Once a Jolly Swagman (1949)

Good start, but then it gets ruined

A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

ONCE A JOLLY SWAGMAN is a character drama about a young man who gives up his deadbeat factory job to become a motorbike racer instead. It's centred around the minor sport of Speedway and has some good on-track scenes of a sport we don't often we make it to the big screen. The story itself is rather light and straightforward, reminiscent a little of the later 'angry young man' movement but rather ahead of its time by a decade or so. Had it been made years later it might have done better. A decent cast makes this watchable, though, with a typically brooding Dirk Bogarde on protagonist duty, Bonar Colleano and Bill Owen as racing rivals, Sid James as the organiser, and James Hayter and Thora Hird as Bogarde's parents.

Although the story line is pretty typical for movies of this period, formulaic, predictable, and with bits of romance, pathos, and patriotism thrown for filler, the film is an interesting, if too short, lesson in speedway history for us motorcycle buffs. Even though I have enjoyed speedway racing on the TV (when I can get it), I had no idea it was such a huge sport so early on. Another fascinating lesson is that it was held in such fascination and revulsion, being noisy, dirty, and dangerous. I guess motorcycle riding might always carry those cachets. This movie is what it is and I can't fault it a bit, except it needed more bikes!

Once a Jolly Swagman was, for its time, a rather unusual film. Why? Because it featured Speedway Racing. Speedway in the pre-war days of the 1930s was brought over from Australia, a type of Dirt track racing. Stadiums used for greyhound races were adapted, shale put down and the sport took off in a big way. Wembley Stadium had over 100,000 people there to watch the England team against the Australians in the years following the war. So, the film was made, and was a success. Up and coming young actor Dirk Bogarde, and the wily young Bill Owen ( who went on to become famous in the British TV programme, The Last Of The Summer Wine) starred in it. The title? Well to answer Mr Kennett ( the only other person to comment wryly on this film) is because the sport originated down under, although I suspect Mr Kennett to be one of the famous Kennett brothers; Speedway Riders Themselves in the 1950s and 60s. Comment: Excellent British attempt to bring the sport to the film going public. 10 out of 10. August 2004.

Dirk Bogarde appears in this film as a young, working class lad who achieves fame and fortune (and a nasty little moustache) as a speedway bike rider during the 1940's. Of course, his career is interrupted by the war.It is a little laboured at times, but you have to admire the cameramen who created the footage of the races with such limited technology.I spent a lot of the film trying to work out where the swagman theme was supposed to come from - aside from using Waltzing Matilda as the theme. Later on I realised his faithful wife Pat, and her brother, were supposed to be Australian. The brother later retired to Australia to go 'sheep farming'.Strewth!