I must admit that the plot was more of a bore than anything else, but the last twenty minutes of high jinks in the street and riding on the track made it all worth it. The funny thing is that I caught the last minutes of this movie in 1960 or 60 when I was six or seven and I have retained the excitement of track racing and bicycles ever since. It's amazing how brief images can affect our whole lives. I had my seven year old son watch those scenes today, and I'm hoping the images will affect him too. It's been fifty years since I last viewed this movie and although I no doubt view it differently now, it's been an old friend returned to me after a long wait.
Joe E Brown really can spin those cranks, as can be seen in the roller racing scene mid way through. He was quite an athlete.
BTW ... I'm making the fastest possible recovery from my hip replacement two weeks and one day ago, according to my physical therapist. I always walk without a cane now, and when I'm warm after my twice daily workout, I can walk without a limp. If I sit for ten minutes and the swelling and tenderness quickly return. If anyone says that this operation is a piece of cake ... I say let them eat cake (I don't and still would have done anything to avoid such an invasive operation). At this rate I'll be back on my regular bikes in two more weeks. The bikes at the physical therapist's have such horribly wide seats that they force my thighs apart and cause them to chafe. It's all part of the learning and renewal game ... I guess.
Garth Libre in MIami Fl USA