Moondoggie

Fictitious character in Frederick Kohner's 1957 teen novel Gidget; played by teen idol James Darren in Columbia's 1959 like-titled movie. In Kohner's book, "Moondoggie" is the nickname for Jeff Griffin, a college-age Malibu surfer from a wealthy oil family. As described by Gidget, the lively 15-year-old narrator, Griffin drives a Corvette with red leather upholstery, and thinks of himself as "the sharpest-looking guy this side of Baja California." Moondoggie introduces Gidget to surfing, she ...