Former teen heartthrob James Darren dies at 88

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Actor and singer James Darren was a teen heartthrob back in the 1960s. Tall, dark and handsome, he starred in three of the “Gidget” beach movies. Darren died on Monday in his sleep at a hospital in Los Angeles. He was 88 years old. NPR’s Elizabeth Blair has this appreciation.

ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE: As the surfer Moondoggie, James Darren rescues a struggling Sandra Dee on his surfboard.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “GIDGET”)

JAMES DARREN: (As Moondoggie) This is it. Now hold on for your life. We’re going to shoot the curl.

BLAIR: Darren grew up in South Philadelphia. He studied acting with the legendary Stella Adler in New York City. Playing a California surfer was a little bit of a stretch, says his son, Jim Moret.

JIM MORET: I’m sure he could probably come in on the board and not get hurt, but I would not call him a surfer.

BLAIR: Moret says, for years, his father shied away from his teen idol reputation, fearing it would typecast him.

MORET: He was just afraid that he would be a one-trick pony, and he really wasn’t.

BLAIR: The “Gidget” movies also helped launch Darren’s singing career.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “THERE’S NO SUCH THING”)

DARREN: (Singing) There’s no such thing as the next best thing to love. No substitute or facsimile thereof.

BLAIR: Born James Ercolani in 1936, Darren started singing when he was a kid. His dad would take him to bars and nightclubs, and he would get up and sing a couple of songs. He scored his first top-10 hit in 1961.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD”)

DARREN: (Singing) Farewell to love. I’m off to join the circus. Got to find a way to hide my tears.

BLAIR: James Darren was versatile. He did some directing. He recorded albums and performed live. As an actor, he did just about everything – a World War II movie, a police drama, science fiction. In “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” he played Vic Fontaine, a hologram of a 1950s lounge singer. Moret says it was perfect for him.

MORET: He was really talented. He had that swagger. He had that Rat-Pack coolness. He was like Dick Clark, eternally young.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE”)

DARREN: (As Vic Fontaine) But like the man said, nothing lasts forever. So gang, this one’s from the heart. (Singing) Some day, when I’m awfully low…

(APPLAUSE)

BLAIR: James Darren is survived by his wife of 64 years, three sons and five grandchildren.

Elizabeth Blair, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE”)

DARREN: (As Vic Fontaine, singing) Just thinking of you… Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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