♪ Every morning, every evening Ain't we got fun? ♪
♪ Not much money, oh, but, honey Ain't we got fun? ♪
How many times has Mom told you to stay put?
What happened?
Just mind your p's and rest.
Her fever is back. Meg, go down and get a towel for her.
I saw smoke.
I saw black smoke.
A ferry caught fire as it came to dock.
They say hundreds dead.
Mostly women.
Why women?
Thirty feet from shore, and they wouldn't jump.
- They stayed on the boat. - Why?
I don't understand. Why did they stay on the boat?
They can't swim.
They're charging the German butchers more for meat.
Thirty cents a pound west of the 17th.
They're running us off with the Irish.
Dr. Weiss is upstairs with Trudy.
Meg, take Henry across the street to your Uncle Jan.
- We're staying. - Yeah, we're staying.
Some water, Meg. Fresh water, please.
The measles have taken hold of her.
The fever won't break.
Trudy fought hard. A strong girl.
But she can't fight the measles.
How long?
Tonight, Meg.
I'll stay with her.
But the next time I come down the stairs, she will be gone.
I'm sorry.
I went down to the docks, Henry. Watched them count the body bags.
The women from that ship were from this neighborhood.
A church group.
This is not the time.
This is the time.
I've decided the children will learn to swim.
You decided, Gertie? You decided?
They could've walked to shore.
Henry Jr., yes, we will teach him.
But not Meg.
It's indecent for a girl. What will people say?
They will say she didn't stand on a burning ship.
Dr. Weiss fell asleep upstairs. Is he okay?
His snoring woke me. Is there any cheese?
Oh, I'm starving.
Trudy.
Trudy, you're okay.
Head up! Paddle faster! Like a dog!
If Meg swims, I swim.
Why do you need to swim so badly?
You won't let me play stick ball. You won't let me box.
Box! Keep your voice down.
If you swim around the pier, you get a free hot dog at Nathan's.
But little girls don't swim around things.
The doctor said water will hurt your ears.
So find another hobby.
Here.
Five cents for the hot dog.
I don't wanna buy it. I wanna win it.
I will swim!
♪ Every morning, every evening ♪
♪ Ain't we got fun? ♪
♪ Not much money, oh, but, honey ♪
♪ Ain't we got fun? ♪
♪ The rent's unpaid, dear We haven't a car ♪
♪ Every morning, every evening Ain't we got fun? ♪
Whoo!
♪ Every morning, every evening Ain't we got fun? ♪
♪ Not much money, oh, but, honey Ain't we got fun? ♪
You're scaring the customers away.
♪ Tax collector's getting closer ♪
♪ Still we have fun ♪
Gertrude! Gertrude!
Keep that child quiet! Bitte! Please!
- Stop it! - Be quiet!
♪ Ain't we got fun? ♪
Trudy, stop. You're being too loud!
♪ Oh, but, honey Ain't we got fun? ♪
- ♪ The rent's unpaid, dear ♪ - [thumping]
♪ We haven't a car ♪
♪ But anyway, dear ♪
I will swim!
♪ Every morning, every evening ♪
Trudy!
♪ Ain't we got fun? ♪
♪ Not much money, oh, but, honey ♪
Why can't she learn in the pool?
Trudy was sick. They won't allow it.
I'm gonna teach her myself!
Do you know how to swim?
Of course. My father sold trout.
Okay. Good.
Go on, then. Swim.
There's no reason to be scared. I got you.
Nice and slow.
What are you waiting for?
No! Trudy, wait!
Trudy! Wait!
No, wait!
Trudy! Wait!
- Trudy! - Meg!
- Race you 'round the pier! - Get ready to lose!
You want another?
I can't eat four hot dogs.
Suit yourself.
I'll be right back.
Ladies and gentlemen,
these boys represent the best of America, athletes of the highest order,
who will compete in six races today.
Some will go to the Olympics in Paris. Getting going in just a moment.
- Meg, that boy is staring at you. - Quiet. You don't know your onions.
I know my onions. I love onions.
On your marks!
Stop looking at him.
Ready!
Meg, you should join the next race. They don't look that fast.
I think you could win.
Sorry, girls. Boys only. Women's pool's over there.
She could beat them.
I've seen her dog paddle. Maybe she could race a German shepherd.
I've decided Meg and Trudy will join a swim team.
A what?
They will join a team to race with other girls.
You mean Henry will join.
No, not Henry. He hates to swim. The girls.
Yes. Wonderful.
A swim team for Meg and Trudy. You go ahead.
What's so funny?
For girls? There's no such thing.
That's right. Strong arms.
Come on, Ruth. Kick those feet.
Good.
Arms and legs kick together at 28 beats per minute. Not 26, not 27.
- What are they doing? - I have no idea.
Twenty-eight beat American crawl,
a stroke invented by Louis J. Handley, fastest stroke there is.
Is Mr. Handley here?
I wish to speak to him about my girls.
Ah, you wanna speak to the boss? The man in charge?
Yes.
You know most men believe that women who exercise will harm themselves?
That we're too weak to run, swim, compete?
That our hearts will explode?
And yet in nature, it's the lioness who hunts,
while the lions sit around on their big asses.
And it's the queen bee who rules the hive.
See my point?
I'm Charlotte Epstein. This is my team.
Call me Eppy.
And this is Meg and Trudy. They won a free hot dog.
I can take the older one. She's got potential.
And Trudy?
She swims like a horse with two broken legs.
Quite possibly three.
You see the way she fights the water?
We call that drowning.
Trudy is very strong and has no fear.
She swims alone in the ocean, goes as far as the boys.
Feet! Kick your feet, child.
She's a good girl, will do exactly what you say.
She wants to be like her sister.
Part of my agreement here is to feed the boiler.
You have to keep it running all day. Bring in coal for the stoker.
Sixty-pound bags.
If Trudy helps out, she can practice in the pool after hours.
Trudy will help with the furnace.
Congratulations, your girls just joined the Women's Swimming Association.
That'll be two dollars a week. Will that be a problem?
No.
Absolutely not.
Two dollars to swim? Swimming is free.
I am saving money to buy a telephone.
- A telephone? - Mm-hmm.
For what reason?
I'm not sure, but I want one.
I see.
What are you doing?
If you won't pay, I will.
What about dinner?
I'm not hungry. Thank you.
- Herr Daniel. - Gertrude!
All right. Let's go. Let's keep it up!
Reach, Meg. Keep reaching.
- Well done, Meg. - Okay, ladies. Over here.
Trudy. Oh, you got a little dirt on your chin.
Why don't you run to the corner and buy us a sinker?
We said, go to the corner, and get us a doughnut. You hear us, boiler girl?
Hey!
Leave her alone.
What? She needs you to fight?
Trudy beat measles. You goons wouldn't stand a chance.
Back in the water, girls.
You had measles?
It went to my ears, but I hear just fine.
They tell you not to go in the water? That you could go deaf?
Oh, yeah. They told me. But it won't stop me.
Go home, Trudy. The other girls laugh at you.
Why don't you fight back?
You won't let me in the pool.
All right. Listen up.
We're gonna start something new.
Every day, you'll race each other.
Last place feeds the boiler.
Starting now.
Twenty-eight beats a minute, Trudy. Like music.
♪ All around the water tank Waiting for a train ♪
♪ A thousand miles away from home Sleeping in the rain ♪
♪ He said, "If you've got money Boy, I'll see that you don't walk" ♪
♪ I haven't got a nickel Not a penny can I show ♪
♪ Get off, get off ♪
Boiler duty.
Come on, Trudy!
- Go, Trudy! Go! - Keep it up, ladies!
Sandy, come on!
Strong arms!
Trudy! Whoo! Whoo-hoo!
Yes!
Ruth, feed the boiler.
Learn to kick your feet, and you'll never leave the pool again.
Hey, look what I drew in the sand!
"Burgess spent 22 hours and 35 minutes in the water."
Twenty-two hours in that water? It's not possible.
Meg! Meg, there's gonna be a race next week.
The best swimmers are coming from Australia.
There's a race every week.
Not the boys, Meg. Us.
Ladies and gentlemen, the American Olympic Union
welcomes the champion swimming girls from Australia.
Here to compete in today's exhibition against our four brave American girls.
Now, remember, these graceful birds have all been trained by professionals,
which is why we are allowing them in the men's pool.
Coming through, boys. Clear the way.
All eyes on the Australian dolls!
Meg! You have the speed to stay with Kellerman.
When she breaks, you break with her.
- What should I do, Mrs. Epstein? - Stay out of their way.
Ladies, there are lifeguards on both ends for your safety,
and a medical doctor is standing by.
The girls will race four laps, 200 meters.
On your marks. Ready.
Come on! Strong arms!
The Australians take the lead in front of Meg Ederle.
These birds are going very fast.
Whoo-hoo!
Three laps to go.
You can do it! Keep going!
Strong arms, Meg!
And it appears to be neck and neck between Annette Kellerman and Meg Ederle.
Head down!
Kick! Kick, kick, kick, kick, kick.
There is one girl gaining. An American in the center lane.
Kick those feet!
Whoo!
Go, go!
The final lap.
Trudy?
Who's she?
The American, Trudy Ederle, has moved into second place.
Kick! Kick those feet!
Trudy!
The winner is Trudy Ederle!
You did it!
♪ Yes, we have no bananas today ♪
Trudy's name's in the paper.
♪ We have string beans and onions ♪
Yes. Next to the dead people.
Trudy Ederle now holds the state record for 100 meters!
And the winner is… Trudy Ederle!
A new national record for the unstoppable Trudy Ederle!
Ederle wins again!
Come on!
- Whoo! - 4:28!
Your daughter Trudy has the record in 200 meters swimming.
What record?
World.
She won a blue ribbon.
- What, like a cow? - Get back to work.
Trudy is a very gifted athlete...
Does she bake? We'd like to get a photo of her with a pie.
Do Germans eat pie?
She holds four world records. Nobody has ever done this before.
She'd probably do really well in a dance marathon.
Oh, has she considered that? Does she have a boyfriend?
I had to kick them out. In front of the store.
Ah, where have you been, girls?
Come here, Trudy. Come. Come here.
This is Horst. Just arrived from Heidelberg.
His father is cousins with Rolfe's wife.
Rolfe's cart in front of the store.
The nut peddler.
Ah, it's very delicious nuts. His English is not so good, but he's learning.
Nuts.
Horst is going to stay for supper.
Nuts.
Mutter, you have to stop this.
What's happening?
- They're trying to arrange a marriage. - For who?
You and Horst.
- What? - Shh!
But Meg is the oldest. Why has he never brought a boy for her?
- Because Meg's arrangement has been made. - What?
That boy from the Durshley family aus Hamburg.
His name is Karl. He'll arrive as a butcher's apprentice.
You think I'd marry a butcher?
Your father only knows the old ways.
Like how I was taught to gut a chicken.
You cut off the neck at the backbone, then get rid of the head.
You see? All gone.
Meg, what's happening? Is she telling us to kill him?
She's telling us to gut the chicken.
I'll wait by the end of the pier, Trudy, okay?
Got it.
Trudy.
I… am… Horst.
Yes. Horst.
Horst. Trudy.
- Trudy! Trudy! Help me! - Meg?
- I slipped, Trudy. Don't let me fall! - What are you doing? Take my hand!
I can't hold on much longer. I don't wanna die.
Nuts. Nuts! Nuts!
Nuts!
That's it. Okay.
That's it. No swimming for both of you. One month!
Two days! No swimming for two days!
Horst is a good boy.
Who do you think will marry a girl like Trudy?
She left school because she was sick, she has trouble hearing.
What kind of future does she have? Who will take care of her?
What's wrong?
Nothing.
We'll always be together, Trudy.
Promise?
Promise.
Nuts! Nuts!
Get your nuts!
Peanuts! Walnuts! Nuts!
- Henry Ederle? - Yes.
James Sullivan, AOU.
After months of, uh, consideration,
I have decided to send six female swimmers to the Olympic Games in Paris, France.
Congratulations.
Okay, why? Their place is here at the butcher shop.
Sir, we will show the world that America is not afraid to let women compete.
As long as it's not archery. Archery is inherently dangerous...
And when it's over? Then what?
She'll win us four gold medals.
Trudy, we're expecting great things from you in Paris.
- Have you ever had mousse? - What about Meg?
There were only a few spots. I'm sorry.
Trudy, win four gold medals, and the world will be your oyster.
Where were you?
I was with Trudy.
She's been home for hours.
You think I don't know what's happening?
What whiskey smells like? Who is he?
I don't know what you're talking about.
- What's wrong? - Please stay out of this, Trudy.
Drinking, home past midnight.
Do you know what people will say about my daughter?
- What's his name? - Chip.
His name is Chip Anderson.
He wants to marry me.
You think a boy named Anderson will marry you?
The daughter of a German butcher?
You will not see him again.
It's my job to protect this family, my children.
I'm not Trudy. You can't tell me what to do.
Meg.
Meg. Meg!
Meg!
- Tell them you're sorry! - I'm not sorry!
We'll talk to the men at the Olympics. You and I can go to Paris together!
You still don't understand.
They don't want me.
I'm not good enough.
Wait. Wait.
I can't do it alone.
You have nothing to worry about.
- You're the fastest woman in the world. - And you're my sister.
Said we'd always be together.
Please. Come with me.
I'm not going anywhere.
I'm sorry, Trudy.
Ladies, this is Jabez Wolffe.
He'll be coaching the women's swim team.
- The floor is yours, Mr. Wolffe. - Thank you.
Right.
It's my job to protect you on the ship to France.
To make sure there is no contact with the male athletes.
To that end, you won't leave your rooms without alerting your escorts.
- Escorts? - Nuns.
They'll be standing guard outside your cabins.
I expect all of you to memorize the US Olympic Decorum Pamphlet,
specifically chapter two.
"What to Do if You're Approached by a Frenchman."
Also, women should only swim the breaststroke.
The stroke I used to swim the English Channel 21 times.
Did you ever make it across, Mr. Wolffe?
One day I will.
Come on! Let's go! Go! Fifty more!
Got 20 more seconds to go!
- Mr. Wolffe, it's been over a week. - Oh, geez.
We need to train.
Back to your rooms, girls. I'm not feeling well.
The men swim in the tub all day. They run laps on deck, lift dumbbells.
My responsibility to keep you safe.
There are 300 men on this ship, another 50 on the crew.
And some of them are Norwegian.
Our cabins are next to the engine rooms. We can't sleep.
And they bring us nothing but bread and cheese twice a day.
I'll let you walk the deck a few times when the men are eating in the ballroom.
What about Paris? Do we get to train there?
You'll get your chance when the gun sounds.
Concentrate!
Gold medal for Bauer. Silver, Kellerman. Bronze for Ederle.
Gold medal for Kurtz. Silver medal for Stromburg. Bronze for Gilmore.
This is Harry Horlick with a report from the Olympic Games in Paris.
American champion Johnny Weissmuller
won his third gold medal for the United States
- on the last day of competition. - What about Trudy?
A hero for the ages is coming home.
Camera rolling, please. Ready for when Johnny comes out.
Johnny!
- Give us a wave! - Big smile for the camera!
Mom made Berliner with jam for you.
When will you race again?
They say they won't let women swim again.
No more funding. No more trainers.
It's over. From now on, I work downstairs.
So you'll be here for Meg's wedding?
What did you say?
How could you get engaged and not tell me?
You were gone. It happened so fast.
I want you to be my maid of honor, Trudy.
How did you convince them?
Suddenly nobody cares that you're about to be Meg Anderson?
Anderson?
They didn't tell you?
It's not Anderson. It's Durshley.
I'm marrying Karl Durshley.
The butcher?
You need to call it off. Tell them you changed your mind.
I have to marry Karl.
That was part of the deal.
Part of the deal?
It's the reason he came to America.
You're not part of any deal.
What do you think happens to girls around here?
What do you think will happen to you?
Your future, it's already been decided.
Dad put all of my trophies in a box.
You'll be okay.
- I promise... - Maybe if I'd have won...
None of it matters, Trudy.
Do you think people around here care if you win or lose?
Two girls from the butcher's shop? We can't win.
People, th...
They don't want us to be heroes.
They don't want us to be anything.
I'm sorry, Trudy. I tried.
My hero was you.
Bare legs are not allowed, ladies.
Let's go.
Look, it's Trudy. It's her.
Excuse me, miss? Are you Trudy?
Yes.
I just wanted to say that because of you, they let me swim.
Are you fast?
I once beat my brother in a race, but he says it never happened.
That it's impossible.
But it did happen, didn't it? The impossible.
Sure did.
One day, I wanna be just like you.
- You really got to speak to her! - She's my hero.
Today, the Coney Island Vaudeville Extravaganza
presents a swimming exhibition from Englishman Bill Burgess!
- Get off me! - Only the second man to conquer
the treacherous waters of the English Channel.
That water of the Channel is close to frozen,
currents strong enough to throw a steamer against the rocks!
So welcome a true living legend as he comes to shore!
For only a penny, you can shake the hand of the greatest swimmer on Earth,
Bill Burgess!
Hey, Bill!
That man is naked.
Uh, nobody panic! Nobody panic!
Ladies and gentlemen of America!
I swim in the buff.
- Stay back, stay back. - Thank you. Thank you.
Get down! You're under arrest for indecency.
Get him. Get him up.
- All right, that's it. Let's go. - No! Hey!
Hey, what are you doing? Hey, I want me bloody money!
I'm not going... I want me money!
Give me me money! I've... I've signed a contract!
You look so beautiful.
How far is it across?
Meg, it's your wedding day.
How far is it from France to England?
You don't know your onions.
I know you've thought about it.
Doesn't matter. We can't win.
Well, we won free hot dogs.
And in case you forgot… …there were onions.
It's 21 miles across.
Sounds like fun.
Do you think I could do it?
Do you think I can?
You bet your ass.
- Did you just curse? - No.
You said ass.
Hmm.
Well, I'm going to dance with my husband.
Where are you going, Trudy?
♪ In the morning In the evening ♪
♪ Ain't we got fun? ♪
♪ Not much money, oh, but, honey ♪
♪ Ain't we got fun? ♪
Yeah, you got it!
Twenty-eight strokes, Vera.
Do you think it's possible?
I asked to coach the women's Olympic team. They told me I could be chaperone.
- They're not ready for us. - What if I'm ready?
You know what'll happen when you fail? When you get hurt?
They'll use that failure to shut us down, to kick every girl out of my pool.
And what if I make it? What then?
Then they got a serious problem.
…nobody has ever called.
I will be ready.
I've decided to swim the English Channel.
What do you mean?
I'm going to swim the English Channel. Please pass the bread.
- No, I'm saying... - I wasn't asking.
I've fought against female athletics most of my life.
I voted against women competing in the Olympics.
Yes, Mr. Sullivan. I'm aware of the fact that you're a Temper Kop.
What is that?
Yiddish for "imbecile."
And yet you come here and ask me to pay for Trudy to swim the Channel,
after she embarrassed us in Paris.
She didn't train for three weeks because of you. You failed her.
You need Trudy, Mr. Sullivan. Think of the publicity.
The Channel is 21 miles across.
Currents changing every few hours.
To fight those currents, she'd have to swim close to 50 miles.
The water is freezing.
Storms blow in without warning and bring waves 20 feet high.
There's jellyfish and sharks,
even the occasional unexploded mine left over from the war.
I honestly believe she'll die in that water.
I don't need that publicity.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I have to meet my mother for dinner in the Jersey Highlands.
It's her 88th birthday.
She's requested Penner's for lobster, a table on the water.
What if I meet you there, Mr. Sullivan?
I don't understand.
You drive your car, and I'll swim from New York to New Jersey.
You wanna swim to Jersey?
It's about seven miles across the lower bay from Rockaway Point.
We'll make a deal. If I make it, the AOU pays my way to the Channel.
Passage, trainer, guide boat, everything.
Seven miles. In how many hours?
- Five. - I'll do it in four.
Three.
Do it in three, and we'll sponsor you.
And dinner will be on me.
Right now, it's 6:30. Ride the evening tide. Don't fight it.
Keep the sunset on your right shoulder.
We don't have a guide boat. You need to watch for barges.
Use the Highlands lighthouse as your guide.
If you get lost, follow the buoys.
There's moorings all the way to Jersey.
- What's the name of the restaurant? - Penner's.
That way. Go!
Come on. Let's go.
Thank you.
You're not too cold, are you, Mom?
Come on.
Oh, darling. Thank you.
Sorry, Mrs. Epstein. A deal's a deal.
It's 9:30. Her time is up.
How was dinner, Mr. Sullivan?
Two hours and 56 minutes. Your men will verify the time.
- Mmm. - Mmm!
Where were you?
If your father finds out you're home this late...
I was swimming.
Swimming? At night?
To New Jersey.
I swam from New York to Jersey.
Did you say New Jersey?
I leave for the Channel next week.
You are my child. And the thing you love most, it…
it terrifies me.
I... I... I can't stay here.
I look at Meg, the other girls…
I don't know how to be like them.
I had a twin sister.
She drowned when we were seven.
What was her name?
Pearl.
I won't be there if something happens to you.
I can't imagine where you get the courage.
From you.
Tell me what it's like out there in the dark.
Well, tonight, while I was swimming, a harbor seal followed me.
A seal followed you?
I'm pretty sure.
Not followed, Trudy. Chased.
Thank you. One day, I will.
Trudy, I'd like you to meet the man I've selected to train you.
Charlotte Epstein is going to train me.
A woman training a woman? Ha.
Like a lion taming a lion. Bad idea.
She's my coach.
Mr. Wolffe is your coach, Trudy.
Or we don't sponsor.
Don't worry, darling. I'll take care of you in that big ocean.
Trudy!
Wait here. I'll get your key.
We're drinking to our friend Rudolph Vittali.
He died this week trying to cross.
He got lost in the darkness of the shallows.
See, this is a place where men come to risk everything.
So…
What gives a woman the right to come to such a place?
To Vittali! A great swimmer.
Trudy.
Hmm.
Trudy! Breaststroke, right?
It's not a race.
Slow and steady.
News coming from Europe,
where Trudy Ederle trains to swim the English Channel.
The odds of her making it have been set by Lloyd's of London at 100-to-1.
Babe Ruth predicted today that this is one long shot that will not come in.
Babe Ruth is as German as we are.
He can suck an egg.
…whether this type of swim should be considered sport for women.
How many times have you tried?
Twelve.
Once I came within a few miles,
but the tide from the Atlantic came in sideways, oof.
Pushed me toward the shallows.
The last obstacle before England.
They saved me, you know,
before I went into that, that hell on earth, where the current, it just…
holds you like the hand of God.
It's impossible to break.
They're rooting against us, Trudy.
They want the water to win.
I'm rooting for you, Benji.
And I you.
I swam three hours this morning. I'm starving.
You've got to look good for the papers. Eat like a lady.
Eppy told me I need more than this!
Lower your voice.
I'll get you more fruit.
And here it is!
Benji, take a look outside.
Looks like you might have some company for your swim tomorrow.
I'm guessing that's just the baby.
Fruit.
You didn't have to do that.
He won't make a fool of me, and neither will you.
♪ Every morning, every evening Ain't we got fun? ♪
Stop that.
- ♪ Not much money ♪ - Stop singing.
♪ Oh, but, honey Ain't we got fun? ♪
♪ Every morning, every evening Ain't we got fun? ♪
♪ Not much money ♪
♪ Oh, but, honey Ain't we got fun? ♪
♪ Every morning, every evening Ain't we got fun? ♪
♪ Not much money ♪
♪ Oh, but, honey Ain't we got fun? ♪
If I die, Trudy,
you make the toast.
Hmm? You raise the glass?
Benji, go make history.
Yeah?
She's making a fool of me, Mr. Sullivan. Laughing, singing in my face.
I won't stand for it.
People are betting on your girl. The odds have come way down.
She's not my girl. She's yours. This charade is your doing.
I've spent years defending the purity of sport,
watched them give women the vote, but nobody can give them this.
Am I right?
A-A woman? Out there?
She won't get past the seventh mile. Bet on it.
Benji?
Get the doctor! He's frozen stiff!
We lost him ten miles out!
Benji!
Lucky we found him at all.
Benji. Benji!
Benji, Benji.
You're okay.
Wasn't my time.
Hand of God, Trudy.
You have to break it for me, hmm? You will make it.
One, two, three!
Get him in quickly!
Hurry!
Take that and give it to Christopher.
Over here, Trudy! Big smile. Let's see your teeth!
You got beautiful hair under that cap, Trudy?
Ever get worried about the cold, Trudy?
The rules of the swim dictate that no swimmer can be touched
at any point while in the water.
Once a swimmer is touched, even in the white water,
it is an immediate disqualification.
- That as loud as it can go? - Yes.
It's the most wonderful feeling in the world.
- I'm your host and bandleader… - Shh!
…Harry Horlick, and this is the A&P Liberty Hour.
Before we begin, some news from Europe.
Trudy Ederle will attempt to swim the English Channel at sunrise today
as the world waits to see if a woman can survive the hardest test
in all of sports.
You promised me some music, Mr. Wolffe!
You're the best, Trudy!
Lucky I don't hear so good.
Trudy! Breaststroke!
Trudy!
Breaststroke!
We got it!
7:15 a.m., air is 48 degrees, water is 61 degrees.
Trudy Ederle is in the water swimming the American crawl.
- Send that to New York! - Let's go!
NBC.
- Coming through. - Sixty-one. Send it now.
Reports from the frigid waters of the English Channel.
Trudy Ederle is now two miles into her swim and is looking strong.
Trudy is not swimming the breaststroke.
She is swimming the 28-beat American crawl.
- And now a message from our sponsor. - Come on. Come on, girl.
Kick your feet!
Trudy! Slow down.
Trudy!
Slow down!
She's not listening to him.
Four miles in and showing no signs of fatigue.
Trudy Ederle is swimming faster.
Trudy!
Fruit! You need to eat!
Get me closer.
Closer!
Grab it!
Trudy! Take it!
Take it!
He almost touched her!
- He almost touched her! - Did he touch her?
Shut up!
Don't worry, old boy. Only 16 miles to go.
Trudy!
Halt! Tea!
Here. Take it.
Got it!
That's good.
Thank you!
Six miles in. She's slowing down.
Here you go, fellow. Take this. Take it. It's yours.
You all right?
Trudy, hey!
Trudy!
You're swimming the wrong way.
Wrong way. This way.
Well, look at her. Not even seven miles.
We've all be suckered.
Wasted everyone's time.
Trudy!
- Trudy! - Trudy!
Trudy!
Trudy, look here.
Trudy!
It's over.
That's it.
Trudy is saved by her coach, Jabez Wolffe,
who dives in as she sinks beneath the waves.
Excuse me.
It is now clear that Trudy Ederle simply did not possess
the necessary strength or endurance.
But courage alone was not enough to tame those waters.
Only five men have succeeded to date.
Captain Webb being the first to cross in 21 hours and 45 minutes.
Over a dozen brave men have died…
The world reacts to the news
that Trudy Ederle has collapsed at sea.
After the results at the Olympics and now in the Channel,
it will be a rallying cry for those to oppose female athletics.
As predicted, the English Channel was too great a force for any woman.
Ladies and gentlemen, Trudy Ederle was pulled from the water
after only six miles.
The swim is over.
And it is safe to say that if Trudy Ederle can only get
a few miles from the French shore,
no woman will ever swim the English Channel.
What happened?
You went too fast.
All the nurses think you're very brave.
How far did I get? Nobody will tell me.
It's okay, Trudy.
Been here for two weeks.
I wanna go home. I wanna go home right now.
Home came to you.
What are you doing here?
I came to say it's not right. They should let women be butchers.
I will teach you.
I don't wanna be a butcher.
I'm sorry. But while I was listening to you on the radio…
My daughter on the radio? And you were alone.
And I was ashamed of myself. Ashamed I was not here.
You're here now.
Yeah. We came to take you home.
We?
You didn't think I'd let him come without me?
Meg. Meg!
I've been dreaming about you.
And cheese. I'm starving.
There's a ship leaving tomorrow. You think you're strong enough?
Trudy Ederle, where is she?
Sir, you must leave the hospital immediately.
Mr. Burgess?
You were swimming 12-and-a-half minute miles across every tide.
Who is this man?
What happened?
Twenty-eight strokes per minute, 12-and-a-half minute miles.
Outstanding.
You will leave my daughter alone, sir.
The captain of the Alsace is a friend of mine.
He said Mr. Wolffe almost touched you in the water.
He slipped.
Well, he's a Channel swimmer, he didn't slip.
You were swimming two knots against every chop.
And then suddenly you were drowning.
So what happened?
Wolffe gave me tea. I was sick after I drank it.
First my stomach, then my head.
I couldn't stay awake.
Tea?
He carries pills to put himself to sleep.
Seasick pills.
No wonder he left so fast.
He poisoned my daughter?
Take it as a compliment, Mr. Ederle.
Women must be making progress if their coaches are trying to kill 'em.
Uh, we'll go to the press.
No. They'll never believe some biscuit who almost drowned.
Not until she's touched the sand on the other side.
It'd be my honor to show you the way.
For another swim?
Please. If your mother finds out, she will kill me.
Trudy, what do you wanna do?
I came all this way. Might as well see England.
Ladies and gentleman, not all experiments succeed.
At this moment, Trudy's health is all we care about.
I will personally make sure she recovers on that ship.
- Right here! - Yes.
I will answer another question. One at a time.
What will be your next venture?
Get some rest in your cabin, Trudy.
Ah.
In a few days, you'll be home and all of this will be forgotten.
As if it never happened.
Yeah.
Whoo!
We have three days until that ship arrives in New York,
until the world finds out you're still in France.
But what if she's not strong enough in three days?
Well, there's a storm coming. The water temperature's 56 and dropping.
Any lower and she won't survive.
Look, we can't wait.
I go in three days.
No press. No crowds. Nobody to stop me.
Everyone thinks it's a straight line to England.
But it's the current that dictates the line.
Now, you know where the North Sea and the Atlantic are gonna surge,
then you can follow that current like a map.
I need you to promise me something, Mr. Burgess.
Don't let anyone take me out of the water no matter what.
It's not right what you're asking.
I decide what's right. I go on my terms.
Promise me.
What about your father or your family?
They could never understand, but you do.
So promise me you won't pull me out.
I've broken every promise I've ever made to a woman.
You know, back in England, they... they bought me a thousand whiskeys.
Dragged me before the Queen.
But I let them all down. I couldn't be what they wanted me to be.
- And what's that? - A bloody hero.
Well, you're asking the wrong man.
I'm asking for your word, Mr. Burgess.
We go to England or die trying.
♪ Let me call you sweetheart I'm in love with you ♪
♪ Let me hear you whisper That you love... ♪
God.
Trudy, you're cut to pieces.
I'm used to it. Every bathing gown cuts the same.
This needs to be tighter.
We need to remove the drag across the shoulders,
and we should get rid of everything else.
What are you talking about?
Most swimmers avoid the moon.
Fear of the neap tide when the slack water's high.
This is the route Trudy'll take to defeat the tide.
Look, she'll make two 90 degree turns during the swim.
Add about 20 miles.
Add 20 miles?
My only concern is the weather slowing her down,
which could push her south of the Goodwin Sands.
What the hell are you talking about?
The shallows. Look, she gets caught there and we can't follow.
But the darkness is our enemy.
If Trudy loses her way, then a current can take her.
Not even Trudy is strong enough to swim perpendicular to that tide.
She'll be swept out to sea.
Okay.
It's done. Here she is.
- What do you think? - No, no, no, no, no.
She's not going out in that. Even the French will lock her up.
I'll be covered in porpoise fat and lanolin.
Nobody'll ever know the emperor's got no clothes.
All of you are crazy!
Trudy?
Some reporters upstairs wish to speak with you.
You need to come out of your room.
I need to send a telegram to the owner of the Gray Nose Hotel in France.
What should it say, sir?
Ask him if she's in the water.
♪ In the morning In the evening ♪
♪ Ain't we got fun? ♪
♪ Not much money ♪
♪ Oh, but, honey Ain't we got fun? ♪
Trudy, you don't have to do this.
I don't know.
Seems like a nice day for a swim.
- She's going again. - She's down by the water!
Trudy! Trudy!
Trudy! Are you going again?
Get on the boat.
Trudy! Over here! Over here!
I'll pay £20 for a spot on the first boat that leaves the docks.
American Trudy Ederle never went home.
She's still in France and back in the water.
♪ Every morning, every evening Ain't we got fun? ♪
♪ Not much money ♪
♪ Oh, but, honey Ain't we got fun? ♪
♪ The rent's unpaid, dear We haven't a car ♪
The National Broadcast Company interrupts the A&P Liberty Hour
to report from France,
where Trudy Ederle has been seen back in the water.
I think Harry Horlick just said that Trudy was swimming again.
She's in the Channel.
It was a dream. They come home tomorrow.
Okay. Good night.
…and she's making her second attempt
to swim the English Channel.
…Interrupting our programming once again
with news just in from Europe
about the attempt to cross the English Channel.
Trudy Ederle is making a second attempt
to swim the English Channel.
Trudy Ederle is four miles out and swimming strong.
- Another update in 30 minutes. - Henry, get dressed!
Ten-and-a-half.
Nineteen degrees starboard!
Hang on!
England is that way, Mr. Burgess!
But we'll keep her with the tide!
Hey, hey, get... get closer.
- Closer! - We need to respect distance!
Get closer!
In the water! Look there!
Look what she's wearing!
Trudy!
They're too close.
- Hey! - Get closer.
- Hey! Get away from her! - Trudy, over here!
- Get away from her! - Get away from her!
Just... J-Just one photograph!
- Get away from her! - Get closer!
Get away from her
or I'll shoot ya!
Nobody touches her in the water.
- He shot at us. - Yeah.
They're leaking! I can't see!
You can't be in here.
Excuse me, ma'am. You can't be in here!
My name is Gertrude Ederle, the mother of Trudy Ederle.
It takes too long for you people to tell us what's happening.
I want you to tell me where she is. Now.
Uh, why don't you all have a seat?
As reports come in, you'll see 'em as we do.
- Where is she? - I don't know. Tommy?
Thank you. Uh, eight miles, 5-foot swells,
air temperature is 56 degrees, water is 55. Please.
♪ We have an old-fashioned tomato ♪
♪ And a Long Island potato ♪
I don't like this music. Change it.
♪ We have no bananas today ♪
Look ahead! The water has turned red out there.
Slow the boat down!
Slow down!
Red jellyfish!
What can we do?
Nothing. She swims through.
Come on, Trudy.
She's done. Get her out, Mr. Burgess.
She's just resting. It's all right.
All right? This has gone too far! You had her swim sideways into jellyfish.
When are you going to turn her back to England?
This is madness!
She just got stung by a hundred jellyfish!
Aye. And she still swam at three-and-a-half knots.
What are you waiting for, lazybones?
England is that way.
Keep going! Stay strong!
She made it.
Trudy Ederle battles strong currents and stinging jellyfish
as she cuts a path towards England.
Swim, Trudy, swim!
The American girl, Trudy Ederle, is still going strong.
She has now spent eight hours in the water.
Donnelly cod liver pills can help keep you calm.
How far is she?
Ladies and gentlemen, an update from the English Channel.
Trudy Ederle is…
halfway to Dover.
It's been over an hour, and she barely moved.
She's exhausted.
The current is too strong.
Hey, get me in front of her!
Meg, what are you doing?
Trudy hates to lose a race.
Meg!
Race you around the pier!
Meg! No!
- Meg! - Come on, Trudy!
Mile 13 and Miss Trudy Ederle
continues to maintain an even stroke.
Looks like she's coming our way, Mr. Wolffe.
You must be rooting against her.
Why would I do that?
If she makes it, you'll go down in history.
The man who couldn't swim it.
And couldn't coach it.
We no longer ask if she belongs in the Channel.
We now ask, "Can she defeat it?"
Trudy.
I'm sorry, but I can't swim anymore.
Get back on the boat.
Tell Burgess I'm starving.
What do you want?
Anything but tea!
I can't feel my hands or feet.
What?
I don't know how she's still out there.
Another!
Ah.
Mmm.
Another!
We'll bring another update in 30 minutes.
What? What's wrong?
She's six miles from England.
Stop smiling.
It's a long way to go.
She now faces the most treacherous part of the Channel
that has taken so many lives already.
How much more does Trudy Ederle have in the tank
as she faces the ultimate long-distance challenge?
Shallows! We're in the shallows!
Hold on!
What's happening?
The currents pushed us into the Goodwin Sands.
She'll come through the mouth of Dover onto the Kingsdown Beach.
She'll have to swim across the shallows for the last five miles alone.
What if she gets lost in the dark? What if she gets sucked out to the sea?
She can do it.
Take her out of the water now, Mr. Burgess. Get my daughter out!
Get my daughter out!
I will not take her out.
Take my daughter out!
As long as she wants to swim, she swims!
- She'll make it. - No, we are losing light.
She's frozen stiff. She's slowing down.
She will be alone in the dark without a ship to guide her!
- Hey! Hey! - I want her out of the water!
Trudy!
Trudy, we can't follow you through the shallows.
Without us, you will be lost.
Get out now. The swim is over.
It's not over.
I love you.
We'll meet her on the beach.
Having achieved more than so many men before her,
Trudy Ederle now attempts the final stretch of the swim.
Trudy Ederle has entered the shallows alone.
A sandbank that guards the shores of England.
Mademoiselle Trudy Ederle has spent almost 13 hours in the water
in freezing temperatures in the most perilous part of the swim.
No.
No, no, no!
No, no!
No!
She's lost in the shallows.
They can't find her.
We have reports that Trudy Ederle is lost in the Goodwin Sands,
only five miles from England.
We pray she finds her way to Dover and the beach at Kingsdown.
We have to go back on that boat and find her.
There's no going back. This is where it ends.
It's been hours!
How is she supposed to find her way?
Look.
Please.
There's fires burning on the cliffs of Dover
as the world stops now and waits.
We are all with her in that freezing water.
Tonight, we're all with Trudy.
There!
- Where? - There!
- It's... - Trudy!
Trudy!
She's been out there for hours!
You made it! Come on!
Nobody touches her!
Come on, Trudy. Just a few more steps.
B-Bloody hero.
Welcome to England.
Yeah!
My daughter!
I taught her to swim! I taught her!
- This way, Trudy! - Big smile!
Look, you're freezing. Here.
- Here, take this. - Okay.
We love you, Trudy!
Hooray! Bravo!
- Bravo, Trudy! Bravo! - We love you, Trudy!
Whoo!
Your daughter is in England!
Come on. Let's go. It's time for school.
School?
Trudy just swam the Channel.
Yes, she did, but you did not.
Ladies and gentlemen, today I can report that the greatest athlete in the world
is not Babe Ruth or Jack Dempsey.
The greatest athlete in the world is a young woman from New York City.
Trudy Ederle.
Yes! You did it, Trudy!
Uh, I'm sorry. I-I can't let you into the country without a passport.
You... You're gonna have to call someone.
Welcome back, Trudy!
You did it.
Yes!
Benji!
It's your time, Trudy. This is your time.
- Trudy, we have to go. - Go on, Trudy!
My coach rides with me.
Yeah, Trudy!
The Yankees!
Yeah!
Babe Ruth!