Teach Them To Swim
with Rolf Harris
Updated Th 1-Aug-24
Rolf Harris was an Australian entertainer who became a famous face on British TV, performing his comedy songs with his wobble board and creating pictures with decorator's paint brushes. He was also a presenter and made programmes for children.
As a youngster in Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer. In this film from 1973 he recalls nearly drowning as a child and encourages parents to get their children taught to swim.
In 2013, Harris was arrested over historical allegations of sexual offences against children. He was found guilty of indecent assault the following year and sentenced to jail. He died in May 2023, aged 93.
The film opens with an establishing shot of a swimming pool. Next, a child dives in from a diving board.
Then we cut to shot of Rolf Harris from above. He's in the water talking to a small group of children…
Rolf:
[to the children]
(Those of you who can't swim yet, then, if you'd just wait over there
in the shallow for me.)
[to the camera]
Kids and water. They love it! Rivers. Canals. Even the lily pond in the
garden. You can't keep 'em away from it. Water has a fascination for
children.
Shot of two children diving in from the side of the pool, then cut back to Rolf in close-up.
And I should know. When I was three years old, I fell in the river at our place. Couldn't swim. Somehow, managed to scramble my way to the bank. Frightened the wits out of my mum and dad. And you can bet they had me taught to swim very soon after that. But some children aren't quite so lucky. And if they can't swim and they go off by themselves to play by the side of some water somewhere, you know only too well what might happen. That's why I had my little girl taught to swim as soon as possible.
Cut to shot of girl having fun in the pool, who submerges and then reappears. Then back to Rolf.
So have your children taught to swim. They're never too young to start and once they get that confidence in the water, they love it. Ask at your local swimming pool, all right?
Rolf turns away, and then turns back again. Cut to tighter close-up.
Or if you can swim yourself, why not teach 'em yourself? It's fun. See ya!
Rolf lies back in the water and waves with his foot. Then the action freezes, but you can hear the children shouting: "Get Him! Get Him!"
We end on the caption: TEACH THEM / TO SWIM.
Other pages in the PIFs section...
- Teenagers Learn To Swim
- Teach Them To Swim with Rolf Harris
- Road Testing the Pedestrian
- Grown-ups and Road Sense
- Lonely Water
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