Crew Racing

This is a short film about crew (rowing)--featuring the narration of Pete Smith who narrated MANY shorts during this era. The film shows the crew team from the University of California going through their training. You'll see breathing tests, demonstrations of how to row, how NOT to row and training. And, at the end, these freshman rowers have a race against the varsity team. I was surprised that this race was actually pretty exciting to watch, though the rest of the film was just a time-passer. I watched it only because it came on Turner Classic Movies after a movie I'd just watched and I was too lazy to change the channel! Adequate and a film mostly of interest to rowers....all 57 of them.

Crew Racing (1935)

** (out of 4)

This Pete Smith short from MGM takes a look at the rowing team from the University of California. We learn early that they're considered the best in the country and then we jump to the Freshman class. We see their first day on the job, getting coached by Ky Ebright and see the day to day training, which eventually leads up to their race against the varsity. CREW RACING really isn't a very entertaining movie. I think it's mainly going to appeal to those who enjoy crew racing or have taken part in it themselves. The reason I say this is that the sport simply isn't all that entertaining to begin with and this short really doesn't make one any more interesting in how everything is done. I think those into crew racing will also enjoy seeing a legend like Ebright and I'm sure they'll enjoy seeing how things were done back in the day but all others should probably stay clear. Even Smith isn't what you'd expect if you're familiar with his films because he doesn't crack any jokes, which is something most people will be expecting.