Summary: The cricketer, C B Fry advances his explanation why "when the call to arms came for our men to serve their country in the fighting forces, there was no talk of a C3 nation" - because the British enjoy taking exercise ("we are not a nation of spectators: all our names may not get into the papers, but we all play").
Description: The film's visual material consists mainly of footage of professionals and amateurs, adults and children, civilians and soldiers, men and women participating in all forms of exercise, from football and cricket through tennis and darts (which Fry compares to ancient Greek javelin throwing) to Youth Hostelling, bicycling and hiking. Weighing and measuring recruits, physical training (explicitly not physical 'jerks'), and shots of well-known sportsmen, including Fry himself, in uniform coaching others conclude the film - "We may laugh when we are told to play the game and be a sport, but this is what makes us a nation of sportsmen."
Production Details: Ministry of Information (Production sponsor)
Strand (Production company)
Elliott, Jack (Production individual)
Shaw, Alexander (Production individual)
Fry, C B (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: Fry, C B (person)
Keywords: propaganda, British - inspirational (object name)
recreation, British civilian - general: Youth Hostelling (object name)
recreation, British civilian - sport: cricket (object name)
recreation, British civilian - sport: cycling (object name)
recreation, British civilian - sport: darts (object name)
recreation, British civilian - sport: football (object name)
recreation, British civilian - sport: tennis (object name)
GB, England (geography)
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Sound
Soundtrack language: English
Title language: English
Subtitle language: None
Technical Details: Format: 16mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 1
Footage: 442 ft; Running time: 13 mins
