Bert & Dickie Page #3

I mean, my old one's too warm

in this sunshine.

And they reckon it's going to be

red hot right across the competition.

Well, you were all right

in Argentina.

I wasn't pulling behind Dickie,

then, was I?

Anyway, I'll be the best-dressed

bloke in the final. Oh!

Oh, I'll get to the final, Mum,

don't you worry.

You won't if you stay out until

God knows what hour every night.

John... He was supposed to be home,

watered and in bed by nine-thirty.

Well, I... You've been down

The Gaumont again, I know.

It's not much after half past now.

It's after it!

There. You may as well have that...

if you're up.

It's bread, you can have

a dripping sandwich.

Where's it from?

We've had our ration this week.

Yeah. I... It's extra.

You've been to see Lewis.

He's a crook, John!

He made all of his money

on the black market

and we're not going to help him get

any richer now. Mum! No! Lena!

There is a right way to behave

in life and there is a wrong way.

And it matters. Mum... Mum!

Next door's dog!

Dad...?

'The metropolis becomes cosmopolis.

'For the Olympiad, the world's

athletes are pouring towards Wembley.

'Among them, the American swimmers.

Or from America,

'the United States women contingent

arriving at Southampton.

'And they're not just athletic,

but good-looking too.'

Er, thank you, Wilson.

So... We have them here, anyway.

Absolutely.

Well, what about Wembley Stadium?

Track's down, scoreboard's up.

And we've found somewhere to hide

the pigeons

for the opening ceremony.

So they won't have to be taken

over to the stadium

until the actual

afternoon of the event.

No more hanging around

all day in the sunshine.

What?

We... had a bit of a hiccup

when we had the rehearsal yesterday.

What happened?

When we... erm,

dropped the lids to release them...

several hundred of the birds

had, erm... had cooked, sir.

Good God!

Good God, indeed!

We are blinking in the light

of a new dawn, Lord Burghley.

We are not engaged in the wholesale

slaughter of innocent avians.

No, sir.

And about poetry?

Etchings, sculpture?

Have we shifted any tickets there?

Yes, sir, we have.

How many?

So far?

Yes.

19,500.

Agghh!

What's up?

Nothing.

It's a... twinge, that's all.

It's going. It's going already.

Hey, Bert! Over here!

Ha! Jack!

Jack Kelly.

Oh, c'mon! As long as you're...

I'm fine! I told you - it's gone.

Oi! Mr Kelly! They are training!

As you should be, actually.

Good to see you!

You too. How are you? Yeah, good.

This is, er... Dickie Burnell.

He's... Your partner, yeah.

I heard you'd changed your mind

about taking me on in the singles.

Pleased to meet you. Welcome!

Ah, great to be here.

Where are you staying?

I don't know exactly.

We're getting billeted!

Bert! Bert!

Anyway, I reckon you'll be

all right. We should get going. Yeah.

Good to see you. Thank you.

Good luck. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you. Best of luck.

You too.

Here, Dickie. Give it a wipe.

Agghh!

Right.

Now, tell us the truth.

Is it going to torpedo us?

No! No...

I've had it before.

It eases off after a day or two.

It's painful but...

It won't affect the competition.

It won't make any difference!

You're getting worse.

What are you on about! We were

miles quicker to the barrier.

Through brute force you were! So you

were knackered on the way back,

which means you finished two seconds

slower than last week,

with a rating of four strokes

higher!

If you two don't discover

some kind of rhythm,

you'll do well

to get beyond the first round.

Except we know the answer.

Long, slow... No! We can't...

paddle through it!

Bert's right, Jack.

We haven't the energy.

Fine. Then solve it your own way.

But solve it!

It's the boat. No. Look, Dickie!

Please. Just, just listen to me...

A bad workman... Yeah, I know that!

But we're both struggling.

And it isn't getting any better.

It's the reason your back's

knackered.

It's knackered due to the number of

starts you've put us through.

They are a problem cos that's when

the rigging gets the most hammer.

I've been sculling like that

for the past eight months.

With a bloke who was 14 stone!

I'm ten and a half!

I'm too high out of the water which

means you're beating up the sculls

to get through the stroke, which you

can because you're so strong,

but at the cost

of wrecking your back.

The truth is, if we dropped

the work by half an inch,

you'd be taking the right amount

of strain

and we'd increase the span

on the stroke! Look... I'll do it.

What?

I'm saying... I was thinking

about it, you know.

It occurred...

What, that I don't know how

to do a re-rig? I don't know.

Captain of boats at Eton.

Blue at Oxford...

I assume they have people.

I can rig my own boat!

The only reason I'm not doing this

one is because it doesn't need doing

and if we start messing around

with it now

we're going to ruin everything!

If it isn't running properly,

might I suggest that

rather than blaming the silver spoon

you forever see in my mouth,

you take a good look at the chip

on your own shoulder,

and ask yourself, honestly,

whether it and blind ambition,

are really enough in themselves

to make a man a good oarsman,

or might he require one or two

other attributes as well,

like skill?!

Where are you going?

Nowhere. I... Just for a walk.

I won't be long.

Yeah. And we know who with,

don't we?

It makes sense.

And I apologise...

for what I said to you.

No-one likes to be found out.

No.

Thank you, gentlemen.

Mr Bushnell, I...

Margaret, I, er... I didn't mean

to surprise you,

but I... remembered Bert said

you'd come home for your lunch.

I need to talk to you...

on a matter of some urgency.

What about this, er...

rationing business?

Well, apparently a couple

of our weightlifters

passed out yesterday.

One egg a week, you see,

it's simply not enough.

It's the same with

the distance runners.

They say a shilling's worth of meat

a week, they just can't train on it.

Well, that's how it's going

to remain!

If our Olympians can manage,

then so can we.

But they're not managing!

That's a chop in the middle.

Barnsley chop.

You get double meat on one of them.

That's... Very kind of you.

Except, am I the only one who's

actually...?

We've had ours!

Yeah, sorry, there was some...

confusion

about what time tea was actually

served,

so we got stuck in before

you arrived.

And aren't they delicious?

Mm... Those Barnsley chops.

So you just enjoy yourself,

Mr Kelly.

You're our guest and we want you

to go back to America

with good memories.

The King and the rowin' and...

that chop.

We're happy to watch.

Great oarsman such as yourself.

That is magnificent.

All right, Dad?

Bert?

Need some Fleetwax.

Have you got any?

Dickie says we're on the water

that much,

the boat could use an extra coat.

Yeah, he's right. You should.

I'll get you some.

How'd it go today?

Yeah, good. Quicker today

than we were at lunch time.

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