The Boys of '36

Gr 7 Up—This episode focuses on nine working-class young men who competed in the rowing event at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. (They were the subject of author Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat: The True Story of an American Team's Epic Journey To Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics.) The Depression-era athletes from the University of Washington overcame numerous obstacles, including physical illness, economic hardship, and family deaths. In 1934, while a freshman team, they enjoyed early success at a regatta against privileged Ivy League students, and they continued to hone their technique throughout numerous races leading to the Olympics. Besting Nazi Germany's athletes, the American underdogs took the gold. The story is told mostly through black-and-white photographs, though some newsreel clips and interviews with sports historians and surviving family members round out the program. The sweeping orchestral score adds energy to the still photos.