Geordie [Wee Geordie] **** (1955, Bill Travers, Alastair Sim) – Classic Movie Review 1450

Co-writer/co-producer/director Frank Launder’s 1955 charmer stars Sunderland-born Bill Travers weedy Scots weakling Geordie, who, with the help of porridge and a mail-order muscle-building course, gains both height and strength, and hurls the hammer in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne.

Reluctant to leave Scotland, where he is gamekeeper for the local laird (Alastair Sim), and his girlfriend (Norah Gorsen), he finally sails Down Under, where he dallies with Danish shot-putter Helga (Doris Goddard). Representing Britain in hammer-throwing at the age of 21 in the Melbourne Olympics, he insists on wearing his kilt.

Beautifully filmed in Technicolor, Launder and co-writer/co-producer Sidney Gilliat’s humorous yarn has charisma aplenty as well as a well-aimed, strong, old-fashioned moral message. Modern kids might like a bit more cynicism though.

The performances of the young Travers and the old Sim as the laird are lovely. Future TV comedy star Stanley Baxter plays the local postman. Paul Young plays the weedy wee young version of Geordie. Raymond Huntley and Brian Reece (as Olympic Selectors), Miles Malleson (as Lord Paunceton), Jameson Clark and Molly Urquhart (as Geordie’s Father and Mother) and Duncan Macrae (as the Schoolmaster) are also among the precious cast.

It is set in ‘the past, the present and a wee bit in the future.’ As you can see, it was made and released in 1955, the year before the Melbourne Olympics.

Launder and Gilliat’s screenplay adapts David Walker’s novel.

Geordie’s mail order mentor and physical culture instructor, Henry Samson (Francis DeWolff) is obviously a spoof of real-life mail order muscle building entrepreneur, Charles Atlas.

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© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1450

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