Geordie (1955)

That was an excellent one.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Its rather disappointing to find the film billed (cough) about Hammer Throwing is in reality along the lines of How A Scot Won the 1954 World Cup for England in a Kilt (Football): Alas, the whole story is a wee twee Fantasy and it would have been nice to see some sort of caption to this effect.The film comes on like a Scotophile's view of the world, in every way like those tacky postcards one may resort to with a Scotty Dog and a fellow in a Kilt o'er looking a loch in bright sunshine when all else fails. The Highland Games technique is well portrayed as I recall from a brief foray, using spikey shoes to stop one slipping, but the Olympic technique using multiple turns is a deftly avoided apart from stock footage and Bills horrendous abortive cage job. For the Record: the 1956 Olympics was won by Hal Connolly of the US with two Soviets Krivonosov & Samotsvetnov coming 2nd and 3rd. Brits finished 9th and 12th, the latter Watford Boys Grammar School graduate Don Anthony. Deep in the Dnq's was Marty Crowe who held the West Australian State Record for Aeons. I did my best to better it in the 80's but failed. Interestingly, the world record languished in the high 60's to low 70s' (metres) until the mid 60's. Yuri Sedykhs 1986 World Record still stands and the over 80m record throws almost exclusively belong to Soviets Sergei Litvinov and Major Sedykh. Draw your own conclusions about Tour de France legends and the like. I struggled to throw more than 50 metres having declined offers and promises from enhancement.If you love Scotland, independent or bound, draw a dram and settle down under your best tartan travel rug to bewail the clearances and watch 'Geordie' in a cloud of nostalgia for what never existed. Phil Robinson

First I will answer Irvin of Santa Monica who said "One curiosity: "Geordie" is a term of endearment of the name, George, in the city/district of Newcastle. I haven't been able to reckon out why a Scots lad should bear such an English name. --Any suggestions?" The Northumbrians are almost Scots - indeed Northumberland once belonged to Scotland. In Scotland, if your name is George, your friends will call your Geordie. Further south in England they will more likely call you Georgie.I read David Walker's novel many years before I saw the film. It is simply written, and has a great deal of charm. Central to the plot of the book is the romance between Geordie and Jean. In the book it is pretty intense. In the film it is all but glossed over.Another difference between the book and the film is that in the book Geordie is not a hammer thrower but a shot putter. I shall not feign outrage. I realise that the hammer throw will look more spectacular on film.But the way the central characters interact with one another in the book is not handled very well in this film.You would be better reading the book.

Enjoyable fable with marvelous performances, especially by Bill Travers about the quintessential 98-pound weakling who through tutelage, transforms himself into a Charles-Atlas-type phenomenon. Some great moments are lost among a plethora of obvious sight gags. Overall, I consider it amusing, but it falls short of its potential to be memorable.

This movie is truly a classic... It is a classic story of a small boy who is tired of being small and rather than having sand kicked in his face, sends off for a "HE-MAN" mail order course... He then trains and dedicates himself to strength training and eventually grows to become an Olympic champion in the Hammer Throw, one of the Olympic strong man events... This movie is great and reminds us of days when Olympic champions were built from desire and hard work rather than todays steroids and other controversial techniques... A must see...