Bert & Dickie Page #2

But the greatest of these, Bert,

was in Berlin,

in front of Hitler himself,

overcoming a German crew

and winning the gold.

That was double sculls.

That was the last Olympics.

We have a reputation to maintain

in that event.

And I believe we can maintain it...

What, in five weeks?

In five weeks, I can put together

a crew that will be very fast.

Very fast indeed. And which will win

the gold medal for Great Britain.

Now, I want you to be

one half of that crew.

I want it.

The question is...

do you?

Who with?

Who'd my partner be?

I've arranged for you to meet him

this evening.

Excuse me, sir. Are you a member?

I beg your pardon? Of Leander?

No. I'm in the Great Britain squad.

I'm here for training.

I understand, sir.

However, if you're not

a member of the club itself,

I can't grant you access

to the club rooms.

But I've got to get my kit on!

Of course!

And there is direct access

to the changing rooms

around the back of the building.

Hello.

Richard Burnell. You're...

Bert Bushnell.

I saw you win the Wingfield Sculls

last year.

I covered it, actually.

Yeah, I heard that.

You write for The Times, don't you?

I don't read it myself.

Well, it's... just the rowing...

I actually work

for the British Council.

Oh.

Anyway, it was a terrific effort.

I'm a good sculler.

How long have you been doing it?

Oh. Not long, really.

It was always eights for me.

Couldn't find a crew

after the war, so...

I mean, I'd always done a bit.

Just, you know, not competitively.

Sounds like you weren't

that competitive

when you went out with Dick Winstone.

Then again, you got rid of him,

didn't you,

which shows you've got some ambition,

I suppose. Excuse me!

Winstone is a good man and I most

certainly did not get rid of him...

I don't care whether he fell

on his sword

or you stuck it right between

his shoulder blades.

All I care about is whether a bloke

can scull or not.

Well, I can!

Good!

Excellent!

You've met.

We'll get straight to it, then,

shall we?

We'll take it down to Hambleden

and back.

Nothing too strenuous, too soon.

All right?

What are you doing?

I'm taking my socks off.

Is that all right?

Well, you might get blisters.

I don't.

Then I can feel

how the boat's running.

All right, lads. Let's get going.

What are you happy with?

What?

Rate. Don't need to go mad.

No... I tell you what, though...

Dickie. Can I call you Dickie?

It seems to suit you.

Why don't we give it a quick burst

to start off with, eh?

Blow the cobwebs away.

Fine. You call it.

Yeah. Course.

Right.

Now!

Now, now...

Bloody hell!

Now, now, now!

Arrgh! Arrgh! Arrgh!

There you go. Not too bad.

Take it back, yes?

What?

Jack said there and back.

No. Wait!

Wait!

Arrgh! Arrgh! Arrgh!

What the bloody hell was

that all about?

You don't win

if you don't pull together.

It's that simple.

Now, grow up.

Both of you!

Back here tomorrow morning,

six-thirty.

On the question

of inspiring the nation...

One or two gold medals?

Lift the spirits in these somewhat

difficult times. Hmm?

Well, we're very hopeful in sailing.

Is that it?

Well, and rowing, too.

And we think we've got a fair

chance in the etching.

Olympic Etching?

Poetry, possibly too.

Gentlemen, I'm sorry,

I didn't realise there were Olympic

competitions in such things.

Oh, yes. We did check the rules.

The thing is, sir,

we have had to slim down the scale

of some aspects of the Games,

necessarily, because of the cost.

So we're looking to plump out

the schedule in other areas.

And you're sure people will go?

Absolutely.

Come on!

The speed's there -

I know the speed's there.

But there's no... finesse.

You're not recovering smoothly

and the re-issue's awful,

never mind the check you're...

It's our second outing, Jack.

And your first race

is in five weeks.

The boat's... The boat's fine!

It's your rhythm!

You need more time on the water.

Let some smoothness in.

Long, slow paddles,

any chance you get.

I'll see you back here tonight.

'It needs re-rigging.'

No, it doesn't!

Bert, the boat is... the best.

All right? I saw to that.

And if we start fiddling

with it at this late stage,

you know what happens.

It's like a golfer changing his

swing on the eve of a competition.

It always turns out badly.

So let's just do what Jack says.

And spend some extra time

on the water.

No, not that.

That's the worst idea.

We're too tired after Henley.

I know I am.

Well, we have to do something.

We work on our technique.

Jack's right. It's a mess.

Only, that's you.

Especially the re-issue.

You gotta cock your wrist more,

like a dog raising its paw.

That's what I was always taught.

By whom?

Someone who coached me

for a while.

Dan Cordery.

So, he's a professional. So what?

We're amateurs.

We like it that way.

Dickie...

I have never taken

a penny for getting in a boat.

That's an amateur.

Nothing else matters.

And, after that, it's all about

winning, by any means possible.

See? You think differently,

don't you?

Amateur, to you, it's a bloke

who loves his sport

and who uses nothing to gain

advantage over his competitors,

except his own determination

and those gifts God has happened

to bestow upon him. Mm.

The only problem with that, Dickie,

"six foot four inch tall" Dickie,

"bred from the best stock there is

in England" Dickie,

with your Eton and your Oxford

education... Mm.

And your Times newspaper job,

Dickie.

The only problem with that...

is that when God was doling out

them gifts

and setting up the natural order

of things...

he wasn't always that even handed,

was he?

I read in this report there's still

no floor for the basketball court,

that the British team

can't afford a kit...

Dealt with!

Yes, we have, as Lord Aberdare

points out,

already solved those...

particular problems.

Have you?

And how have you funded

that, precisely?

The Finns are giving us the timber

for the basketball court,

free and gratis.

Cooper's, the outfitters,

have agreed to provide

every British male competitor

with a free pair of Y-fronts.

They'll wear shorts as well?

Harold, we're not staging

a bloody nude revue, man.

Of course they'll wear shorts.

They will have to supply those

themselves, however.

I'm afraid the budget

didn't quite stretch to that.

Oh! Damn... My back.

Do you want a flag on them? What?

The shorts. It doesn't say.

It just gives the general

measurements.

Frankly, the way I feel...

I think you might be

wasting your time.

Is it really bad?

It's the starts.

We're trying to blitz it.

Somewhere near 40, 41.

I'm not used to it.

Tell Bert. I have told him.

But he reckons we'll need to be

doing at least that.

No... Tell him it's hurting you!

No flag. Thank you.

They look wonderful.

They are terrific, they are.

Terry towelling, so they won't slip.

Good thinking!

Always gotta look for the edge.

Ooh! I've got something else

for you. Eh?

Here.

Ooh, Mum. Oh, yeah, this is perfect.

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