Heart: The Marilyn Bell Story

Overview

This made-for-TV bio-pic is about Marilyn Bell, a Canadian teenager who, in 1954, was the first person to swim across Lake Ontario. She won the Toronto Canadian National Exhibition prize after Florence Chadwick, a then-famous American swimmer who was widely expected to win, dropped out in the middle of the race. Half of this heart-warming movie is devoted to the 21 hour swim in which the 16-year old Bell is exhorted by her pushy coach Gus Ryder not to give up.

Cast

Caroline Dhavernas

Marilyn Bell

Amy Sloan

Joan

Graeme Somerville

George Bryant

Vlasta Vrana

George McBlair

Kent McQuaid

Myron Peters

Lisa Bronwyn Moore

Patsy MacKinnon

Ron White

Gus Ryder

Claudia Besso

Florence Chadwick

Chip Chuipka

Syd Bell

Jennifer Morehouse

Grace Bell

N/A

Natasha Tofflemire

Karen Bell

Susan Glover

Phyllis Ryder