''Geordie'' (released in the United States as ''Wee Geordie'') is a 1955 British film directed and co-produced by

Frank Launder Frank Launder (28 January 1906 – 23 February 1997) was a British writer, film director and producer, who made more than 40 films, many of them in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. Early life and career He was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire ...

, with

Bill Travers William Inglis Lindon Travers (3 January 1922 – 29 March 1994) was a British actor, screenwriter, director and animal rights activist. Prior to his show business career, he served in the British army with Gurkha and special forces units. E ...

in the title role as a

Scotsman The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded ...

who becomes an athlete and competes at the 1956 Summer Olympics in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. The film is based on David Walker's 1950 novel of the same title, adapted for the screen by Launder and his co-producer Sidney Gilliat.

Plot

The story begins in a small

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

school classroom. Geordie MacTaggart is a "wee" (small) Scottish schoolboy, and the son of a

gamekeeper A gamekeeper (often abbreviated to keeper), or in case of those dealing with deer (deer-)stalker, is a person who manages an area of countryside (e.g. areas of woodland, moorland, waterway or farmland) to make sure there is enough game for s ...

. Although his best friend Jean does not mind his height, after he sees a newspaper advertisement for a

bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...

correspondence course Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

offered by Henry Samson, he sends for the course and embarks diligently on Samson's fitness programme. By the time Geordie turns 21, he has grown into a tall, fit man who continues to follow Samson's long-distance instructions. Jean, however, disapproves of the amount of time he spends training. Geordie works as assistant to his father, the local

laird Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in ...

's head

. One day, when they are out together in a storm, his father becomes ill. Geordie carries him home many miles, but his father develops

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

and dies. The laird ( Alistair Sim) makes Geordie the new gamekeeper. One day, he gets a letter from Samson, who suggests he take up

hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consist ...

ing. On his first attempt, he almost hits the laird, who then tries to show him how it is done. However, the laird's own hammer throw almost hits the local minister, who is passing by on his bike. It turns out that the minister is knowledgeable about the sport, and he trains Geordie. At the minister's urging, Geordie reluctantly enters a Highland games. He initially makes two bad throws, but after the unexpected appearance (and encouragement) of Jean, he wins with his final throw. Two members of the Olympics selection committee visit him and invite him to join the British team for the

Melbourne Olympic Games The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

in Australia. Geordie is once again reluctant, as he does not particularly care to compete against others, but finally agrees. He takes the train to London, where he finally gets to meet Henry Samson, who has come to see him off when he boards the ship for Australia. Unhappy to be away from home, Geordie finds it difficult to be enthusiastic about training on board ship. However, Helga, a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

female shot putter, takes a shine to Geordie and talks him out of his mood, though Geordie remains oblivious to the fact that she is attracted to him. When they reach Melbourne, Geordie goes sightseeing with Helga before the Games, buying a highly unusual hat for Jean. An accident occurs nearby, and a man is pinned underneath a car. After several men working together are unable to lift the car, Geordie manages to do it all by himself. His feat is reported in the newspapers, and he becomes very popular. A problem arises: Geordie insists on wearing his late father's

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regime ...

kilt A kilt ( gd, fèileadh ; Irish: ''féileadh'') is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish ...

in the opening ceremony, something he had promised his mother he would do. When he is told that he must wear the same uniform as the rest of the team, he states "no kilt, no performance!" Not having received a reply from London, Lord Pauceton, the head of the British team, gives in. After Geordie comes out last in the opening parade of athletes in his kilt, Pauceton receives a telegram emphatically ordering him not to let Geordie wear his kilt, but he ignores it. During the competition, a listless, dispirited Geordie fails with his first two throws. Then, before his third and final throw, he finds inspiration by recalling Jean's encouragement at his first competition. He then makes a world record throw and wins the competition. However, Jean hears on the radio that Helga has rushed up, embracing and kissing Geordie in front of everyone in the stadium, and she is heartbroken. On Geordie's return, there is no one to meet him at the station apart from his mother and a driver for the trap. On the way home, they encounter the laird, who tells him that many think his actions have brought scandal to the glen. Geordie spots Jean fishing and goes to her. They argue, then fall in the stream. After they get out, Geordie shows her the hat he bought for her; she pretends to think it is "braw" (fine), and they kiss and make up.

Main cast

Alastair Sim Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE (9 October 1900 – 19 August 1976) was a Scottish character actor who began his theatrical career at the age of thirty and quickly became established as a popular West End performer, remaining so until his ...

as The Laird *

as Geordie *

Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. ...

as Young Geordie * Anna Ferguson as Young Jean * Norah Gorsen as Jean * Molly Urquhart as Geordie's mother *

Francis de Wolff Francis Marie de Wolff (7 January 191318 April 1984) was an English character actor. Large, bearded, and beetle-browed, he was often cast as villains in both film and television. Life and career Born in Essex, he made his film debut in ''Flame ...

as Henry Samson * Jack Radcliffe as The Minister *

Brian Reece Brian Reece (24 July 1913 – 12 April 1962) was an English actor. Biography Born in Wallasey, Cheshire, he starred as the eponymous policeman in the BBC radio series '' The Adventures of PC 49'' (1947–1953). His films include '' Orders A ...

as Olympic Selector *

Raymond Huntley Horace Raymond Huntley (23 April 1904 – 15 June 1990) was an English actor who appeared in dozens of British films from the 1930s to the 1970s. He also appeared in the ITV period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' as the pragmatic family s ...

as Olympic Selector *

Miles Malleson William Miles Malleson (25 May 1888 – 15 March 1969) was an English actor and dramatist, particularly remembered for his appearances in British comedy films of the 1930s to 1960s. Towards the end of his career he also appeared in cameo roles i ...

as Lord Paunceton * Jameson Clark as Geordie's father * Doris Goddard as Helga * Stanley Baxter as Postman * Duncan Macrae as Schoolmaster *

Michael Ripper Michael George Ripper (27 January 1913 – 28 June 2000) was an English character actor. He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. Along with Michael Gough ...

as Australian journalist

Reception

The film premiered at the Plaza in London on 2 September 1955.

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

' poetic reviewer found the film to have, "gracious and decorous atmosphere; the steep hills have stamped themselves on everyone's imagination, so that the story-telling is not flat, the dialogue never airless. The earth is beneath us, the sky above, and to receive messages from both and to interpret them is the splendidly authentic figure of Mr. Alastair Sim's Laird." In real life, the hammer throw at the Melbourne Olympics was won by American Hal Connolly.

Box Office

According to the

National Film Finance Corporation The National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC) was a film funding agency in the United Kingdom in operation from 1949 until 1985. The NFFC was established by the Cinematograph Film Production (Special Loans) Act 1949, and further enhanced by the ...

, the film made a comfortable profit.U.S. MONEY BEHIND 30% OF BRITISH FILMS: Problems for the Board of Trade The Manchester Guardian (1901-1959) anchester (UK)04 May 1956: 7

References

External links

* * {{Launder and Gilliat 1955 films 1950s sports comedy-drama films British sports comedy-drama films Athletics films Films about the 1956 Summer Olympics Films based on Canadian novels Films set in 1956 Films set in Melbourne Films set in Scotland Films directed by Frank Launder Films with screenplays by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat Films scored by William Alwyn 1955 comedy films 1955 drama films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films