This amateur film records a national scooter rally that took place in bad weather at Whitley Bay in 1961, with events such as obstacle races and comic interludes provided by men in drag. It was commissioned by St Andrews Motors (SAM) and made by filmmakers at one of the oldest cine clubs in Britain, Newcastle & District Amateur Cinematographers Association (ACA), with production and chipper commentary by George Cummin. St Andrew’s Motors was a dealership for Norton and Vincent motorbikes...

This amateur film records a national scooter rally that took place in bad weather at Whitley Bay in 1961, with events such as obstacle races and comic interludes provided by men in drag. It was commissioned by St Andrews Motors (SAM) and made by filmmakers at one of the oldest cine clubs in Britain, Newcastle & District Amateur Cinematographers Association (ACA), with production and chipper commentary by George Cummin. St Andrew’s Motors was a dealership for Norton and Vincent motorbikes on Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, from the 1930s to 60s. Title: Sam Among the Scooters (A St Andrew’s Motors Film) Credit: Photography by Ian Davidson Credit: Produced by George Cummin An observer’s tower decorated with a ‘Shell Motor Oil’ advertising banner stands in Langley Park in Whitley Bay, set up for the 1961 scooter rally. The announcer, Don Ross, broadcasts with a microphone from the tower. Vera Ross speaks into an ‘electric telephone’, co-ordinating events information. Down below the tower, there’s a posse of policemen and women. General view of the Langley Park grounds, sports tracks laid out for the scooter field events, and a small crowd gathered in the dull, chilly weather. Brief shot of some of the crowd. The men’s obstacle race is underway. With the machines on their centre stand, competitors recover spark plugs that have been removed from the scooters. They then move on to the ‘tyre wriggle’ obstacle, squeezing through before moving on to the next lap. A few participants jump over a low hurdle, then race back to the tyre obstacles, which are tied to the ground to make the task more difficult. Back on their scooters, the riders drive a short space forwards and make a quick dash to their balloons, which they must blow up until they burst. One competitor seems to be stuck in his tyre. Another reaches a sack for the last lap of the obstacle race, a backwards sack race. A local chap called Matthews performs a slow, sideways on sack race. The competitors raise their hands when they have completed the course. The next race covered is the woman’s obstacle race. The official starter holds his flag up, standing amongst a sea of flag poles in the first stage of the race. Spectators and riders watch from the sideline. The women are off, one in casual Mod clothing. The women weave in and out of the pole obstacles. They then move on to the tyre obstacles, “the wriggling much more graceful this time”. The women riders then crawl under an extremely low barrier. The commentator observes: “It’s just as well Jayne Mansfield isn’t competing perhaps.” The women repeat the tyre obstacle lap. The commentator says: “It’s from this they got the idea for the Twist.” Competitors at the next stage drive two nails into a piece of wood. They race back in the drizzle to recover their scooters, then take a short ride forward. Two competitors reach the sack line. One woman hops backwards in her sack, laughing. General view of a close finish between two competitors. The winner is Mrs Smith from Bridlington. A few male scooter riders have gathered for a chat next to their machines. The small crowd and some of the riders are dressed in rain macs, helmets and coats for the bad weather. A man fixes his gleaming scooter, preparing for a quieter contest, which the commentator refers to as “who’s got the shiniest scooter” competition. There are shots of some of the scooters competing, including a Durkopp Diana Sport scooter. Men and women riders are busy polishing up the chrome parts of their bikes. Two judges, one from the B.L.O.A. (British Lambretta Owners Association), and a Senor Angelo from Italy, examine the machines lined up in the contest, which include one with a sidecar and a Contessa. Riders wait for the results, some still in waterproofs. Back at the race tracks, teams of 3 scooter riders gather for the relay race. One of the riders is from the “Twin Rivers Tyne & Blyth Vespa Club”. An overhead shot (taken from the observer’s tower) records the scooter entrants riding under hurdles, then over planks, and crawling under a tarpaulin. Competitors then race back to their scooters and hand over to the next member of the team. These riders negotiate the flag pole obstacles, but one is riding far too slowly in and out of the poles. One team complete the backwards sack race in the far lane, far ahead of other teams in the race. Another heat takes place, with many close-ups of the scooter riders completing the different obstacle stages. One competitor is wearing lace-up Dr Marten boots. Another skids on the wet grass whilst riding around the flag poles. A competitor hops backwards in his sack close to camera. The official starter in his white boiler suit brings down his flag to signal the beginning of another heat in the team obstacle race. More close-up shots follow of the riders negotiating obstacles. A brief shot of the crowd is accidently filmed with superimposed scenes. The commentator racks up the excitement as some of the competitors start the backwards sack race. One is going so fast he falls over backwards on the grass. Another unfortunate contestant is trapped beneath the tarpaulin. A general view of the rally ground of marquees follows. New scooters are lined up on show outside the tents. The sports ring is crowded with riders on scooters for the final event of the day. Competitors in pairs begin to ride slowly around in a circle for a scooter competition based on the game “musical chairs”. In each round of the contest, the pillion riders race into the centre of the ring to grab a beer mat. Gradually scooter pairs leave the field when they fail to pick up one of the diminishing beer mats and stay in the game. The occasional competitor hops towards the beer mats (as the rules originally demanded). The competitors roll and scramble on the grass as they grab at the remaining beer mats. Round and round the scooters drive once again as the field of competitors thins out. The official starter signals another round, with a fair few contestants still in the game. Two or three of the competitors are men in drag, transported in a scooter sidecar. One has enormous bosoms and one smokes a cigarette in his unflattering gear. As a comedy act, one of the men in drag joins each fight for beer mats uninvited. The beer mats have now been replaced by an inflatable pool containing floating ping pong balls. At each musical break, the competitors are all getting wet trying to grab a ping pong ball in the pool. The man in drag joins in at every round. The final two scooter teams fight for the last ball. The Mayor of Whitley Bay presents the winners with a plate trophy. Portrait shot of Mr and Mrs Kay of Rochdale holding their prizes, awarded for the scooter with the most “elegance”. There’s a shot of the winning scooter and sidecar. Next, a man is presented with the St Andrew’s Cup (sponsored by St Andrew’s Motors) as winner of the team award. Group portrait of the winners with their Cup trophy and prizes. Finally, the man in drag, referred to as “The Scooter Queen” is dragged to the inflatable pool by rally officials and other riders, and dunked in the water. Soaking wet, he flings his bucket prop at them as they run away. Scooter riders begin to disperse. A father and son display a towering collection of pennants on the back of their scooter, and ride around showing off to camera. Title: The End. A SAM Film.