Based on a True Story

BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 385) — Have you ever wondered how much of The Legend of Bagger Vance is rooted in history? Steven Pressfield, author of the 1995 novel that inspired the 2000 film, joins Based on a True Story to unpack the story’s connections to the Bhagavad Gita, the real-life golfing legends Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, and the choices Hollywood made when bringing the book to the screen. They also explore Steven’s approach to writing historical fiction and his latest novel, The Arcadian.
Guest Links
The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield
The Arcadian by Steven Pressfield
Steven Pressfield's Website

Chapters
0:00 Intro and movie synopsis
2:43 Meet Steven Pressfield
5:35 Is Bagger Vance based on history?
11:32 Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, and real golf history
18:07 The missing 10 years after World War I
27:18 What the movie changed from the book
40:02 Writing historical fiction with Steven Pressfield
52:06 The Arcadian and final thoughts

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BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 384) — Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood tells a tale of alternative history. In this episode, we'll separate the film’s fairy-tale storytelling from the real history behind the Manson murders, Sharon Tate, Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, and the Hollywood of 1969.
Listen to All the Right Movies
John's podcast breaks down the history of Hollywood, one film at a time. Check out All the Right Movies to learn all about the work that went into making movies, how much of it works, and more.

More from All the Right Movies
Find all the episodes: https://alltherightmovies.com/
All the Right Movies episode for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: https://www.patreon.com/posts/atrm-classic-111-152929056
Facts about the movie: https://alltherightmovies.com/feature/45-interesting-and-golden-age-facts-about-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood/

Mentioned in the Episode
John Neal Phillips on 1967's Bonnie and Clyde: https://links.boatspodcast.com/195

Chapters
0:00 Intro and historical accuracy
4:15 Tarantino’s fairy-tale approach
11:25 Rick, Cliff, and Sharon Tate
18:40 Hollywood in the late 1960s
28:30 Steve McQueen and The Great Escape
36:20 Bruce Lee, Sharon Tate, and Spahn Ranch
49:10 The Manson Family and Cielo Drive
58:45 The film’s alternate ending
1:04:20 Final thoughts and ATRM
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BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 383) — Did the Oppenheimer movie get the Manhattan Project right? Today, we'll dig into the film's portrayal of the project. From the Los Alamos we see in the movie to what we don't see in the movie such as Oak Ridge's massive factories, Hanford's plutonium production, and more that you don't ever see in the movie.
Get Alice's book
Alice Lovejoy is the author of Tales of Militant Chemistry, film scholar, and a professor at the University of Minnesota. She'll join us today to unravel the true story behind the Manhattan Project in the movie.

Find more of Alice's work
Army Film and the Avant Garde
Remapping Cold War Media
Visit Alice's website
Follow Alice on Bluesky
Follow Alice on Instagram

Listen to the other BOATS episode on Oppenheimer

Chapters
00:00 Manhattan Project Overview
04:50 Uranium vs. Plutonium Bombs
09:45 Scale of the Project
15:28 Einstein's Role
20:42 Trinity Test Depiction
25:04 Radiation Concerns
30:51 Project's End & Legacy
33:52 Post-War Impacts

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BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 382) — Join me in this throwback style BOATS episode without any guests. It'll just be you and I learning about the true story behind 2023's Oppenheimer. Was the poisoned apple scene real? How well was the Trinity Test portrayed on screen? What does the movie leave out from Oppenheimer's life? If you've seen the movie and wondered what really happened, this episode is your guided tour through the history behind the film.

Chapters
0:00 Intro, synopsis & Two Truths and a Lie
3:30 Prometheus myth and poisoned apple story
10:15 Oppenheimer’s education in Europe and early career
18:40 Relationships with Jean Tatlock and Kitty Oppenheimer
28:20 FBI surveillance, communism fears, and the Manhattan Project scale
39:10 Trinity Test, “I am become Death,” and bombing Japan
51:00 Meeting President Truman and the Strauss feud
1:01:30 Oppenheimer’s fall, later life, and modern reevaluation
1:08:00 Two Truths and a Lie answers & closing

Resources
American Prometheus
Tales of Militant Chemistry
109 East Palace
Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center
J. Robert Oppenheimer: A Life
An Atomic Love Story: The Extraordinary Women in Robert Oppenheimer's Life
The Ruin of J. Robert Oppenheimer

If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, you can also find all the links at https://links.boatspodcast.com/382

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Become a BOATS Producer (name in credits + ad-free episodes)
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BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 381) — My love of history started with the legend of King Arthur. While there are many King Arthur movies to pick from, today we'll learn about the one that marketed itself as being more historically accurate than the others.
Dorsey Armstrong on The Great Courses Plus
Historian Dorsey Armstrong breaks down the historical accuracy of the 2004 film King Arthur. Learn the true story behind the legends of Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, the Round Table, and more.

Chapters
0:00 Intro
2:30 Movie's Historical Claims
5:10 Sarmatians and Lancelot
10:45 Merlin's Real History
15:20 Woads, Picts, and Round Table
22:00 Christianity and Pelagius
28:15 Final Mission and Freedom
34:50 Guinevere and Ice Battle
40:30 Battle of Badon Hill
45:15 Sword in the Stone
49:00 Legend Surprises
53:30 BOATS Update for 2026 and Outro

Support My Work
Support my sponsors
Become a BOATS Producer (name in credits + ad-free episodes)
Join the BOATS Discord
Get the BOATS email newsletter
Email me: [email protected]

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.