,576 --> 00:10:38,086 Speaker 6: and it was the right hand point break and it 158 00:10:38,156 --> 00:10:41,546 Speaker 6: was put in the right place where the wind would 159 00:10:41,586 --> 00:10:44,846 Speaker 6: blow down the coast and so it just it offered 160 00:10:45,006 --> 00:10:51,406 Speaker 6: everything good waves good conditions and unknown at that time 161 00:10:51,846 --> 00:10:54,266 Speaker 6: because there were nobody else surfing you drive by there 162 00:10:54,306 --> 00:10:55,496 Speaker 6: you'd see six people. 163 00:10:55,356 --> 00:10:56,996 Speaker 7: Out that would be it that would be a big 164 00:10:57,036 --> 00:10:58,946 Speaker 7: day in those early years. 165 00:11:00,246 --> 00:11:04,526 Speaker 1: Malibu was secluded, a private paradise. There were movie stars 166 00:11:04,586 --> 00:11:07,426 Speaker 1: living in the Malibu movie colony, a group of houses 167 00:11:07,526 --> 00:11:09,386 Speaker 1: clustered at one end of Surfrider Beach. 168 00:11:10,406 --> 00:11:13,386 Speaker 7: There wasn't like a crowd that hung there every day. 169 00:11:14,896 --> 00:11:17,276 Speaker 7: There were a few movie. 170 00:11:16,976 --> 00:11:19,256 Speaker 6: Stars that would come down there in those early days, 171 00:11:20,056 --> 00:11:22,976 Speaker 6: guys like Peter Lawford, Richard Jekyll. 172 00:11:23,956 --> 00:11:26,136 Speaker 1: Other than that, there were a bunch of misfits. 173 00:11:26,876 --> 00:11:30,896 Speaker 5: It was a These characters, they were different because they 174 00:11:30,916 --> 00:11:34,616 Speaker 5: were like the Old West or something. There was a 175 00:11:34,676 --> 00:11:39,116 Speaker 5: freedom because they were away from any kind of society. 176 00:11:40,216 --> 00:11:42,796 Speaker 5: Once they entered the Malibu Beach, it was their domain. 177 00:11:43,796 --> 00:11:46,786 Speaker 1: Here's Denny Auberg again, the surfer who started going to 178 00:11:46,826 --> 00:11:50,146 Speaker 1: Malibu in the 50s, tagging along with his older brother, Kemp. 179 00:11:51,446 --> 00:11:53,406 Speaker 5: So you got down there and you saw all these 180 00:11:53,466 --> 00:11:55,886 Speaker 5: different kinds of characters. They dressed like one guy just 181 00:11:55,946 --> 00:12:00,086 Speaker 5: found it. an old beaver coat that washed up on 182 00:12:00,106 --> 00:12:02,926 Speaker 5: the beach, and that became this surfing coat full of 183 00:12:02,966 --> 00:12:07,126 Speaker 5: holes and moth eating. Just people wore army jackets. It 184 00:12:07,146 --> 00:12:11,116 Speaker 5: was kind of like improvisation. There was no technology for surfing. 185 00:12:11,856 --> 00:12:14,136 Speaker 5: So people roped their board on their car with rope. 186 00:12:14,316 --> 00:12:18,856 Speaker 5: There was no special wetsuits, no wetsuits. And they cut 187 00:12:18,896 --> 00:12:21,776 Speaker 5: off jeans. A lot of people just cut off jeans 188 00:12:21,826 --> 00:12:25,186 Speaker 5: for their trucks. So it was like the beginning infancy thing. 189 00:12:26,426 --> 00:12:27,306 Speaker 5: of the surf thing. 190 00:12:28,426 --> 00:12:33,196 Speaker 1: The characters at Malibu were basically beatniks and dropouts. Some 191 00:12:33,236 --> 00:12:35,876 Speaker 1: of them were what we would now think of as homeless. 192 00:12:37,356 --> 00:12:40,236 Speaker 1: At the start of the summer of 1956, one of them, 193 00:12:40,556 --> 00:12:46,036 Speaker 1: Terry Tracy, a.k.a. Tube Steak, a.k.a. The Big Kahuna, decided 194 00:12:46,056 --> 00:12:47,936 Speaker 1: he was just going to live on the beach and 195 00:12:48,056 --> 00:12:51,216 Speaker 1: party nonstop with his friends. So he built himself a 196 00:12:51,256 --> 00:12:56,296 Speaker 1: shack out of palm fronds. And that's where Kathy Coner, 197 00:12:56,616 --> 00:12:59,216 Speaker 1: a 15-year-old whose parents had brought her to the beach, 198 00:12:59,636 --> 00:13:03,476 Speaker 1: found him. And that's where she met Mickey Dora, the 199 00:13:03,516 --> 00:13:17,246 Speaker 1: surfing god, the Dark Prince of Malibu. After sitting in 200 00:13:17,286 --> 00:13:20,466 Speaker 1: traffic on Pacific Coast Highway and then climbing up into 201 00:13:20,506 --> 00:13:24,936 Speaker 1: the Palisades, we get to Kathy's house. It's a wooden 202 00:13:24,996 --> 00:13:27,716 Speaker 1: ranch house, red with white trim, that she shares with 203 00:13:27,756 --> 00:13:31,356 Speaker 1: her husband, Marv. A table just outside the front door 204 00:13:31,536 --> 00:13:34,666 Speaker 1: is piled with abalone shells and sand dollars, and a 205 00:13:34,686 --> 00:13:37,726 Speaker 1: wooden sign that says, a beach girl lives here with 206 00:13:37,766 --> 00:13:38,706 Speaker 1: her big kahuna. 207 00:13:39,986 --> 00:13:43,066 Speaker 2: I love your house. What year was it built? 208 00:13:43,986 --> 00:13:45,146 Speaker 7: I love my house, too. 209 00:13:45,186 --> 00:13:46,146 Speaker 2: It's the 50s. 210 00:13:46,246 --> 00:13:50,916 Speaker 1: It's so great. You don't see too many houses that 211 00:13:51,136 --> 00:13:53,576 Speaker 1: are original like this anymore. 212 00:13:53,116 --> 00:13:53,856 Speaker 3: In this neighborhood. 213 00:14:04,756 --> 00:14:07,266 Speaker 1: Kathy leads me into a back bedroom, which looks like 214 00:14:07,306 --> 00:14:11,206 Speaker 1: a museum of 1950s girlhood. She opens a drawer on 215 00:14:11,226 --> 00:14:14,246 Speaker 1: a bedside table and pulls out two old books, which 216 00:14:14,286 --> 00:14:15,686 Speaker 1: she clutches to her chest. 217 00:14:17,126 --> 00:14:20,016 Speaker 2: So these are the truths, Dana. Yeah. These are my 218 00:14:20,036 --> 00:14:21,226 Speaker 2: diary pages. 219 00:14:22,306 --> 00:14:22,546 Speaker 5: Okay. 220 00:14:22,826 --> 00:14:26,726 Speaker 2: Oh, my God. Now she's going, oh, look at those. 221 00:14:27,486 --> 00:14:29,346 Speaker 2: Look at your sweet diaries. So I had to look 222 00:14:29,486 --> 00:14:32,086 Speaker 2: up where I wrote about Mickey Dora. Of course, I 223 00:14:32,106 --> 00:14:33,486 Speaker 2: wrote it down. I can't find the. 224 00:14:34,166 --> 00:14:34,686 Speaker 7: Oh, here it is. 225 00:14:36,486 --> 00:14:37,976 Speaker 1: Oh, my God. It's so great. 226 00:14:40,556 --> 00:14:41,356 Speaker 3: Amazing. 227 00:14:41,936 --> 00:14:44,276 Speaker 1: Amazing, amazing. I just love the way they look, too. 228 00:14:45,276 --> 00:14:52,226 Speaker 1: My wonderful year. Gidget's Diaries. The covers are faded pastel 229 00:14:52,276 --> 00:14:55,386 Speaker 1: pink and green, and the spines are splitting apart with age. 230 00:14:56,286 --> 00:14:58,646 Speaker 1: One of them shows a boy and a girl holding hands. 231 00:14:59,326 --> 00:15:04,426 Speaker 1: My Wonderful Year is written in bubbly lowercase script. These 232 00:15:04,486 --> 00:15:08,756 Speaker 1: are basically the golden tablets of the surf religion. This 233 00:15:08,816 --> 00:15:11,696 Speaker 1: is where Kathy recorded everything that happened in the summer 234 00:15:11,736 --> 00:15:14,916 Speaker 1: of 1956 when she learned to surf in Malibu. 235 00:15:16,396 --> 00:15:20,186 Speaker 2: I have written down in the diary the first day 236 00:15:20,256 --> 00:15:22,846 Speaker 2: I went surfing, and I'm happy to read it to you. 237 00:15:22,866 --> 00:15:30,146 Speaker 2: I love that. June 24, 1956. 238 00:15:30,146 --> 00:15:30,486 Speaker 3: Sunday. 239 00:15:31,286 --> 00:15:34,566 Speaker 2: Dear diary, I didn't do too much, but go to 240 00:15:34,586 --> 00:15:37,526 Speaker 2: the beach. I didn't think I'd have fun, but I 241 00:15:37,596 --> 00:15:40,736 Speaker 2: met Matt, and he took me out on his surfboard. 242 00:15:41,276 --> 00:15:44,156 Speaker 2: He let me catch the waves by myself, and once 243 00:15:44,256 --> 00:15:47,416 Speaker 2: I flew off, and the board went flying in the air. 244 00:15:47,996 --> 00:15:51,096 Speaker 2: I didn't get hurt at all. He also rode the 245 00:15:51,156 --> 00:15:55,176 Speaker 2: waves with me. Then I rode the board in alone. 246 00:15:55,676 --> 00:15:58,496 Speaker 2: The surf wasn't high at all. I hope Matt will 247 00:15:58,516 --> 00:16:04,906 Speaker 2: take me surfing again. So that's the first entry about 248 00:16:04,946 --> 00:16:06,166 Speaker 2: going surfing at Malibu. 249 00:16:09,226 --> 00:16:12,526 Speaker 1: Kathy lived about 15 miles away in Brentwood, but her 250 00:16:12,546 --> 00:16:15,636 Speaker 1: parents were outdoorsy and they loved the beach. So she'd 251 00:16:15,656 --> 00:16:18,276 Speaker 1: been going to Malibu since she was a baby. She 252 00:16:18,316 --> 00:16:19,416 Speaker 1: was aware of surfing. 253 00:16:20,546 --> 00:16:22,586 Speaker 2: So there was a group of guys, you know, from 254 00:16:22,586 --> 00:16:27,666 Speaker 2: 1948 or so, that my mom used to take a 255 00:16:27,706 --> 00:16:29,746 Speaker 2: couple of those guys to the beach, to Malibu, and 256 00:16:29,786 --> 00:16:32,216 Speaker 2: took the boards in the rumble seas. So my earliest 257 00:16:32,276 --> 00:16:35,276 Speaker 2: recollection of those boards were when I was eight or 258 00:16:35,316 --> 00:16:38,076 Speaker 2: nine years old. But we always went to Malibu. So 259 00:16:38,096 --> 00:16:40,136 Speaker 2: I didn't stumble upon them. I saw them. I knew 260 00:16:40,156 --> 00:16:43,446 Speaker 2: where they were. Usually they were in the pit. I 261 00:16:43,486 --> 00:16:46,366 Speaker 2: remember them in the pit. That was called the pit. 262 00:16:48,876 --> 00:16:50,916 Speaker 1: The pit was a spot in the sand along the 263 00:16:50,956 --> 00:16:53,576 Speaker 1: wall by the entrance to the beach. It was where 264 00:16:53,596 --> 00:16:54,696 Speaker 1: the cool kids hung out. 265 00:16:56,096 --> 00:17:02,486 Speaker 2: The pit seemed to be more hardcore surfers, men's club, 266 00:17:02,506 --> 00:17:06,266 Speaker 2: you know, all about testosterone. I mean, a lot of 267 00:17:06,306 --> 00:17:10,366 Speaker 2: them had nicknames. So there was somebody called the Fencer, 268 00:17:11,326 --> 00:17:17,846 Speaker 2: the Kahuna. Frank Higgison was called Quick Higgy. Well, see, 269 00:17:17,866 --> 00:17:19,246 Speaker 2: Mickey was called Da Cat. 270 00:17:21,746 --> 00:17:26,076 Speaker 1: The scene at the pit could be intimidating. Here's Denny 271 00:17:26,176 --> 00:17:28,336 Speaker 1: Auberg again. He surfed with Mickey. 272 00:17:29,396 --> 00:17:31,416 Speaker 5: Everybody would laugh, and everybody would sit in the pit. 273 00:17:31,456 --> 00:17:34,136 Speaker 5: It was this area where kind of the bigger names, 274 00:17:34,176 --> 00:17:37,826 Speaker 5: you know, the in crowd would sit. And surfers had 275 00:17:37,866 --> 00:17:40,366 Speaker 5: to walk through that pit and be scrutinized, you know, 276 00:17:40,406 --> 00:17:43,456 Speaker 5: like little beginners and They'd throw pebbles at the board 277 00:17:43,476 --> 00:17:46,156 Speaker 5: or yell something just to kind of hassle them a 278 00:17:46,156 --> 00:17:46,796 Speaker 5: little bit, you know. 279 00:17:48,196 --> 00:17:50,696 Speaker 1: A little farther up the beach was the shack where 280 00:17:50,736 --> 00:17:52,516 Speaker 1: Terry Tubestake Tracy lived. 281 00:17:53,456 --> 00:17:57,466 Speaker 5: Tubestake Tracy, he was the leader of the pack. People 282 00:17:57,486 --> 00:18:00,266 Speaker 5: would hang around his shack in old beat-up couches, you know. 283 00:18:00,286 --> 00:18:02,886 Speaker 5: They'd just drag down an old car seat and lay 284 00:18:02,906 --> 00:18:05,126 Speaker 5: it on the beach or an old chair. And it 285 00:18:05,586 --> 00:18:08,436 Speaker 5: was very primitive, you know. He would come out of 286 00:18:08,476 --> 00:18:12,766 Speaker 5: his grass shack after spending the night... I am the kahuna. 287 00:18:12,786 --> 00:18:14,676 Speaker 5: It was funny. 288 00:18:15,736 --> 00:18:17,816 Speaker 1: The big kahuna ruled the beach. 289 00:18:18,676 --> 00:18:22,496 Speaker 5: In fact, he would say, Malibu, on the beach, it's me. 290 00:18:23,276 --> 00:18:25,216 Speaker 5: In the water, it's Mickey Dora. 291 00:18:26,476 --> 00:18:30,116 Speaker 1: This was way before contests and rankings. But no one 292 00:18:30,176 --> 00:18:33,656 Speaker 1: had to measure Mickey's dominance. It was self-evident. 293 00:18:34,706 --> 00:18:36,886 Speaker 5: You know, he was king of the water, you know 294 00:18:36,906 --> 00:18:39,696 Speaker 5: what I mean? you know, and that's, in surfing, it 295 00:18:39,736 --> 00:18:42,276 Speaker 5: wasn't because you won something, it was nothing to win, 296 00:18:42,336 --> 00:18:46,516 Speaker 5: it's a funny sport, it was just, it was all 297 00:18:46,576 --> 00:18:48,836 Speaker 5: by reputation, you know, it had a lot to do 298 00:18:48,876 --> 00:18:52,576 Speaker 5: with the way, your style in the water, how you just, 299 00:18:52,796 --> 00:18:56,166 Speaker 5: you did something magnificent, but you didn't really win a contest, 300 00:18:56,346 --> 00:19:00,906 Speaker 5: but the reputation would grow, because you just looked beautiful 301 00:19:00,966 --> 00:19:04,606 Speaker 5: on a wave, people would notice that you just rode 302 00:19:04,646 --> 00:19:06,846 Speaker 5: that wave so well. I mean, the wave's over. There's 303 00:19:06,886 --> 00:19:09,376 Speaker 5: nothing left to show for it unless it's on film. 304 00:19:09,976 --> 00:19:13,136 Speaker 5: But people would remember. They'd be their hero, you know, 305 00:19:13,156 --> 00:19:15,776 Speaker 5: like they'd idolize these people that were so good. It's 306 00:19:15,796 --> 00:19:16,936 Speaker 5: a funny sport like that. 307 00:19:16,956 --> 00:19:22,886 Speaker 1: Of course, Kathy noticed Mickey. Everyone did. 308 00:19:23,946 --> 00:19:28,226 Speaker 2: You know, he was dark and dark skin, dark hair. 309 00:19:29,896 --> 00:19:34,856 Speaker 2: White trunks, I think I remember white trunks. He was 310 00:19:34,896 --> 00:19:38,556 Speaker 2: a great surfer. He was a great surfer. I mean, 311 00:19:38,576 --> 00:19:41,186 Speaker 2: you could pick him. If you looked outside, you could 312 00:19:41,206 --> 00:19:43,946 Speaker 2: pick him up in a lineup. He was fantastic. He 313 00:19:43,986 --> 00:19:47,386 Speaker 2: had hand gestures. I don't know if anybody saw. He goes, ah, 314 00:19:47,446 --> 00:19:50,186 Speaker 2: my name is Mickey Dora. He'd go like that. 315 00:19:51,326 --> 00:19:54,486 Speaker 1: Mickey makes frequent cameos in Kathy's diaries. 316 00:19:56,046 --> 00:20:00,216 Speaker 2: Jazzed on Mickey. He didn't kiss me, though. We drove 317 00:20:00,436 --> 00:20:03,876 Speaker 2: into Palmdale, where Mickey went to meet these people who 318 00:20:03,916 --> 00:20:07,206 Speaker 2: were going to take him to Mammoth. God, I wanted 319 00:20:07,266 --> 00:20:10,266 Speaker 2: to go so badly. When I came home, I found 320 00:20:10,326 --> 00:20:13,086 Speaker 2: a letter waiting for me from Dick. I called up Bill, 321 00:20:13,226 --> 00:20:16,806 Speaker 2: and he told me that he, Lester and Jesse, and Toob... 322 00:20:17,046 --> 00:20:19,096 Speaker 2: For God's sake, we're all going to Mammoth that night. 323 00:20:19,376 --> 00:20:24,056 Speaker 2: I called up Jesse, but he had already left. Skiing 324 00:20:24,096 --> 00:20:27,756 Speaker 2: was a big deal. I am completely jazzed, and I 325 00:20:27,796 --> 00:20:30,866 Speaker 2: don't know on whom. So there were these series of 326 00:20:32,146 --> 00:20:33,226 Speaker 2: male interests. 327 00:20:34,426 --> 00:20:38,446 Speaker 1: Kathy was, in her own description, completely boy crazy and 328 00:20:38,586 --> 00:20:41,766 Speaker 1: very sporty. She didn't want to spend all day at 329 00:20:41,806 --> 00:20:45,036 Speaker 1: the movies like the other girls she knew. She wanted 330 00:20:45,076 --> 00:20:46,456 Speaker 1: to have adventures. 331 00:20:47,826 --> 00:20:49,586 Speaker 2: So Mickey would come over to the house and play 332 00:20:49,626 --> 00:20:52,936 Speaker 2: ping pong. He would take me to the ski slopes, 333 00:20:52,976 --> 00:20:54,586 Speaker 2: and I found out where he'd have me climb up 334 00:20:54,656 --> 00:20:56,476 Speaker 2: the rope tow, so he didn't want to pay for 335 00:20:56,496 --> 00:20:58,196 Speaker 2: a ski whip ticket. 336 00:20:59,336 --> 00:21:02,296 Speaker 1: Mammoth Mountain was only a few hundred miles north, in 337 00:21:02,336 --> 00:21:03,016 Speaker 1: Mono County. 338 00:21:04,196 --> 00:21:07,016 Speaker 2: Mickey was a good skier. So Mickey would take me, 339 00:21:07,056 --> 00:21:08,936 Speaker 2: and I wrote it, let's see, well, I didn't go 340 00:21:08,976 --> 00:21:12,356 Speaker 2: to school today, but instead I went skiing. Mickey's friends 341 00:21:12,476 --> 00:21:15,206 Speaker 2: picked me up at 710 on the corner of Bundy 342 00:21:15,226 --> 00:21:19,726 Speaker 2: and Coyne. Fantastic weather, only no snow. God, we drove 343 00:21:19,786 --> 00:21:23,066 Speaker 2: to Moon Ridge where we spent the day on a 344 00:21:23,186 --> 00:21:28,786 Speaker 2: dripping rope tow. What a fiasco. Mickey came with us. 345 00:21:29,686 --> 00:21:32,086 Speaker 2: All he did was ski up and down the rope tow. 346 00:21:32,746 --> 00:21:36,006 Speaker 2: He left around four and Mickey had some beer and 347 00:21:36,086 --> 00:21:39,876 Speaker 2: we got feeling good. I snuggled close up to Mickey 348 00:21:40,006 --> 00:21:42,796 Speaker 2: and it felt terrific. I think I'm sort of, really? 349 00:21:44,136 --> 00:21:48,476 Speaker 1: Kathy lived a safe, comfortable, conventional life, but she hadn't 350 00:21:48,496 --> 00:21:51,836 Speaker 1: really found her people. Strange as it sounds, she felt 351 00:21:51,916 --> 00:21:53,076 Speaker 1: more at home at the beach. 352 00:21:54,496 --> 00:21:57,166 Speaker 2: I did not like going to school, so I didn't 353 00:21:57,256 --> 00:22:02,806 Speaker 2: really enjoy high school girly, girly things. I had a 354 00:22:02,846 --> 00:22:08,386 Speaker 2: couple of great English teachers that I remembered liking, but 355 00:22:08,446 --> 00:22:10,846 Speaker 2: I didn't have a boyfriend in high school. I just 356 00:22:11,246 --> 00:22:14,246 Speaker 2: always liked boys. Most of them were from the beach. 357 00:22:15,526 --> 00:22:18,646 Speaker 2: I found the place that I always wanted to go 358 00:22:18,706 --> 00:22:22,626 Speaker 2: to was Malibu because I felt that I had a 359 00:22:22,656 --> 00:22:26,496 Speaker 2: little community there, like Cheers, you know, everybody knows my name. Well, 360 00:22:26,676 --> 00:22:29,296 Speaker 2: I got a nickname. They all called me Gidget. And 361 00:22:29,336 --> 00:22:31,496 Speaker 2: so any chance I could get, I would go to 362 00:22:31,536 --> 00:22:36,116 Speaker 2: the beach. And the language and the whole milieu of, 363 00:22:36,576 --> 00:22:39,746 Speaker 2: you know, coming down there, carrying your board, getting to 364 00:22:39,786 --> 00:22:45,416 Speaker 2: know what their names were, and wanting to be part 365 00:22:45,496 --> 00:22:48,836 Speaker 2: of the crew. A place to belong. I mean, you're 366 00:22:48,856 --> 00:22:52,856 Speaker 2: a teenage kid. We had school and we had home, 367 00:22:52,896 --> 00:22:55,496 Speaker 2: and then the third place, as a sociologist would say, 368 00:22:55,936 --> 00:22:56,936 Speaker 2: for me it was the beach. 369 00:23:01,396 --> 00:23:04,536 Speaker 1: Kathy was inspired by what she saw going on around her. 370 00:23:05,376 --> 00:23:08,296 Speaker 1: Inspired to surf, but also to document it. 371 00:23:09,316 --> 00:23:12,746 Speaker 2: I think the pinnacle was the guy that lived in 372 00:23:12,786 --> 00:23:14,846 Speaker 2: a shack at the beach. I thought, wow, this is 373 00:23:14,906 --> 00:23:18,986 Speaker 2: kind of interesting. So I thought, yeah, I thought, wow, 374 00:23:19,026 --> 00:23:20,446 Speaker 2: I'd like to write a story about this guy. He 375 00:23:20,466 --> 00:23:23,296 Speaker 2: lives in a shack all summer. You know, doesn't he 376 00:23:23,336 --> 00:23:26,296 Speaker 2: have a mommy and daddy? You know, doesn't he have 377 00:23:26,356 --> 00:23:26,816 Speaker 2: a car? 378 00:23:28,136 --> 00:23:30,816 Speaker 1: Kathy's father, Frederick Koner, was a screenwriter. 379 00:23:32,096 --> 00:23:33,926 Speaker 2: So I remember my dad would pick me up in 380 00:23:33,946 --> 00:23:35,686 Speaker 2: the Dine of Full Buick, and I sat next to 381 00:23:35,706 --> 00:23:37,006 Speaker 2: him in the car, and I said, I'd like to 382 00:23:37,026 --> 00:23:40,346 Speaker 2: write a story about what's going on in Malibu. You 383 00:23:40,366 --> 00:23:43,416 Speaker 2: tell me, I'll write the story for you. And he did. 384 00:23:43,696 --> 00:23:44,496 Speaker 2: He wrote Gitche. 385 00:23:45,976 --> 00:23:48,916 Speaker 1: Kathy's memories of those days in Malibu are now part 386 00:23:48,936 --> 00:23:53,896 Speaker 1: of the collective unconscious. But there's another story, one she 387 00:23:53,936 --> 00:23:57,296 Speaker 1: does not like to tell. About a side of Mickey 388 00:23:57,316 --> 00:24:01,046 Speaker 1: Dora and her surf friends she'd probably rather she did 389 00:24:01,126 --> 00:24:01,606 Speaker 1: not know. 390 00:24:11,586 --> 00:24:14,676 Speaker 7: Please, no tourists, Kahuna. Hey, Francie's no tourist. She's got 391 00:24:14,696 --> 00:24:19,216 Speaker 7: a real yen to pick up on server. That Gidget? 392 00:24:21,756 --> 00:24:22,176 Speaker 4: Gidget. 393 00:24:23,156 --> 00:24:24,136 Speaker 8: Hey, wait a minute, fellas. 394 00:24:24,616 --> 00:24:26,236 Speaker 2: Let me in on the gag, too, huh? 395 00:24:26,556 --> 00:24:29,016 Speaker 4: Well, you see, it's arrived there through us most. 396 00:24:29,456 --> 00:24:31,316 Speaker 2: Yeah, girl and midget. 397 00:24:31,756 --> 00:24:32,226 Speaker 4: Gidget. 398 00:24:33,886 --> 00:24:37,726 Speaker 1: That's a scene from the original 1959 Gidget movie. It 399 00:24:37,786 --> 00:24:41,826 Speaker 1: captures the teasing Kathy endured. the playful side of it anyway. 400 00:24:43,246 --> 00:24:48,526 Speaker 1: Kathy Coner's diaries are like Kathy, full of sunshine and optimism. 401 00:24:49,386 --> 00:24:54,506 Speaker 1: She loves that she was, she is, Gidget. Through Gidget, 402 00:24:54,606 --> 00:24:57,736 Speaker 1: she gets to relive the thrills of her adolescence every 403 00:24:57,776 --> 00:24:58,316 Speaker 1: single day. 404 00:25:01,736 --> 00:25:05,336 Speaker 2: One entry captures the language and the world of Malibu. 405 00:25:06,976 --> 00:25:08,316 Speaker 2: This is from Gidget's diary. 406 00:25:09,126 --> 00:25:09,466 Speaker 4: The boo. 407 00:25:10,186 --> 00:25:13,626 Speaker 2: Malibu gets good once a summer, and it got good. 408 00:25:14,066 --> 00:25:17,556 Speaker 2: It got bitchin'. Brother, was I ever jazzed. I was 409 00:25:17,636 --> 00:25:22,196 Speaker 2: riding four-footers and lining all the way across into the bay. Brother, 410 00:25:22,236 --> 00:25:25,296 Speaker 2: was I ever stoked. It was so bitchin'. I couldn't 411 00:25:25,336 --> 00:25:27,816 Speaker 2: believe it. No kooks were out in the water, and 412 00:25:27,836 --> 00:25:30,886 Speaker 2: it was practically open door all the way. I took 413 00:25:30,946 --> 00:25:33,886 Speaker 2: gas a couple of times, but otherwise I really looked good. 414 00:25:34,566 --> 00:25:37,266 Speaker 2: Sets are coming in off the point. So consistent, I 415 00:25:37,306 --> 00:25:40,466 Speaker 2: couldn't believe it. The sets were actually better formed than 416 00:25:40,506 --> 00:25:43,526 Speaker 2: last year's. All the kooks stayed out of the water 417 00:25:43,786 --> 00:25:46,466 Speaker 2: while the men really turned on. There must have been 418 00:25:46,466 --> 00:25:49,026 Speaker 2: 50 boards in the water at 7 in the evening. 419 00:25:49,606 --> 00:25:52,566 Speaker 2: Everyone from the whole coast was there. Actually, it was 420 00:25:52,626 --> 00:25:56,226 Speaker 2: pretty exciting. Those bigger waves are so easy to ride, 421 00:25:56,286 --> 00:26:00,126 Speaker 2: it's unbelievable. I really had a ball and looked better. 422 00:26:00,486 --> 00:26:03,206 Speaker 2: I still miss having a boyfriend, but everything happens for 423 00:26:03,226 --> 00:26:05,786 Speaker 2: the best. And I'll die being an old maid, but 424 00:26:05,826 --> 00:26:09,646 Speaker 2: it's a grand life. And I think that's a really 425 00:26:09,686 --> 00:26:15,726 Speaker 2: good piece of writing from my diary. 426 00:26:16,946 --> 00:26:20,546 Speaker 1: The Gidget story is one of triumph. A bubbly tomboy 427 00:26:20,666 --> 00:26:23,696 Speaker 1: stumbles on a scene full of quirky surfer guys, falls 428 00:26:23,746 --> 00:26:26,776 Speaker 1: in love, gets her heart broken, and learns to surf. 429 00:26:27,616 --> 00:26:32,036 Speaker 1: It's a classic teen coming-of-age story with a refreshingly feminist take. 430 00:26:33,066 --> 00:26:36,806 Speaker 1: It's a winning narrative, so powerful that it's taken Kathy 431 00:26:36,946 --> 00:26:39,456 Speaker 1: most of her lifetime to awaken to some of the 432 00:26:39,676 --> 00:26:42,056 Speaker 1: other dynamics that were at play in Malibu. 433 00:26:43,156 --> 00:26:46,236 Speaker 2: Well, it wasn't welcoming for me all the time. It 434 00:26:46,336 --> 00:26:50,336 Speaker 2: wasn't right away, oh, she's so cute, you know, she 435 00:26:50,376 --> 00:26:54,306 Speaker 2: can surf. No, I had to surf. I had to prove. 436 00:26:55,146 --> 00:26:57,706 Speaker 2: And one of those, the photo that I think you 437 00:26:57,746 --> 00:27:01,246 Speaker 2: saw me surfing, a really good one, where I'm wearing trunks. Now, 438 00:27:01,326 --> 00:27:05,176 Speaker 2: those trunks... I'm aware that I wanted to look like 439 00:27:05,216 --> 00:27:09,456 Speaker 2: a boy. I wanted surf trunks. You couldn't find surf 440 00:27:09,536 --> 00:27:13,736 Speaker 2: trunks at Henshey's department store or Penny's department store or 441 00:27:13,776 --> 00:27:16,696 Speaker 2: Miss California or whoever made bathing suits at the time. 442 00:27:17,956 --> 00:27:20,376 Speaker 1: The guys did not accept her right away. 443 00:27:21,476 --> 00:27:24,096 Speaker 2: Well, they did haze me a bit. They gave me 444 00:27:24,136 --> 00:27:27,966 Speaker 2: a rough time sometimes. They disconnected the distributor to my 445 00:27:28,016 --> 00:27:30,806 Speaker 2: car so I couldn't go home. You know, they threw 446 00:27:30,826 --> 00:27:33,206 Speaker 2: a pineapple in my face, said, you know, you're bothering me, 447 00:27:33,216 --> 00:27:33,996 Speaker 2: you're still breathing. 448 00:27:35,096 --> 00:27:38,876 Speaker 1: As she revisits the diaries, she's confronted with the harshness 449 00:27:38,916 --> 00:27:42,876 Speaker 1: of this treatment. Her collaborator, Ken, who's helping her transcribe 450 00:27:42,896 --> 00:27:45,956 Speaker 1: the pages, is sometimes shocked by what he reads. 451 00:27:47,096 --> 00:27:48,686 Speaker 2: Ken would look at the diary pages and say, oh 452 00:27:48,706 --> 00:27:50,966 Speaker 2: my God, they threw a pineapple in your face? And 453 00:27:50,986 --> 00:27:52,526 Speaker 2: you're just like, ah, you know, whatever. 454 00:27:54,826 --> 00:28:00,096 Speaker 1: Mickey Dora deeply resented Gidget. Gidget the book, Gidget the 455 00:28:00,156 --> 00:28:04,946 Speaker 1: movie franchise, Gidget the TV show, Gidget the cultural juggernaut. 456 00:28:05,906 --> 00:28:08,366 Speaker 1: He referred to the period around when the first movie 457 00:28:08,406 --> 00:28:14,436 Speaker 1: came out, in 1959, as the Dry Rot era. He 458 00:28:14,476 --> 00:28:18,456 Speaker 1: was not too charitable about Gidget the person, either. Never 459 00:28:18,516 --> 00:28:20,456 Speaker 1: mind that he took her to Mammoth or played ping 460 00:28:20,476 --> 00:28:22,916 Speaker 1: pong at her house. This is what he wrote to 461 00:28:22,956 --> 00:28:26,466 Speaker 1: a journalist who was working on a story about Kathy. Quote, 462 00:28:27,096 --> 00:28:30,106 Speaker 1: I only mumbled a few unpleasantries to her a couple 463 00:28:30,146 --> 00:28:33,646 Speaker 1: of times. She was a hairy little thing for her age. 464 00:28:34,166 --> 00:28:37,286 Speaker 1: She asked me some asinine question. I told her to 465 00:28:37,446 --> 00:28:45,566 Speaker 1: fuck off. Mickey's campaign against the Gidget takeover of Malibu 466 00:28:45,676 --> 00:28:51,096 Speaker 1: is pretty absurd. Because he was in the movie. When 467 00:28:51,136 --> 00:28:54,516 Speaker 1: Hollywood producers showed up in Malibu looking to cast real 468 00:28:54,576 --> 00:28:57,936 Speaker 1: surfers for the first Gidget movie, Mickey was hired to 469 00:28:57,976 --> 00:29:01,136 Speaker 1: be the stunt double for James Darin, who played Gidget's 470 00:29:01,236 --> 00:29:05,706 Speaker 1: love interest, Moondoggy. But you really wouldn't know that from 471 00:29:05,736 --> 00:29:09,446 Speaker 1: the way he talked. A few months ago, I got 472 00:29:09,486 --> 00:29:13,066 Speaker 1: a tape of Mickey Dora, recorded two years before his death. 473 00:29:14,026 --> 00:29:16,386 Speaker 1: It's never been heard before, and I'll play more of 474 00:29:16,446 --> 00:29:20,246 Speaker 1: it later. But for now, notice how worked up Mickey 475 00:29:20,446 --> 00:29:25,246 Speaker 1: still is about Gidget, 40 years after the fact. He's 476 00:29:25,286 --> 00:29:26,006 Speaker 1: the second voice. 477 00:29:27,226 --> 00:29:29,146 Speaker 8: I never even saw that. 478 00:29:31,006 --> 00:29:31,946 Speaker 4: Is it bad? 479 00:29:32,266 --> 00:29:32,586 Speaker 8: Is it? 480 00:29:33,416 --> 00:29:33,956 Speaker 7: Disaster. 481 00:29:34,006 --> 00:29:34,936 Speaker 5: It's a ruined everything. 482 00:29:35,716 --> 00:29:37,096 Speaker 7: And everyone holds me responsible. 483 00:29:38,516 --> 00:29:40,176 Speaker 8: When people connect me somehow. 484 00:29:41,696 --> 00:29:43,406 Speaker 4: It's all lies. I had nothing to do with these people. 485 00:29:45,926 --> 00:29:46,646 Speaker 8: They all hated me. 486 00:29:47,206 --> 00:29:47,786 Speaker 4: Unbelievable. 487 00:29:48,106 --> 00:29:49,086 Speaker 2: I only rode waves, you know. 488 00:29:39,146 --> 00:29:42,686 Speaker 7: Do you remember some of your friends, including Mickey and 489 00:29:42,726 --> 00:29:47,436 Speaker 7: some others, being there and working as extras? 490 00:30:07,436 --> 00:30:10,656 Speaker 2: Mickey was the extra. He surfed for James Darin. He 491 00:30:10,696 --> 00:30:14,356 Speaker 2: had great hand gestures. People mimicked him. People mimicked him 492 00:30:14,416 --> 00:30:17,706 Speaker 2: a lot. And I didn't know much about what happened 493 00:30:17,726 --> 00:30:20,986 Speaker 2: to Mickey after I left Malibu because, you know, he's 494 00:30:21,026 --> 00:30:21,566 Speaker 2: a bad boy. 495 00:30:22,606 --> 00:30:25,066 Speaker 1: Kathy remembers one thing Mickey used to say to her 496 00:30:25,346 --> 00:30:28,926 Speaker 1: all the time, the classic warning from a local to 497 00:30:28,966 --> 00:30:31,426 Speaker 1: a kook to stay off his wave. 498 00:30:32,366 --> 00:30:34,286 Speaker 2: Don't drop in on me, Gidget. 499 00:30:35,266 --> 00:30:36,326 Speaker 1: Don't drop in on me. 500 00:30:37,756 --> 00:30:39,416 Speaker 2: I won't make E, I won't, I promise. 501 00:30:41,376 --> 00:30:44,016 Speaker 1: Kathy went to college in Oregon, and when she came 502 00:30:44,056 --> 00:30:46,756 Speaker 1: back to Malibu, a year after the movie came out, 503 00:30:47,436 --> 00:30:51,336 Speaker 1: it was a different place. When you came back here, 504 00:30:51,966 --> 00:30:53,426 Speaker 1: had Malibu already changed? 505 00:30:55,326 --> 00:31:01,266 Speaker 2: Yes, when I came back, Malibu had changed. Malibu was crowded. 506 00:31:02,566 --> 00:31:07,026 Speaker 1: At Malibu, the Gidget effect was palpable. All of a sudden, 507 00:31:07,106 --> 00:31:10,646 Speaker 1: there were hundreds of non-surfers in the water, trying to surf, 508 00:31:11,246 --> 00:31:16,896 Speaker 1: oblivious of what they were jumping into. Gidget had definitely 509 00:31:16,996 --> 00:31:21,516 Speaker 1: dropped in on Mickey, metaphorically. And an army of wannabe 510 00:31:21,556 --> 00:31:26,886 Speaker 1: Gidgets were doing it literally. To Malibu locals, surfing was 511 00:31:26,946 --> 00:31:29,926 Speaker 1: a rite of passage, not a fad you picked up 512 00:31:30,006 --> 00:31:34,726 Speaker 1: from watching a movie. Henry Ford, the early Malibu lifeguard. 513 00:31:35,876 --> 00:31:40,516 Speaker 6: You had to kind of fit into that waterman mentality. 514 00:31:40,556 --> 00:31:42,896 Speaker 6: You had to be able to swim, dive, know how 515 00:31:42,916 --> 00:31:47,646 Speaker 6: to read the water, read the ocean. Watermen were very important, 516 00:31:47,666 --> 00:31:51,166 Speaker 6: and that's, I think, the early surfers would be termed watermen. 517 00:31:52,346 --> 00:31:55,046 Speaker 1: There was a culture clash, Henry says, between those he 518 00:31:55,106 --> 00:31:59,596 Speaker 1: calls the pure surfers and the come-latelies, who had essentially 519 00:31:59,696 --> 00:32:03,436 Speaker 1: been inspired by Gidget. What's a pure surfer? 520 00:32:04,826 --> 00:32:08,126 Speaker 6: The guy who's committed to it, whether he works or not, 521 00:32:08,186 --> 00:32:10,946 Speaker 6: is not that important. It's just the fact, the commitment 522 00:32:11,006 --> 00:32:14,786 Speaker 6: to it. Commitment to it being a discipline, something that 523 00:32:14,806 --> 00:32:19,066 Speaker 6: you believe in, something that you love. And you've got 524 00:32:19,086 --> 00:32:21,916 Speaker 6: to figure that on some days when you're paddling out, 525 00:32:22,396 --> 00:32:25,536 Speaker 6: the water's 55 degrees, maybe 58 degrees. 526 00:32:26,136 --> 00:32:28,456 Speaker 7: You don't have a wetsuit. You don't have a leash. 527 00:32:28,716 --> 00:32:31,926 Speaker 6: You have a 120-pound board, and you love it. 528 00:32:32,716 --> 00:32:34,396 Speaker 7: And you cannot get enough of it. 529 00:32:35,506 --> 00:32:38,086 Speaker 1: Malibu was being invaded by outsiders. 530 00:32:38,916 --> 00:32:41,376 Speaker 6: When these other kids came over that just showed up 531 00:32:41,556 --> 00:32:44,056 Speaker 6: and were in everybody's way, that made it difficult. 532 00:32:45,096 --> 00:32:47,396 Speaker 1: Henry was hired to work at Malibu right when the 533 00:32:47,436 --> 00:32:51,136 Speaker 1: crowds were getting out of control. Because the crowds were 534 00:32:51,176 --> 00:32:52,016 Speaker 1: getting out of control. 535 00:32:53,016 --> 00:32:55,116 Speaker 6: We had to have somebody there to help control it 536 00:32:55,176 --> 00:32:58,466 Speaker 6: because now what was happening were people who were trying 537 00:32:58,486 --> 00:33:01,666 Speaker 6: to learn how to surf join into these people who 538 00:33:01,706 --> 00:33:05,226 Speaker 6: have made this their lifestyle or developed their own culture. 539 00:33:06,066 --> 00:33:09,246 Speaker 6: So these people that were coming in after seeing Beach 540 00:33:09,306 --> 00:33:11,966 Speaker 6: Bingo Party, Gidget, the movie. 541 00:33:12,926 --> 00:33:16,996 Speaker 1: These people are what surfers call kooks. We've talked about 542 00:33:17,016 --> 00:33:20,056 Speaker 1: this word. I asked Henry to give me his definition. 543 00:33:20,076 --> 00:33:23,596 Speaker 6: It would be someone who's just learning how to surf. 544 00:33:24,816 --> 00:33:28,656 Speaker 6: And they called them cowboys from the other side over 545 00:33:28,696 --> 00:33:34,806 Speaker 6: there on the inland side, the valley group. Malibu belonged 546 00:33:34,846 --> 00:33:39,076 Speaker 6: to those locals. That's pretty much the name of the game. 547 00:33:39,396 --> 00:33:41,196 Speaker 6: So you can imagine what it'd be like if you 548 00:33:41,236 --> 00:33:43,956 Speaker 6: were down there and you were at that beach every day. 549 00:33:44,256 --> 00:33:44,746 Speaker 7: Then all of a. 550 00:33:44,736 --> 00:33:49,526 Speaker 6: Sudden there's 50 to 100 guys there with new boards 551 00:33:49,546 --> 00:33:54,596 Speaker 6: and really kind of rubbing the nose of the guy 552 00:33:54,636 --> 00:33:55,916 Speaker 6: who's been there for years. 553 00:33:57,136 --> 00:33:58,336 Speaker 1: So were there actual. 554 00:33:59,586 --> 00:34:02,366 Speaker 1: Physical fights? Was it name calling? Was there just. 555 00:34:02,606 --> 00:34:05,766 Speaker 6: Oh, there was everything you could imagine. Flattened tires. If 556 00:34:05,826 --> 00:34:08,426 Speaker 6: you went to a surf break and nobody knew who 557 00:34:08,466 --> 00:34:10,186 Speaker 6: you were, they'd flatten your tires. 558 00:34:10,686 --> 00:34:13,136 Speaker 7: I mean, there was all kinds of crazy stuff that 559 00:34:13,176 --> 00:34:13,496 Speaker 7: went on. 560 00:34:13,876 --> 00:34:16,796 Speaker 6: In the water was dangerous because the guys that were 561 00:34:16,856 --> 00:34:18,936 Speaker 6: learning how to surf had no concept. 562 00:34:18,996 --> 00:34:22,456 Speaker 7: They had no, I guess, manners. They had not been 563 00:34:22,536 --> 00:34:24,196 Speaker 7: taught the culture. 564 00:34:24,356 --> 00:34:28,756 Speaker 6: They had not been taught what's acceptable and what's not acceptable. 565 00:34:29,686 --> 00:34:31,806 Speaker 6: And there were a lot of injuries. There were a 566 00:34:31,826 --> 00:34:35,986 Speaker 6: lot of people that were angry about it. And, I mean, 567 00:34:36,026 --> 00:34:39,166 Speaker 6: I've seen guys fight on the beach. I've seen guys 568 00:34:39,186 --> 00:34:42,476 Speaker 6: throw rocks at their boards, other people's boards. I've seen 569 00:34:42,506 --> 00:34:43,706 Speaker 6: all kinds of crazy stuff. 570 00:34:44,876 --> 00:34:48,136 Speaker 1: No one was more pissed off by all these kooks 571 00:34:48,596 --> 00:34:49,676 Speaker 1: than Mickey Dora. 572 00:34:50,456 --> 00:34:53,856 Speaker 6: His area was invaded. That was his spot. I mean, 573 00:34:54,416 --> 00:34:59,026 Speaker 6: it became a little bit more contentious. It separated the 574 00:34:59,406 --> 00:35:02,026 Speaker 6: guys that could surf, who spent their lives surfing, who 575 00:35:02,266 --> 00:35:06,366 Speaker 6: invested their soul into surfing. And all of a sudden 576 00:35:06,386 --> 00:35:08,916 Speaker 6: you got people coming over there and driving around with 577 00:35:08,956 --> 00:35:11,616 Speaker 6: surfboards on their car saying they're surfers when they're really not. 578 00:35:12,196 --> 00:35:14,816 Speaker 6: So it was hard for all of us, not just 579 00:35:14,836 --> 00:35:16,816 Speaker 6: for Mickey. It was for all of us. But Mickey 580 00:35:16,836 --> 00:35:18,416 Speaker 6: was probably the most outspoken. 581 00:35:19,136 --> 00:35:21,756 Speaker 1: Do you think Mickey successfully scared some of them off? 582 00:35:22,916 --> 00:35:26,496 Speaker 7: Oh, yeah, I guarantee you. I guarantee you. 583 00:35:31,126 --> 00:35:33,906 Speaker 1: Once upon a time, Mickey and Gidget had been friendly, 584 00:35:35,166 --> 00:35:38,206 Speaker 1: but he turned her into a scapegoat for everything he 585 00:35:38,266 --> 00:35:40,496 Speaker 1: hated about what Malibu became. 586 00:35:40,516 --> 00:35:44,476 Speaker 8: He would have been, gosh, 10 or 15 years older 587 00:35:44,496 --> 00:35:46,616 Speaker 8: than her. She was really young when she was down there. 588 00:35:47,436 --> 00:35:49,356 Speaker 1: Matt Warshaw, surf historian. 589 00:35:50,176 --> 00:35:52,266 Speaker 8: You see photos of them when Kathy was still on 590 00:35:52,286 --> 00:35:55,686 Speaker 8: the beach at Malibu, and they're standing sort of next 591 00:35:55,706 --> 00:35:57,806 Speaker 8: to each other, sort of like a brother-sister thing almost. 592 00:35:57,966 --> 00:36:00,246 Speaker 8: So there are pictures of the two of them And 593 00:36:00,266 --> 00:36:03,186 Speaker 8: there's no beef at that point. I think the beef 594 00:36:03,286 --> 00:36:09,696 Speaker 8: comes later after everybody has decided collectively that Gidget ruined surfing. 595 00:36:09,716 --> 00:36:13,156 Speaker 8: And when I say Gidget, I mean the movie and 596 00:36:13,176 --> 00:36:15,536 Speaker 8: the book, and then you'll follow the trail back to 597 00:36:15,556 --> 00:36:19,426 Speaker 8: the person, I guess. But you're going, well, if she 598 00:36:19,446 --> 00:36:21,386 Speaker 8: hadn't shown up, none of this would have happened, which 599 00:36:21,426 --> 00:36:23,766 Speaker 8: is nonsense. Surfing was going to be just as crowded 600 00:36:23,806 --> 00:36:27,256 Speaker 8: as it was Gidget or no Gidget, right? But Gidget 601 00:36:27,296 --> 00:36:29,296 Speaker 8: is the easiest thing to look at and say, well, 602 00:36:29,316 --> 00:36:31,476 Speaker 8: there you go. That was what ruined it. And I 603 00:36:31,516 --> 00:36:35,176 Speaker 8: think that's everything you need to know about why Mickey 604 00:36:36,676 --> 00:36:37,736 Speaker 8: was angry at Kathy. 605 00:36:39,156 --> 00:36:42,456 Speaker 1: But because Kathy was Kathy and her family was who 606 00:36:42,496 --> 00:36:51,506 Speaker 1: they were, that anger took a particularly vile form. Next 607 00:36:51,566 --> 00:36:52,946 Speaker 1: time on Lost Hills. 608 00:36:55,266 --> 00:36:59,356 Speaker 2: And had there been... a swastika on the driveway or 609 00:36:59,476 --> 00:37:01,736 Speaker 2: no swastika on the driveway. We just kind of like, 610 00:37:02,256 --> 00:37:04,476 Speaker 2: it was not a big, we kind of didn't want 611 00:37:04,496 --> 00:37:06,696 Speaker 2: to deal with something like that. So we just kind 612 00:37:06,756 --> 00:37:10,326 Speaker 2: of like, who cares? You know, you want to throw 613 00:37:10,366 --> 00:37:16,586 Speaker 2: my board over the fence? So I had a drive. 614 00:37:16,726 --> 00:37:19,306 Speaker 2: I mean, I had a drive to want to learn 615 00:37:19,346 --> 00:37:22,396 Speaker 2: how to surf, to prove it to, you know, maybe 616 00:37:22,436 --> 00:37:25,436 Speaker 2: to myself, but to the guys that I could be 617 00:37:25,476 --> 00:37:28,756 Speaker 2: just one. I could surf too. I'm gonna surf. 618 00:37:31,216 --> 00:37:37,236 Speaker 1: That's next in Episode 4, Gidget Goes to Hollywood, Part 2. 619 00:37:41,766 --> 00:37:44,426 Speaker 1: Lost Hills is written and reported by me, Dana Goodyear. 620 00:37:44,806 --> 00:37:47,646 Speaker 1: It's created by me and Ben Adair and produced by 621 00:37:47,686 --> 00:37:51,866 Speaker 1: Western Sound and Pushkin Industries. Subscribe to Pushkin Plus and 622 00:37:51,886 --> 00:37:55,626 Speaker 1: you can hear the whole season ad-free. Find Pushkin Plus 623 00:37:55,746 --> 00:37:58,566 Speaker 1: on the Lost Hills show page in Apple Podcasts or 624 00:37:58,726 --> 00:38:01,406 Speaker 1: at pushkin.fm slash plus.