FROM Gidget's beach, to T.J. Hooker's beat, to Melrose Place - it's been a wild and wonderful career ride for James Darren.
     Now he's re-teaming with his former T.J. Hooker co-star Heather Locklear to play a filthy-rich villain in MeIrose's climactic final episodes beginning later this month.
     And the still-hunky 62-year-old - who starred as Officer Jim Corrigan opposite Heather's Officer Stacey Sheridan on the mid-1980s cop show - reveals in an exclusive interview that he's loving every minute of the raucous reunion.
     "We're having a blast on the set," declares Darren, who has been married to wife Evy for nearly 40 years and has four grandkids from his two sons.
     "It's great to meet up with Heather again. She's a happily married mom now - but she's just as much fun as she ever was."
     While Darren became famous as Sandra Dee's squeaky-clean boyfriend Moondoggie in 1959's Gidget, he's no stranger to the sexy shenanigans of Melrose Place. In fact, he's even directed a few episodes of the steamy nighttime soap.
     "It's great to be acting with younger performers," says Darren, who zips around Hollywood in his silver 1956 Porsche Speedster and rides dirt bikes on weekends.
     "I'm acting with the kids - and still acting like a kid!
     Darren won't say what he has in store for Heather's character Amanda. But don't expect him to get the best of her.
     As our exclusive pics revealed two weeks ago, Amanda fakes her death and is carried off into the Hawaiian sunset by Dr. Peter Burns, played by Jack Wagner.
     But shhhh - that's a little secret only GLOBE readers know!