LOS ANGELES — James Darren, a teen idol who helped ignite the 1960s surfing craze as a charismatic beach boy paired off with Sandra Dee in the hit film “Gidget,” died Monday at 88. “But with those lovely young ladies, it was the best prison I think I’ll ever be in.” As a contract player at Columbia Studios, Darren appeared …
James Darren, who died Monday, is shown in character in a 1963 photo with his “For Those Who Think Young” co-stars Nancy Sinatra, center, and Claudia Martin. James Darren, the teen idol who famously played dreamy surfer Moondoggie in the “Gidget” films of the 1950s and 1960s and segued into roles behind the camera, has died. Darren rose to fame …
