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...

Just as with the other commentators, I too saw this film decades ago. It had already been in release for a couple of years, so there was a muzzy sense of age to it, even then.

I'm taking a guess here, but I'd be willing to wager that those who remember this film best, are males. We remember the wee Scots lad with his wire-hanger-thin arms and his knobby knees; and then we remember the fine figure of a man that he grew into. Yet, in retrospect, it is Geordie's slightly puzzled reactions to the incidentals that happen as a young man that makes him an endearing character.

While filmed in black and white, at the risk of a pun, this is one of the most colorful films ever made. What took it past a Cinderella-esque sort of movie, was Alistar Sim playing the foil. Who will forget the gorgeous old codger when he and Geordie are traipsing in the highlands, shooting for grouse. Feeling a call to nature, Sim discretely tells Geordie to go on ahead, and that he will join him momentarily. "Don't, if you please, shoot into the bushes," he warns Geordie. The young man wanders away, passing time - only to suddenly see a flock of grouse rush for the bush. Taking quick aim, he blasts away with both barrels. Not two seconds later, we see Sim, hobbled with his pants around his knees, thrusting his fist into the air and shouting, "Didn't I tell you to shoot anywhere but into the bushes!" The scene still makes me laugh.

Bill Travers went on to achieve considerable star power with "Born Free", and unless I'm mistaken, became an environmental activist.

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?

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...

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.