# What Was a 'Georgy Girl'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 2, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-a-georgy-girl/146309 "2003-01-02T23:33:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-a-georgy-girl/146309/21 "2015-03-09T21:26:33Z")
West End Girls, OTOH, were named by Kanye. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-a-georgy-girl/146309/22 "2015-03-09T21:47:20Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > I admit, the thought process of why people like the poster Conveidt would stumble upon this thread (I guess via a Google search or the like), sign up, and revive it after over 11 years? I’d call that dedication! (Also, was there a Café Society forum in 2003? I don’t recall). No, Cafe Society didn’t exist in 2003. **Colibri** just moved this thread today, from GQ. See post #10. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-a-georgy-girl/146309/23 "2015-03-09T21:49:47Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > West End Girls, OTOH, were named by Kanye. Not the Pet Shop Boys? Is this a Whoosh? 😕 Also, I kind of figured Café Society didn’t exist in 2003, which is why Colibri moved this thread. But doesn’t hurt to check. And since the Georgy Girl earworm is firmly encased in my memory neurons, I’m not clicking on what I expect that YouTube link is… ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-a-georgy-girl/146309/24 "2015-03-09T21:52:27Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > No, Cafe Society didn’t exist in 2003. **Colibri** just moved this thread today, from GQ. See post #10. Heck, even Cafés didn’t exist in 2003. Even coffee was illegal back then. Only Pepsi. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-a-georgy-girl/146309/25 "2015-03-09T23:00:19Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > Not the Pet Shop Boys? Is this a Whoosh? 😕 Guess so. ---
**Author:** ![FeAudrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@FeAudrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FeAudrey)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-a-georgy-girl/146309/26 "2015-03-10T01:11:11Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > … TCM shows the film ‘Georgy Girl’ every so often, but since it doesn’t seem to be a movie I’d be particularly interested in, I pass … Georgy’s “swinging London roommate” was played by Charlotte Rampling, then just out of her ‘teens. Just sayin’ … 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-a-georgy-girl/146309/27 "2015-03-10T01:56:33Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > TCM shows the film ‘Georgy Girl’ every so often, but since it doesn’t seem to be a movie I’d be particularly interested in, I pass. I watched this flick once when TCM played it. I think they mentioned it was nominated for a “Best Picture” Academy Award, which was unusual because it being a British film technically made it “foreign”, and very few non-Hollywood films (even if they’re in English) get a nom for picture. Anyway, it’s an OK film. A few moderately amusing bits, but nothing outstanding. It’s very dated and actually a little depressing. “Georgy” tries desperately to fit in with the swinging London free sex counterculture, fails miserably, gets treated like s\*\*\* by her ‘friends’, doesn’t learn any great lesson (and actively avoids doing so), and ends up “happily” married to the much older James Mason. The final shot of them in the car, and Georgy clinging to her adopted baby, make it clear that the marriage will be a disaster. It’s a far, far, FAR cry away from the chirpy, breezy, upbeat theme song. I was more than a little surprised at how downbeat it (the film) was compared to the song. ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-a-georgy-girl/146309/28 "2015-03-10T02:13:51Z")
Google N Gram viewer shows the term came out of nowhere in 1965 with the publication of the book by that name and then skyrocketed in 1966 and 1967 after the movie and title song came out. [Google N Gram “Georgy Girl”](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Georgy+Girl&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=0&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CGeorgy%20Girl%3B%2Cc0) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-a-georgy-girl/146309/29 "2015-03-10T02:49:54Z")
Don Draper, lots of British films (and actors, directors, etc.) have won or been nominated for Oscars: > **[List of British Academy Award nominees and winners](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_Academy_Award_nominees_and_winners)** > > This article is a list of British Academy Award winners and nominees. This list details the filmmakers, actors, actresses, and others born and working in the United Kingdom who have been nominated for or have won an Academy Award. > Andy Nelson > Mark Taylor ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-a-georgy-girl/146309/30 "2015-03-10T04:22:27Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Don Draper, lots of British films (and actors, directors, etc.) have won or been nominated for Oscars: > > [List of British Academy Award nominees and winners - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_Academy_Award_nominees_and_winners) I (or rather TCM) said it was _rare_ not unheard of; and a key difference is that “Georgy Girl” was a completely British production, wholly funded by British film companies, starring an all-British cast and taking place (and shot) in London. Most of the films mentioned on the wikipedia list were either produced or co-produced by Hollywood (American) studio companies. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-a-georgy-girl/146309/31 "2015-03-10T09:22:27Z")
It is not rare. It is actually reasonably common for British films to be nominated for or to win Oscars. Look at the list in the link I gave. Look at the years around 1966, when _Georgy Girl_ came out: _Tom Jones_ won the Best Picture Oscar in 1963. _Oliver_ won the Best Picture Oscar in 1968. _Alfie_ was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar in 1966. All three of those films were strictly British productions, not even British/American co-productions. And, incidentally,\* Georgy Girl\* did not get a Best Picture nomination. It got nominations for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Black-and-White Cinematography, and Best Song. ---
**Author:** ![manila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@manila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manila)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-a-georgy-girl/146309/32 "2015-03-11T00:35:58Z")
> [@TCMF-2L](#): > > No one asked but I hope this helps anyway. Stainsby Girls by Chris Rea is a song about girls from Stainsby, Middlesborough, England which not coincidentally is where Chris Rea grew up. > > TCMF-2L Useless info His father ran a company operating ice cream vans! -I used to drive one in my youth! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-a-georgy-girl/146309.md?page=1)