Wee Geordie

saw this movie as a child in scotland and loved it. it popped up on tv a few years ago and i taped it but the quality was not great. if it ever came available as a vhs or dvd i would buy it in a heartbeat. a simpler time told in a simpler way. "come away ma wee geordie" was a classic line that reverberated in my head ...nostalgia...

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...

Wee Geordie is an undersized lad who spends his savings on a physical culture course to increase his height and improve his strength. So successful is he that he is chosen in later years to represent Britain in the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games and as a consequence wins gold in the hammer throw.

Such a simple tale with a message to youngsters that a goal can be achieved through sheer perseverance. Bill Travers plays the lead role as Geordie with a dour expression which breaks into a winning smile when things go right for him. Jean (Nora Gorsen) his companion since childhood urges him to accept the Olympic challenge and provides the romantic interest. Alistair Sim as the laird does well in a comic character role (as always). Francis de Wolff as Samson who prepares the correspondence courses for Geordie is a loud and aggressive character who takes all the credit for Geordie's success. There is a genuinely funny scene at the railway station when he farewells Geordie on his trip to Australia.

The dialogue is very simple and unsophisticated. It is spoken slowly and clearly and fortunately the Scottish accent can be understood. The colour photography has a washed out look and shows how much the technology has advanced in the last 40 years or so.

A nice little family film that will gladden the heart of any wee laddie or lassie.

I watched Wee Geordie out of curiosity but found so much more than that. The story centres around a small rural Scottish boy who was teased and ridiculed at school because of his small stature and who took growth tablets to aid his physical development. He grows into a fine specimen of a man, tall and strong. His strength ultimately leads to him becoming a hammer thrower and representing Britain at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

The film is entertaining throughout. Bill Travers (of Born Free fame) is convincing and engaging as the grown Geordie Mac Taggart and Alastair Sims is a fine laird.

I thought that the movie might be based on fact (a la Chariots of Fire) but a review of the Hammer Throw results at the Melbourne Olympics reveals it as a work of fiction. No matter! It does not change the fact that the movie is a delight to watch.

The scenes of the final throw of the competition are captivating. Some competitors thrive on crowd support, others wilt under it. Geordie was a crowd favourite, thanks to his involvement in saving a man trapped under a car, but his nerves betray him under that pressure. When he shuts out the crowd and imagines his sweetheart back in the hills of Scotland - at the same time that she whispers into her wireless back home - a little piece of cinema magic is created.

There was some licence taken with the location. When Geordie is shown arriving in Melbourne by ship, there are 2 scenes of Sydney Harbour. But that is immaterial to the enjoyment of the film.

It is definitely worth the investment of your time and attention.

Farm boy Rulon Gardner's fabulous win at the Sydney Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling is almost a real-life incarnation of the hero of "Wee Geordie." Goerdie, the hero of this wonderful low-key comedy, starts out as an undersized little boy in rural Scotland, who grows up to be very big indeed. He takes up hammer-throwing after completing a physical-culture courst that converts him from 99 lb. weakling to "Charles Atlas." And, of course, he ends up in the 1956 Olympics, wearing his kilt and throwing for the gold.

I saw this film as a kid when it first came out, and was lucky enough to see it on television about a decade ago--and it had lost none of its charm. What with Rulon and Sydney, it's time to bring out this wonderful comedy on Video/DVD. Alistair Sim is a wonderful laird and Bill Travers plays the ultra-grown-up Geordie. It's really funny in the way of Brit comedies of the era.