Photograph: Werner Schmidt

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Time for 'Jack & Ran'?

Jack Wilson and Ran Laurie

Here on HTBS we have written a lot about British Olympic rowing champions. Lately, our favourites have been Bert Bushnell and Dickie Burnell, who took the gold in the double sculls at the 1948 Olympic Games, and, in the same Olympic regatta at Henley, Ran Laurie and Jack Wilson, who took the gold in the pair. In 2012, there was a brilliant film made about Bert and Dicke, and now it is time to push for a film about 'Jack & Ran'. Not only did this pair have a tremendous exciting rowing career, first at Cambridge, Ran at the 1936 Olympic Games, then both at Henley in 1938, and again at Henley in 1948 (during these ten years they hardly looked at an oar), and finally at the 1948 Olympics, they also had thrilling adventures in Sudan - everything to make it more than just a rowing movie. Is there anyone out there who needs help with the film script?

There is now a short film clip on Youtube how Laurie and Wilson won the Olympic gold medal, watch it here.

Having been in Sudan for ten years, when they came back in 1948, they were called the 'Desert Rats' - not to be confused with the soldiers in Monty's Eight Army in North Africa...

1 comment:

  1. Yes! This would make a great film. But who could play the role of Ran Laurie? Is there anybody with acting experience who looks a bit like him?

    ReplyDelete