21 reviews
When I first learned during the early seventies that Honor Blackman had starred in something called 'A Boy, a Girl and a Bike', my fevered young imagination had conjured up a fetishistic Kenneth Anger-like fantasy or an erotic drama like 'Girl on a Motorcycle'. But 'The Wild One' this ain't.
This was actually the only feature film produced by documentary maker Ralph Keene, shot on location in North Yorkshire with the youthful Miss Blackman struggling with a northern accent as a mill worker who spends her weekends in shorts on a bicycle rather than in leather straddling a Harley-Davidson.
The film makes the tiny workers' homes (through the windows of which it always seems to be night and there are chimneys perpetually belching out smoke) look painfully cramped, lacking in privacy, and just the sort of places from which to escape into the Dales at every possible opportunity.
It's a measure of the film's incredible age that Blackman was still sweet and demure in those days, and that the Bad Girl is a plump, pouting young Diana Dors ("built for pleasure", as one fellow observes).
This was actually the only feature film produced by documentary maker Ralph Keene, shot on location in North Yorkshire with the youthful Miss Blackman struggling with a northern accent as a mill worker who spends her weekends in shorts on a bicycle rather than in leather straddling a Harley-Davidson.
The film makes the tiny workers' homes (through the windows of which it always seems to be night and there are chimneys perpetually belching out smoke) look painfully cramped, lacking in privacy, and just the sort of places from which to escape into the Dales at every possible opportunity.
It's a measure of the film's incredible age that Blackman was still sweet and demure in those days, and that the Bad Girl is a plump, pouting young Diana Dors ("built for pleasure", as one fellow observes).
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- richardchatten
- Aug 29, 2019
- Permalink
- colinsouter
- Feb 16, 2019
- Permalink
Helpful•50
I saw the film in our local cinema in Paddington in 1949, when I was nearly 13 and a keen cyclist. All of us young boys rated it highly, not least for the unique way the rear brake cable was routed to the brake via a small pilot tube within the bike's top tube. It was the first time that we had seen the young Diana Dors (I think she was 16 at this time) and a real head-turner. Honor Blackman spoke with a creditable Yorkshire accent and I particularly remember the scene when, after having a puncture, she asks John McCullum to "pass the patches and solution". Years later I met Miss Blackman when she was learning to fly at my flying club, Flairavia, at Biggin Hill in 1964 after having just played the part of Pussy Galore in "Gold Finger" - she couldn't remember saying those (to me) immortal lines from the 1949 film! I think the film has stood the test of time and is well worth viewing to remind us how we all lived.
Peter Woodman.
Peter Woodman.
Helpful•201
When John McCallum's roadster damages Honor Blackman's bicycle, he takes a liking to the mill girl. However, this annoys her boyfriend, Patrick Holt.
There are a lot of subplots in this story about a Yorkshire bicycling club, and a lot of handsome trucking shots of its members, particularly the ladies from behind, especially eighteen-year-old Diana Dors. the Yorkshire town and its environs are beautifully shot by DP Ray Elton, recently graduated from documentary shorts. He would later become a documentary producer.
Mostly though, it comes off as a paean to post-war prosperity. Like the Huggetts series, it's about the dances and bicycling and good times, now that the war was past, even as Miss Blackman's father wrangles with his mother-in-law about his sweets rations and control of the radio dial. the times are changing, and even though McCallum's parents are old-fashioned and snobby, his interest in Miss Blackman smacks of a new, classless society. Anyway, it's fresh-faced, 24-year-old Honor Blackman, best remembered now for being a Bond Girl and for THE AVENGERS.
There are a lot of subplots in this story about a Yorkshire bicycling club, and a lot of handsome trucking shots of its members, particularly the ladies from behind, especially eighteen-year-old Diana Dors. the Yorkshire town and its environs are beautifully shot by DP Ray Elton, recently graduated from documentary shorts. He would later become a documentary producer.
Mostly though, it comes off as a paean to post-war prosperity. Like the Huggetts series, it's about the dances and bicycling and good times, now that the war was past, even as Miss Blackman's father wrangles with his mother-in-law about his sweets rations and control of the radio dial. the times are changing, and even though McCallum's parents are old-fashioned and snobby, his interest in Miss Blackman smacks of a new, classless society. Anyway, it's fresh-faced, 24-year-old Honor Blackman, best remembered now for being a Bond Girl and for THE AVENGERS.
Helpful•51
'Appen this is of it's time and place, and no mistake. The torrid world of Northern bicycle clubs comes under the unflinching gaze of director Ralph Smart with some vigour for a good hour and 25 minutes. Then, suddenly, it just can't be arsed to pedal any further and wraps up one plot strand with unseemly haste while leaving another dangling. At least the interesting cast and breezy tone keeps it watchable.
Helpful•20
- JoeytheBrit
- May 12, 2020
- Permalink
A really nice, modest little movie. It somehow makes the bleak town in northern England where it is set seem cheery and attractive. Notable for the presence of Anthony Newley in a very early role. Also Dianna Dors is there, very beautiful in a platinum blonde way, and Honor Blackman as the female romantic lead is aloof and fetching. Male lead John McCallum has a touch of Keith Miller the Australian cricketer about him. Quite compelling theme music. Overall, a surprisingly pleasant couple of hours - its usually played in Australia in the early morning hours, and thus goes quite well with a cup of Milo and a piece or two of cheese on toast for insomniacs.
Helpful•22
Quite a nice film about a long lost past which although sombre for those without much money, was socially rich and enjoyable. Pursuits were predominantly outdoors (no TV), and the Saturday night dances. Others have commented about Diana Dors in this film. I personally thought that the then 22 year old Honor Blackman was the belle of the film, with a passable local accent.
The film has a somewhat rushed ending, with some plot lines not being resolved, while others are brought to fruition. For me, another ten minutes to better resolve the ending would have helped. This is a shame - perhaps the producers ran out of money or a key cast member had other commitments elsewhere?
The film has a somewhat rushed ending, with some plot lines not being resolved, while others are brought to fruition. For me, another ten minutes to better resolve the ending would have helped. This is a shame - perhaps the producers ran out of money or a key cast member had other commitments elsewhere?
Helpful•92
- serendigity
- Feb 22, 2005
- Permalink
I try to be objective with my marks for the films I occasionally review on this website, but on this occasion my vote of 9 comes from the heart. The film came out in 1949, just ten years before I started cycling, but it evokes a bygone age,when the postwar roads were free of traffic and cycling was carefree (even if the industrial settings and living conditions portrayed in the film were grim). The film struck a further chord with me because like its hero I came from a posh background and my family frowned on me mixing with those common rough types. It's a gentle film of a long-lost age - even though it starts with what today what would be a road-rage incident - McCallum hoots aggressively at the club run as he motors along, only then for him to stall his car and to be gently mocked by the cyclists as they overtake him; today such an incident would provoke swearing if not physical contact.
The race at the film's end is well-staged, though at a cyclists' filmshow some years ago the close-ups of the competitors against back projection provoked much mirth (but then comparable shots of horse-riders also look artificial in old films, with the riders bouncing up-and-down on saddles in the studio).
Like RitaRisque in her preceding review, I too thought a young Diana Dors looked very nice, as did Honor Blackman. And the supporting cast is a delight for those of us who like to spot British character actors.
The race at the film's end is well-staged, though at a cyclists' filmshow some years ago the close-ups of the competitors against back projection provoked much mirth (but then comparable shots of horse-riders also look artificial in old films, with the riders bouncing up-and-down on saddles in the studio).
Like RitaRisque in her preceding review, I too thought a young Diana Dors looked very nice, as did Honor Blackman. And the supporting cast is a delight for those of us who like to spot British character actors.
Helpful•161
- Marlburian
- Sep 21, 2005
- Permalink
The earliest film I've seen set up north with northern accents,it was odd seeing Britain's 2 hottest sex symbols of the sixties in the 1940s and they didn't even look particularly young,you could definitely see it was the work of a documentary maker just like a look at real life and the ending was like the ending of a tv season that would continue next year.
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- evans-15475
- Apr 9, 2022
- Permalink
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- Leofwine_draca
- Feb 17, 2019
- Permalink
..........and wonderful to do some star spotting with these early post war British films, with the likes of Diana Dors, Thora Hird, Tony Newley, Honor Blackman (just about recongnisable!), Maurice Denham. Megs Jenkins etc. etc. not forgetting my wife's favourite actor Leslie Dwyer - Mr "Punch & Judy" Partridge. : - )
Ahh yes, no traffic to speak of, no yellow lines and quiet peaceful villages - what therapy! How I remember England.
Ahh yes, no traffic to speak of, no yellow lines and quiet peaceful villages - what therapy! How I remember England.
Helpful•80
- Lucy-Lastic
- Jun 4, 2019
- Permalink
Helpful•18
- malcolmgsw
- Apr 15, 2013
- Permalink
This film is a very good representation of a northern England mill town of post WW2. The characters although credible are not typical of the peoples found in the area at the time. This movie was filmed in and around my local town and as a historical aid it is valuable though not wholly reliable.
Helpful•62
It is always easy to make fun of fifties British films of this genre. If you have patience with it, this film has a lot of social and political messages to impart. The are not of any great relevance today, it is true, but at the time things and life were very different.
It helps that the film was shot on location in Bath - the atmosphere helps enormously.
It helps that the film was shot on location in Bath - the atmosphere helps enormously.
Helpful•112
- sevreschool
- Jun 20, 2001
- Permalink
This movie has evaded me for a long time, originally seeing it in Skipton, which is featured in the movie. I couldn't remember the title but it turned up in the DVD 'Diana Dors collection'. It has matured like old wine and the little romances within the main theme make me wish I was back there again. It's a pity it is in black and white : the scenes are good in this medium but they would have been stunning in colour. It is a real advert for 'Come to West Yorkshire for your holidays' particularly since much of it has since been cleaned up revealing its natural beauty.
PS. We don't really talk like that in West Yorkshire - honest!
PS. We don't really talk like that in West Yorkshire - honest!
Helpful•121
John McCallum is the lead, competing with Patrick Holt for the hand of Honor Blackman in this cycling fun and games. As the date is 1949, although I was only 3 at the time, seeing it now I can tell more easily how women seemed to be treated as somehow less important than men. McCallum is constantly touching and grabbing at Blackman who tries to stop him, something he would not have got away with, even 15 years later as I recall how she was in Goldfinger and The Avengers. Grab at Honor at your peril.
All the same, this is a fun filled little post war British movie with a host of familiar faces to enjoy, all going for healthy cycling rides and swimming in lakes they pass when they stop for lunch. The wonderful Diana Dors when she was still a teenager and giving some of her best performances, Leslie Dwyer, Patrick Holt, John Blythe, Anthony Newley as a bit of delinquent, Maurice Denham as a bit of a rogue, Megs Jenkins, Thora Hird etc all add to the fun. Passed a pleasant hour and a half.
All the same, this is a fun filled little post war British movie with a host of familiar faces to enjoy, all going for healthy cycling rides and swimming in lakes they pass when they stop for lunch. The wonderful Diana Dors when she was still a teenager and giving some of her best performances, Leslie Dwyer, Patrick Holt, John Blythe, Anthony Newley as a bit of delinquent, Maurice Denham as a bit of a rogue, Megs Jenkins, Thora Hird etc all add to the fun. Passed a pleasant hour and a half.
Helpful•00
- Maverick1962
- Nov 8, 2023
- Permalink
Didn't Diana Dors look so nice before they dyed her hair and made her into some kind of English Monroe? She reminded me of a very young Lana Turner here. And John McCallum. Whoa, boy! Plenty of nice shots of him in those little shorts and bathers raised my rating of this up to a 9. This film isn't really "a" boy, "a" girl or "a" bike, it's many. Ada and her many admirers, Charlie and his Ginger, Susie and her Sam and David, vying for her affections.. There seemed to be a few minor plots going on before they struck the big one - Charlie being in debt and stealing a bike to cover it, naturally he steals one with unique brake wires that is easily identifiable, naturally David buys said bike and everything ends up pear-shaped - but it's definitely a lot of fun to watch!
Helpful•132
- calvertfan
- May 19, 2002
- Permalink
Helpful•61
- JohnHowardReid
- Sep 3, 2017
- Permalink
I discovered this wee gem quite unexpectedly on Talking Picture's TV which shows all manor of old films on UK Freeview. Oh how I wish it had been shot in colour but nevertheless this is as sweet a nostalgic charmer as you will find with a gentle romantic thread spinning through a wistful story of a West Yorkshire cycle club among some soap opera family rumbles. Filmed in and around Skipton In North Yorkshire the film has as a background amazing shots of small town and shire life as it was just after World War 2. The cast includes A very young Diana Dora already in her 12th film and Honor Blackman long before Goldfinger with the reliable if unremarkable John McCallum as the films nominal star. This movie really is like a time capsule rich with cultural and social observations of just how we all were three quarters of a century ago. I Loved every sprocket of it.
Helpful•20
- georgewilliamnoble
- Nov 16, 2020
- Permalink
I enjoyed this, having been in organised cycling and racing since the mid 1960s. I wish I'd been out and about on two wheels when the roads were as quiet as depicted, but I know from reading cycling history that it must have been as shown.
It's mainly for fun of course, and please don't think I'm nit-picking, but the plot of the racing part is slightly implausible in that on the start line of a championship race, when the police arrest Bert Gardner, David Howarth, steps up in his place as a reserve rider, That's legal of course, but he also uses Bert's race number which certainly is against regulations. Furthermore, despite having had only a few short weeks of riding, the rookie not only avoids getting dropped (left behind) in the first few miles of this hilly race - he even completes the distance to finish in fourth place!
One of the racers from a rival cycling club, who I spotted riding at the head of the race in it's final stages, was none other than "he whose name should not be mentioned," the infamous sex offender, Jimmy Savile. His name didn't appear in the credits.
Savile was one of the leading Yorkshire bike racers of the period and later competed in the two week long 'Tour of Britain' race.
Apologies folks if the details of Savile's infamy may not be widely known outside the UK, but after his competitive cycling career was over he became a radio DJ, then an extremely famous celebrity, culminating in him creating and hosting the very popular Saturday evening TV show, "Jim'll Fix it." He took advantage of his celebrity status to inveigle himself into positions of trust in various hospitals and institutions where he sexually abused vulnerable young people.
I met him twice when I was a young teenager and suffered no consequences - I consider myself fortunate for that.
Helpful•31