Strathard Heritage Digital Archive

Place

Type

Subject

Date

Geordie

Several areas in Strathard featured in this movie It was produced in 1955 and filmed in a number of locations including Gartmore Station and the sports field opposite Aberfoyle School. This venue was used to film the efforts of Bill Travers including hammer throwing, shot put and other activities.

Bill Travers played the title role of a gamekeeper who as a boy was undersized and with the help of a long-distance physical education course became a giant of a man. He subsequently is persuaded to take up hammer throwing and eventually wins that event in the Olympic Games at Melbourne in 1956. There is the inevitable love interest featuring Nora Gorsen as his “spirited” girlfriend Jean in Scotland . Geordie doesn’t want to leave Scotland but eventually agrees. During the voyage, Geordie finds Helga, the Danish lady champion shot putter, attractive and when he wins the hammer for Britain she embraces him. The radio commentator elaborates on the scene and the folk back in Strathard think that Geordie has let Jean down. On his return he gets a cold reception, but the Laird (played by Alastair Sim) paves the way for a happy ending. Walter Joynson acted as a judge of the hammer throwing competition. The Bell Cottage near Kinlochard was used as the “Keepers Cottage” where Wee Geordie lived with his gamekeeper father played by Jameson Clark and his mother played by Mollie Urquhart.