Cliff Robertson (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011).

Cliff Robertson (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011), began his acting career performing in a bit part in the film,  Mr. Roberts (1950) in Boston. Robertson played a future President of the United States in PT 109 (chosen personally by John F. Kennedy to portray the then-Lt. Kennedy) and a presidential candidate in, The Best Man (1964). Later came Charly (an adaptation of Flowers for Algernon for which he won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor).

Other wonderful Cliff Robertson films include: Picnic (1955), Autumn Leaves (1956), Gidget (1959), Sunday in New York (1963), Devil's Brigade (1968), Too Late the Hero (1970), J. W. Coop (1972), Three Days of the Condor (1975), Obsession (1976), Star 80 (1983) and Malone (1987). Later in life he performed as Uncle Ben Parker in, Spider-Man (2002), as well as in the sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007).

Robertson, for ten years was a national TV spokesman for AT and T.

An underated actor that surly will be missed.

Video: First of 5.

Summer Movies At The Beach - Gidget (1959)

I decided to kick off me and Dawn's summer beach theme this month with that 1959 classic Gidget, starring the ever lovable Sandra Dee.

On a jaunt to the beach with her bikini-clad girlfriends, tomboy Frances Lawrence (Sandra Dee) meets surfer Moondoggie (James Darren). She quickly becomes infatuated with him, but he shows no romantic interest.
At home, Francie importunes her parents for a surfboard. Russ and Dorothy Lawrence (Arthur O"Connell and Mary LaRoche) grant their daughter's request and the excited youngster returns to the beach to surf. She associates with an all-male surfer gang led by the worldly beach bum, The Kahuna (Cliff Robertson). The gang dubs their female associate "Gidget", a portmanteau word based on 'girl' and 'midget'.

Hoping to make Moondoggie jealous, Gidget hires one of the other surfers in the gang to be her date to a Luau party on the beach. Her plan backfires when the surfer she hired pawned the job off on none other than Moondoggie, unaware that he was the one Gidget wanted to make jealous. Gidget lies and tells Moondoggie that it is Kahuna that she wants to make jealous, and they have a romantic evening at the Luau. Eventually Moondoggie says something that upsets Gidget, and she makes Kahuna take her to a nearby beach house. Alone with Kahuna, Gidget tries to make Kahuna take her virginity, but he is reluctant, and soon Gidget's worried parents show up with the police and take her home. Gidget's parents ground her for the rest of the summer for her disobedience.

In the end Mr. Lawrence arranges a date for Gidget with Jeffrey Matthews, the son of a friend. To her surprise, Matthews turns out to be none other than Moondoggie. He professes his love and, as an act of romantic devotion, asks Gidget to wear his class pin.

The surfer gang includes Robert Ellis as Hot Shot, Joby Baker as Judge, Tom Laughlin as Lover Boy, Burt Metcalfe as Lord Byron, and Doug McClure as Waikiki. Sue George plays Gidget's girlfriend Betty Louise, and the musical group, The Four Preps appear as themselves
.
The studio wanted Elvis Presley to play the role of Moondoggie, but his fees were too expensive.


Malibu surfers Miki Dora and Mickey Munoz appear in the surfing scenes.

Fact and notes:

Sequels followed immediately but without Sandra Dee. Producers cast Deborah Walley for Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) and then Cindy Carol in Gidget Goes To Rome (1963). A TV series followed in 1965 starring newcomer Sally Field, which only lasted one season. A 1969 TV movie called Gidget Grows Up featured Karen Valentine in the title role. Two more TV movies followed: 1972's Gidget Gets Married with unknown Monie Ellis as Gidget and 1985's Gidget Summer Reunion starring Caryn Richman, which led to a fairly successful 2 season run. And other than Sandra Dee, I have to say Ms. Richman made a perfect Gidget, albeit one more adult, more still fun.

The film received a 1960 Golden Laurel nomination for Top Female Comedy Performance: Sandra Dee.

Sunday in New York (1963)

Sunday in New York (1963). Director: Peter Tewksbury. Cast: Cliff Robertson, Jane Fonda, and Rod Taylor. The screenplay by Norman Krasna was adapted from his play which had been produced on Broadway the previous year. It was one of Fonda's earliest films.

Airline pilot Adam Tyler, is getting ready to spend a romantic weekend in his New York apartment with his girlfriend, Mona Harris. When they are surprised by arrival of his sister Eileen, who has just broke up with her fiancee, Russ Wilson, because she does not to sleep with him before they are married. After telling Eileen that she has done the right thing. His flight assignment is changed at the last minute and he is unable to reach Mona.

Soon after he leaves, Eileen finds Mona's night gown in her brother's closet and becoming angry at her brothers double standard. She decides to seduce Philadelphia newspaperman Mike Mitchell, after meeting him on a bus. Mike respects her virtue and can not go through with it, even though they are falling in love. While still in their robes, they are surprised by the arrival of her fiancee Russ, who mistakes Mike for Eileen's brother. When her brother returns to his apartment he is introduced as his own co-pilot but goes along with the story, even though he suspects the truth. How will this situation be resolved?

I thought Sunday in New York, was a very charming, romantic, comedy. Performed very well by all the actors. A hidden gem!

Jo Morrow's mother encouraged Jo's acting career by entering her in a "Be A Star" contest. Which Morrow, won a 20th Century-Fox contract (film-debuting in Gary Cooper's Ten North Frederick (1958) and from there moved to Columbia.

The 1964 birth of a deaf daughter forced Morrow to choose between movies and motherhood.

Although, she made a short comeback in 1970's, Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls (1973) and Terminal Island (1973).