Based on a True Story
We've all seen movies that claim to be 'based on a true story', but have you ever wondered how accurate they are? That's what we'll find out as we compare Hollywood with history.
Episodes
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 375) — Donald Rumsfeld served as the U.S. Secretary of Defense twice in his career, including during the 9/11 attacks. Today, we'll learn how the movies "Vice", "W." bring a fictional portrayal of Rumsfeld. We'll also look into the accuracy of the documentary "The Unknown Known" which interviews Rumsfeld himself.
Separating fact from fiction for us today is William Cooper...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 374) — Today we'll rejoin Billy the Kid's outlaw gang as they continue their attempts to escape the law following the events in Young Guns (BOATS EP. 146). Was Brushy Bill Roberts a real person? Was he Billy the Kid? What other creative liberties did the filmmakers take in telling the true story of Billy the Kid?
To help us unrave...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 373) — Learn about legendary aviator Amelia Earhart as she was portrayed onscreen by Hilary Swank in the 2009 biopic. To uncover the true story, today we'll talk with author, documentarian, and host of Chasing Earhart , the only podcast dedicated entirely to Amelia Earhart: Chris Williamson.
Chris Williamson has an array of work with the Chasing Earhar...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 372) — Travel back to the Old West for a tale of revenge, Pinkerton agents, and frontier justice in the wake of the Civil War. One of those former Pinkerton agents in the movie is John Scobell (Gbenga Akinnagbe), making 2025's Trail of Vengeance the first movie to feature John Scobell as one of its main characters.
Where to watch Trail of Vengeance
To help us separate fact f...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 371) — How well do you know about the real Bruce Lee? There are a lot of myths that came out of the movie "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" so today we'll pull another classic episode from the Based on a True Story vault.
Where to watch Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Matthew Polly authored "Bruce Lee: A Life," called the definitive biography by The New York Times. His research...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 370) — Twentieth Century-Fox's "Titanic" starring Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb claims to draw facts from 1912 congressional inquiries, so how well does it do when we compare it to history?
Mark B. Perry is the author of the novel "And Introducing Dexter Gaines: A Novel of Old Hollywood", a tale that transports you back to the time when dur...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 369) — This Friday marks the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings. Arguably the most popular movie depicting the fighting on the beaches of Normandy is 1998's Saving Private Ryan. Where to watch Saving Private Ryan In this remastered edition of Based on a True Story, we'll compare the movie with what really happened with historian Marty Morgan. What did Saving Private Ryan get right, w...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 368) — Go behind the true stories shown in Holocaust movies through the experiences of Robert Wolf's family. Since we'll be talking about the Holocaust, listener discretion is advised.
Get Robert's book
Where to watch today's movies
- The Sound of Music (1965)
- Life is Beautiful (1997)
- Schindler's List (1993)
- Walking with the Enemy (2013)
- Sunshine (1999)
Did you enjoy this e...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 367) — Is John McClane a realistic cop or just an action hero with a badge? Yippee-ki-yay, history lovers, let's see if McClane would survive a real Internal Affairs review.
Helping us conduct a review of McClane from the entire Die Hard franchise is retired U.S. police sergeant Patrick O'Donnell, who is now a technical consultant and author of "The Good ...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 366) — Homer’s "The Iliad" tells the story of the Trojan War, a tale brought to the big screen in the 2004 film "Troy." But with an ancient epic as its foundation—and Hollywood’s creative liberties—how much of the story is real?
In this episode, Neil Laird peels back the layers of myth and fiction to uncover the truth.
Neil is a multiple Emmy-nominated directo...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 365) — Discover the behind-the-scenes story of Black Hawk Down, as historian Josh Donohue shares insights on the chaotic 1993 mission in Mogadishu. Learn what truly happened versus what Hollywood depicted.
Subscribe to Josh's YouTube channelJosh has been on the podcast before to cover the historical accuracy of Thirteen Days and We Were Soldiers, and he's currently working on a new YouTube c...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 364) — Acclaimed historian Jon Parshall separates fact from fiction in the classic film "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and the brutal realities of the Thai-Burma Railway during World War II, also known as the Death Railway. We'll contrast the film's fictional Colonel Nicholson with his real-life counterpart Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey, who sabotaged bridge construction when possible ra...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 363) — In today’s Behind the True Story episode, we take a closer look at the career of award-winning director and producer Robyn Flanery.
Robyn's latest project, the documentary series "Profit Over People," explores the failure of the U.S. healthcare system. She previously directed the critically acclaimed documentary "Broken Worlds: The Island" and has worked behind the scenes on historica...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 362) — Author Rob Hilliard joins us to bring "The Pinkertons" miniseries to a close by covering episodes 15 through 22 of the TV show. From John Scobell and Kate Warne to Allan and Will Pinkerton, Rob's book takes what we know from history and fills in many of the blanks with a thrilling narrative.
Grab your copy of "In Freedom's Shadow"BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 361) — We're continuing a look at "The Pinkertons" by covering episodes eight to 14 of the TV show. Find part one linked here. Coming back for today's episode is "In Freedom's Shadow" author Rob Hilliard. Rob's book is a historical novel based on the incredibly true story of Pinkertons operative John Scobell.
Mentioned in this episode
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 360) — We're beginning of a three-part miniseries covering all 22 episodes of "The Pinkertons." Today, we examine the first seven episodes of the television series. Joining us for the miniseries is author Rob Hilliard, whose book "In Freedom's Shadow" is a historical novel based on the true story of Pinkerton operative John Scobell, and includes many of the characters we see in the series.
...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 359) — Today is the 80th anniversary (January 25, 1945) of the official end of the Battle of the Bulge campaign during World War II. On our episode today, we'll learn about the classic film from 60 years ago (1965) that has often been criticized for many of its historical inaccuracies as it depicts the battle.
Where to watch Battle of the BulgeTo help us separate fact from fiction, we'll be ...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 358) — In 2000's Thirteen Days, we see a lot of the behind-the-scenes discussions and decisions that took place during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962. To help us separate fact from fiction, we'll get to hear from Joshua Donohue, who is the Adjunct Professor of History at Suffolk County Community College as well as Farmingdale State College.
Where to watch Thirteen DaysFollow J...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 357) — A new biopic from director Pablo Larraín tells the story of renowned opera singer Maria Callas. Unfortunately, the movie falls short in telling the true story of the real Maria Callas. Today we'll get to learn from Sophia Lambton, the author of The Callas Imprint: A Centennial Biography.
Get the Maria Callas biographyEarlier this year, Sophia's biography of Maria Callas took home the ...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 356) — Today we're tackling all five movies in the storied Indiana Jones franchise that needs no further introduction. To help us separate fact from fiction, we'll learn from multiple Emmy-nominated director and producer Neil Laird.
Learn more about Neil's workWhile his name may not be as popular as Indiana Jones, if you've watched programming on Discovery, BBC, PBS, History Channel, or Nati...
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