User Reviews

Here's a late RKO-Pathe Sportscope about the breaking of the 4-minute mile. That track record was one that stood for millennia, ever since the Elian Games gave way to the Olympics. It's not that they used the mile, of course, but it's been one since the revival of the Games in the late 19th Century.

This short gives a historical survey of the fastest Olympians from the 1920s on, as the record time drops from four minutes and ten seconds, down and down by tens of a second, down to the actual breaking of the record by Roger Bannister on May 6, 1954 for a time of 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds. There's some discussion and film of more recent runs, up through 1956, when this film was released.

Hicham El Guerrouj is the current men's record holder with his time of 3:43.13, while Sifan Hassan has the women's record, pending ratification, of 4:12.33 as I write this. I expect it will be broken again.

This little short film is about the quest to break the four minute mark in running the mile. It sure could have been a lot better, as what you see are just a few clips of folks running the mile long ago with some commentary. This is fine but the commentary and choices of clips was suspect, as the film does seem to focus a lot on the American efforts-- even though Brit Roger Bannister actually was the first to break this mark. I noticed some review complained and went on a rant about Americans being egocentric. Well, to be fair, most films back in the day would have likely focused on their athletes, though this still is a shortcoming of this film. I do NOT think it's an indictment on the evils of 1940s America...as broad pronouncements based on a few isolated incidents seems unfair. But to notice this problem with the short, well that's fair...and it's fair to say this isn't a particularly good film as well.

I watched this little TCM time-filler short simply because I had never seen it before. Four Minute Fever is a short history on the attempt by runners to break the four minute mile. I personally don't understand the drive to that feat simply because a mile is an arbitrary distance, and a minute is an arbitrary time span.

Beyond that, this short showed me something else too. Very short shrift was given to actually breaking the record in this little movie. In fact, they don't even mention that Roger Bannister was the first person to break that barrier. No, they leave you believing it was John Landy. It wasn't. And they don't give you the date it happened. I thought that the climax to this little short would actually be when the feat was accomplished, but after they showed Landy doing it over a month after Bannister already had, there was still 3 minutes left to this 9 minute "documentary".

It came as a shock that the climax was the day, two years after the barrier had already been broken, that the first sub four minute mile was run on American soil. That, apparently, made it official. (For the record- Englishman Roger Bannister was the first to officially break the four minute mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds, on May 6th, 1954, in England.)

Many in other countries call Americans smug and arrogant. When I finished watching this, I realized how they may have got that idea.

Interesting period piece reminding one of those Movietone newsreels which show from time to time. Find the recitation of historic, international milers fascinating. Researched online and discovered there is a statue in Vancouver paying homage to the John Lundy vs. Roger Bannister showdown.

All that being said, one cannot be confident in the accuracy of information provided. Am puzzled by what appears to be a glaring, gaudy error. This clip omits any mention of Roger Bannister as the first to break the four-minute mile barrier. Instead, John Landy is creditedn with the feat.

Cannot find any source on Mr. Landy which credits him with breaking this historical benchmark. Is this an inexplicable, stupid error and outright sloppy research - just plain wrong - or are we unaware of newly discovered track & field history which has been unearthed in recent years? Were or are there those who did not accept Bannister's feat for some reason?

If this film were produced many years after the fact by someone or individuals not aware of Roger Bannister; maybe such an error might occur. However, at the time Bannister was one of the more famous athletic names in the world.

My rating is '1'since we believe this to be an egregious, historical error.

Very interested if anyone has any information on this.

PERHAPS THE PRODUCTION team here did not do their homework so well; as we knew as school boys that it was Roger Bannister who first broke the 4 minute mile. But that being said, let us not totally castigate RKO Radio Pictures' Short Subjects department for bringing us such an excellent array of outstanding athletes from a bygone and Simon-Pure days of true Amateur Athletics.*

THE BACKGROUND HISTORY brings us the name of "the Grand Old Man" of distance running. That man would be a and is Paavo Nurmi of Finland. The multi-talented iron man of several Olympics is shown both in action and as an unofficial Good Will Ambassador for War Relief in 1940 with NYC Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia.**

THE AMOUNT OF Historical archival film of Track & Field meets featuring others such as; Arne Anderson, Jules LadouMegue, John Lovelock, Glenn Cunningham, Bill Bonthron, Gunder Hagg, Lazlo Tabori and many others, gets a trifle overcrowded and rushed.

OF COURSE, WE must remember and mention that they were covering years of competitions in one reel of RKO Sports special. When one looks at it from this point of view, it seems to be a little better of an installment of this series.

THE SHORT DESERVES at least one viewing for Historical reasons. On this, both Schultz and Ryan heartily concur.

NOTE * Remember that Jim Thorpe had his 1912 Olympic Track & Field medals rescinded for his having admitted to accepting meal money while playing semi-pro baseball during Summertime hiatus from College. (They have since restored Thorpe's records and cleared his name.)

NOTE ** The year was given as 1940 when Mr. Nurmi met with Mayor LaGuardia. If so, this means that the aggressor implicated was Stalin and not Hitler. (See the Von Ribbentrop-Molotov Non-Aggression Pact of 1939.)

Four Minute Fever (1956)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Sportscope short takes a look at a running a mile in under four minutes. We get to see three different races where the feet became possible and ends in 1956 with Joe Bailey finally broke the mark and came in under four-minutes within the U.S.. This is a pretty good short that contains some nice information as well as some nice cinematography, which is helped by the good quality print shown on Turner Classic Movies. There's really nothing overly special about the film but it does manage to keep you entertained throughout the 9-minute running time.