Wee Geordie (1955)

Wee Geordie (1955)

“I only wish, McTaggart, that you had acquired as much in knowledge as you have in height and weight.”

Synopsis:
A tiny Scottish lad (Paul Young) grows into a “gentle giant” (Bill Travers) who learns to throw hammers, and is recruited to represent Britain in the Australian Olympics.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Alastair Sim Films
  • Comedy
  • Scotland
  • Sports

Review:
This enjoyable Scottish fable — reminiscent of Bill Forsyth’s recent imports, particularly Local Hero (1983) — plays like a biopic, but is pure fiction all the way. It’s an innocuous fairy tale which can easily be described as “heartwarming” — after all, what’s not to love about this handsome “gentle giant” who, despite his other-worldly strength, longs for little more than the hills of Scotland, his own sweet lass (Norah Gerson), and a chance to proudly wear his father’s kilt in the Olympics? While the story gets bogged down in the final reel by an inane subplot about a female Danish athlete (Doris Goddard) who lusts after Geordie, until then it’s all sweet, breezy sailing.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • “Wee Geordie” starting his mail-order exercise regime
  • Geordie walking out during the Olympics in his father’s Black Watch kilt
  • Alastair Sim as a local laird who takes a fatherly interest in Geordie

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look.

Links:

One thought on “Wee Geordie (1955)

  1. First viewing. Not a must – and rather in agreement with the assessment. For the most part, it is heartwarming; I particularly like the early scenes in which we see how Geordie’s parents react to his decision to make himself over and decide to be supportive (even as the floor of Geordie’s room threatens to give).

    The rest is surprise-free. But Travers is wildly adorable (particularly when he’s arguing with Sim over whether kestrels should be killed when they’re a threat). He’s somewhat less yummy when sweetheart Gerson turns into a complete harpy near the end (no surprise really; she’s kind of controlling from the beginning, until she turns inexplicably docile for a time). It’s at that point you think he may have been better off with Goddard; at least she seemed to know how to deal with jealousy.

Leave a Reply