The Jesse Owens Story (1984)

A biopic of the four-time Olympic gold medallist Jesse Owens.

Director:

Richard Irving

Writer:

Harold Gast

Stars:

Dorian Harewood, Dan Ammerman, Bob Banks

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Dorian Harewood	...	Jesse Owens
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dan Ammerman	...	Coach Robertson
Bob Banks	...	Henry Owens
Tom Bosley	...	Jimmy Hoffa
Johnny Brink	...	Referie
Georg Stanford Brown	...	Lew Gilbert
LeVar Burton	...	Prof. Preston
Bernard Canepari	...	Attorney Grossfeld
Robert Chidsey	...	Governor Aide
Glenn Colerider	...	Prof. Overman - OSU
Barry Corbin	...	Judge
Ronny Cox	...	Larry Snyder - Coach
Chris Douridas	...	Jerome
Norman Fell	...	Marty Forkins
Tom Fulton	...	President OSU

Storyline

The life story of Jesse Owens is told in this film. He was a young African-American who would become one of the greatest modern Olympian athletes when he proved Hitler's boast about the "Aryan athletic superiority" wrong by winning four gold medals, setting world records and becoming the star of the 1936 Berlin Olympics

---

Plot Keywords:

olympics | athlete | african american | nazis | running | 

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Sport

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

Races were shot at Fouts Field at North Texas State (now University of North Texas).

---

Quotes

Lew Gilbert: [On the legend of Jesse and Hitler] Did he really stop them from playing the Star Spangled Banner when you won?
Jesse Owens: Just between us... men behind the legend, Hitler had no control over that. The proper national anthems were played for all the winners, and nobody ever asked him to invite me or any other athlete to sit in his box.
Lew Gilbert: Well, didn't he snub you? Didn't he refuse to shake hands, or is that just another myth?
Jesse Owens: On the first day, he shook hands with the first winners, who were Germans and Finns. ...
[...]

---

Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Beast of Yucca Flats (1995)

User Reviews

Exteremely insightful

Story of Jesse Owens and his struggle against racism during and after the Olympics. Very well made and entertaining to watch. The story is well researched. The videos of the Olympics were especially good. The insight provided by the people around him is what makes the story. The director does a great job of presenting the story to us. I guess the editing. Also highlights the Nazi movement and how it was trying to use the Olympics as a stage to further their agenda. What is also surprising is how the US caved to the demands of the Nazis when it came to fielding their athletes. And what he faced in the US after he successfully represented the country isn't pretty either. A must watch to learn some good historical points.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 July 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

A História de Jesse Owens

Filming Locations:

Denton, Texas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harve Bennett Productions, Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1