Tag: Carl Reiner

Classic Films

Gidget Goes Hawaiian

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Image credit: Gidget Goes Hawaiian, 1961

The thing I love most about 1960s films set in Hawaii are the glimpses of jet set resorts, with their swanky tropical bars and even swankier patrons. It’s even more fun if the featured resort is still in business today, slinging pink cocktails and getting people lei’d.  If you can’t book a stay at The Royal Hawaiian right this second, the next best thing is watching its star turn in 1961’s Gidget Goes Hawaiian (Disc/Download).

With actress Deborah Walley stepping aboard Sandra Dee’s famous surfboard, Gidget Goes Hawaiian picks up where the first film left off. Our beloved surfer girl is pinned, but not for long. Gidget’s parents take her on a Hawaiian vacation against her wishes (talk about first world problems!), where she mingles with other vacationing teens. Mopey, ungrateful Gidget still misses Moondoggie, so her dad (played by the always-delightful Carl Reiner) flies him to Honolulu as a surprise. The catch? There’s a rumor spreading about how Gidget has been unfaithful, so now she has to spend the rest of the movie convincing everyone she isn’t a “fallen woman”. The plot is thin and outdated, but the cocktails are plenty, the hotel is pink, and that’s enough for me.

Speaking of hotels, it’s really fun to see what The Royal Hawaiian looked like in 1961, having personally stayed there in 2024. I don’t have to imagine having a drink at the Mai Tai bar like Carl Reiner because I lived it! In fact, I enjoyed this specific drink, which takes its color inspiration from the hotel’s pink stucco exterior. While watching Gidget Goes Hawaiian, I recommend drinking a Pink Palace.

Pink Palace

2 oz Light Rum

1 oz Grand Marnier

1 oz Cream of Coconut

1 oz Pineapple Juice

1 oz Grenadine

1 cup ice

Maraschino Cherry (garnish)

Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice, and blend until liquid. Pour into a glass and garnish with a cherry and pink umbrella.

In my view, Gidget was the original White Lotus traveler. After Hawaii she headed to Italy, and while there was not a fourth Gidget film (unfortunately), I like to imagine she would have gamely surfed the beaches of Thailand if given the chance. Can you imagine her and Moondoggie at a Full Moon Party??? C’mon Hollywood, let’s make it happen. If we’re rebooting every other franchise, why not the Gidge? Cheers!

Image credit: Gidget Goes Hawaiian, 1961
Comedies

Summer Rental

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Image credit: Summer Rental, 1985
Image credit: Summer Rental, 1985

I ask you this- what is summer without a wacky John Candy movie? BORING! This week, I’m watching classic Candy, in that great Carl Reiner film from the 80’s, Summer Rental (DVD/Download). With plenty of sunburns, fake boobs, drunken pirates, and frozen fish sticks, this movie is what summer’s all about.

In Summer Rental, John Candy plays a burned out air traffic controller who is forced to take a month off for some R&R. He packs up the U-Haul and he and the family head down to Florida. The movie’s plot eventually centers on his quest to try and prove his worth as a man by winning a sailing contest, but the best parts have nothing to do with sailing. Watching John Candy lumber down a crowded beach with his arms full of kids and coolers is hilarious, as are his drunken ramblings with the local pirate/bar owner, played by Rip Torn. I know pirates are kind of scary now (see Captain Phillips) but back in the 80’s they were kindhearted men who sported a cheesy accent and a hook for a hand. As is typical, John Candy’s wife is pretty hot, yet he spends most of the movie ignoring her, sending her into the sympathetic arms of John Larroquette. Also keep an eye out for the girl from the Goonies, and a young Joey “Whoa!” Lawrence. Casting doesn’t get much better than this, folks.

In celebration of fun-loving pirates, vacations, and a man named Candy, I’m featuring a pirate drink that’s tropical-inspired, and rimmed with one of my favorite candy snacks. While watching Summer Rental, I recommend drinking a Barnacle.

Barnacle

1 oz white rum

1 oz Curacao

1 oz pineapple juice

½ oz lime juice

½ oz lemon juice

½ oz simple syrup

1 oz Sprite

Rainbow Nerds candy

Honey

First, prepare glass. Rim chilled glass with honey, then nerds. Freeze glass for 30 minutes if necessary to make nerds stick more firmly. Second, prepare the beverage. Combine first six ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, then pour into prepared glass. Top with Sprite.

Barnacle

I think this movie is best known as “the one where John Candy gets a sunburn”. The sunburn is that epic. Skin cancer be damned, sometimes a guy just needs a good base. Add to that a broken leg and a long sleeved sports jersey on a 105-degree day, and it’s one heck of a look. Cheers!