TV Tonight - "The Greatest Game Ever Played"

[Chris Buie]

It's a well done film of Francis Ouimet at the 1913 U.S. Open.
Golf Channel at 8pm tonight. They rebroadcast it at 12am as well. EST

[PCCraig]

It's a well done film of Francis Ouimet at the 1913 U.S. Open.
Golf Channel at 8pm tonight. They rebroadcast it at 12am as well. EST

It's pretty good film, especially for a "golf" movie. Anyone know where they actually filmed the golf scenes? (It wasn't at The Country Club).

[Chris Buie]

I just looked it up and it says the golf was filmed at Kanawaki Golf Club in Québec.

[Ryan Kelly]

Not sure on the location of the golf scenes.  What I didn't realize while watching the movie was that Ouimet actually beat Vardon pretty handly.

[Jud_T]

Surprisingly watchable for a predictable B movie...

[Howard Riefs]

Surprisingly watchable for a predictable B movie...

Movies about historical events are typically predictable.

[Jud_T]

Howard,

Yes, in terms of details, but it's also quite middle of the road in terms of all the cliched peripheral characters and the way the script pulls your heart strings like a hotel lobby harpist.  The casting and cinematography, however, are what elevate it to something beyond an ABC after-school special.

[Mac Plumart]

Thanks Chris.  I'll  be tuning in.

[Howard Riefs]

Howard,

Yes, in terms of details, but it's also quite middle of the road in terms of all the cliched peripheral characters and the way the script pulls your heart strings like a hotel lobby harpist.  The casting and cinematography, however, are what elevate it to something beyond an ABC after-school special.

That makes sense. Movies and golf are typically not a good fit.

[William_G]

like the sand tees

[Garland Bayley]

This movie is running tonight for the sole purpose of trapping unthinking dolts into playing golf couch potato instead of taking their wives out for dinner. You watch this at your own marital peril.

I trust DS that you took your wife to dinner tonight.
Besides the movie is out on DVD so that you don't ever have to neglect your wife to watch it.

[PThomas]

but didnt they change the plot, whereby Francis birdies 18??  I never watched it after i heard that

[DMoriarty]

Speaking of Ouimet, I was surprised to come across this  1914 ad.  
 

[Andy Stamm]

Those onesies are amazing! An interesting solution to a real problem.

[Dan Kelly]

Just read this yesterday:

Henry Longhurst, writing of a Cambridge University golf team trip to America, 1930:

"We sallied forth to play a number of clubs around Boston, of which I remember particularly the Myopia Hunt Club on account of the remarkable variety of liqueurs which they openly offered us after lunch. [Dan notes: Prohibition was still in effect.] At The Country Club, Brookline, I found myself matched against none other than Francis Ouimet, who on that same course had beaten Vardon and Ray in the playoff for the 1913 U.S. Open. He beat me by one hole and, if only I could have saved a stroke or two here and there, I am convinced that he still would have beaten me by one hole."

[jeffwarne]

but didnt they change the plot, whereby Francis birdies 18??  I never watched it after i heard that

Paul,
They certainly changed the plot in the playoff, with Ray not even finishing, and Vardon leaving his "tying" 20 footer on the lip, forcing Ouimet to grind over his 3 footer for the "win"
(in fact he shot 72-Vardon 77-Ray 78)

They also had Francis play a stymie in a stroke play event which was news to me, but perhaps I'm ignorant of stroke play rules in 1913.
Also there clearly was a green committe that went crazy in the 60's with evergreen fir tree planting in rows on the fairways.
1860's that is 

Very good book, decent movie.
silly in spots.

[Philippe Binette]

Filmed mostly at Kanawaki golf club on the south shore of Montreal.. pretty good course.

Also parts were filmed in Maisonneuve Park in Montreal near the Olympic Stadium. Maisonneuve park is the former Montreal municipal golf course that was turned into a park for the Olympics...

Imagine, if Montreal hosted the Olympics today, they could play golf across the street from the Stadium. All they would have to do is restore the course... the corridors are still there.

[Peter Pallotta]

Just read this yesterday:

Henry Longhurst, writing of a Cambridge University golf team trip to America, 1930:

"We sallied forth to play a number of clubs around Boston, of which I remember particularly the Myopia Hunt Club on account of the remarkable variety of liqueurs which they openly offered us after lunch. [Dan notes: Prohibition was still in effect.] At The Country Club, Brookline, I found myself matched against none other than Francis Ouimet, who on that same course had beaten Vardon and Ray in the playoff for the 1913 U.S. Open. He beat me by one hole and, if only I could have saved a stroke or two here and there, I am convinced that he still would have beaten me by one hole."

Perfect! Thanks for sharing, Dan.  I don't know what i enjoy more - Longhurst's terrific writing itself, or the pleasure I know that you take from Longhurst's terrific writing.

[Tim Johnson]

Philippe

I lived in Montreal a couple of years ago and drove around the park and it just screamed golf course to me, as you mentioned, the corridors are still there. I did some research and some of the course is actually where the Big O sits now. They held the Canadian Open on that course in the late 60's.

A lot of golf friends who fly into Montreal always ask me if there is a golf course right next to the Big O because from the sky, those corridors just tell you that once there had to be a course there.

PS Montreal is still paying for the 76 Olympics, no way they get another one......it was the definition of corruption.

[DMoriarty]

Those onesies are amazing! An interesting solution to a real problem.

What surprised me was that Ouimet, an amateur golfer, was appearing in advertisements and endorsing products.

[RDecker]

Ouimet's victory stands, in my mind as one of the greatest single achievements in the history of sport, right up there with Secretariat's 30 length victory to win the triple crown and the 80 Olympic hockey gold.  Any chronicle of that achievement is worth having to put up with a few hollywood liberties.

[DMoriarty]

Ouimet's victory stands, in my mind as one of the greatest single achievements in the history of sport, right up there with Secretariat's 30 length victory to win the triple crown and the 80 Olympic hockey gold.  Any chronicle of that achievement is worth having to put up with a few hollywood liberties.

I cannot imagine portraying Secretariat's 30 length victory as if he had just won by a nose.  Likewise, I cannot imagine why anyone would take similar historical liberties with a story as great as Ouimet's. 

[Philippe Binette]

Tim.. the property of the former Montreal Municipal GC is actually pretty golf, with some nice 15 feet deep wide swales..

Now that the trees have grown up, the corridors are well set, a course would probably look better now than in the 60's

[Andy Stamm]

Those onesies are amazing! An interesting solution to a real problem.

What surprised me was that Ouimet, an amateur golfer, was appearing in advertisements and endorsing products.

I know. I was surprised, too. Sometimes it's a case of the long time amateur finally turning pro, but surely that's not it here. Without being too controversial it seems that the powers that be (USGA and R&A) could really look the other way when it came to a favored (amateur) son dabling in commercial ventures. See, the Bobby Jones instructional movies. Of course I'm not aware of the actual contemporaneous phrasing and interpretations of the rules of amateur status, but I can't imagine either of these ventures wouldn't make the player a professional.

[David Kelly]

Ouimet's victory stands, in my mind as one of the greatest single achievements in the history of sport, right up there with Secretariat's 30 length victory to win the triple crown and the 80 Olympic hockey gold.  Any chronicle of that achievement is worth having to put up with a few hollywood liberties.

I cannot imagine portraying Secretariat's 30 length victory as if he had just won by a nose.  Likewise, I cannot imagine why anyone would take similar historical liberties with a story as great as Ouimet's. 

In the Secretariat movie they did take a lot of liberties to add drama to the story including not mentioning that Penny Chenery had won 2/3 of the Triple Crown with Riva Ridge in 1972 and that Secretariat had been syndicated for $6M before ever racing as a 3-year old.  But they wanted to portray Chenery as a neophyte who needed to win the Triple Crown to save her horse farm.