HAVE you ever wanted to know about the real Gidget?

As part of Cooly Rocks On festival Surf World Gold Coast has been given permission by the producer to have a one off fund raising screening of his documentary Accidental Icon: The Real Gidget Story.

Written and produced by two times Emmy Award winner Brian Gillogly, the movie documents the story of Kathy 'Gidget' Kohner whose diary of her experiences at Malibu in the mid 1950s were transformed by her father into a book, movies and later a TV series.

The release of the movie 'Gidget' in 1959, starring Sandra Dee, was generally ridiculed by surfers of the time.

But it introduced surfing to the mainstream, changed surfing forever, and is an insight into the way surfing as a pastime has developed.

Only shown in Australia twice before to small restricted audiences the documentary reveals the origin of the name 'Gidget' and features interviews with Sally Field, seven times World Champion Layne Beachley and all the other women surfers in between who have been nicknamed 'Gidget' but never knew the origin of the name.

This is an historical documentary not to be missed.

A limited number of 'Gidget' books personally signed by Kathy for Surf World Gold Coast are available for sale.

Be early to purchase your signed collector's edition.

To set the scene for the night the documentary will be preceded by a Surfing the 60s slide show.

The movie screens at 6.30pm for a 7pm start.

Entry is $10 with drinks and a sausage sizzle at Surf World Gold Coast, Level 1, 35, Tomewin St, Currumbin.