Based on a True Story

BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 388) — Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026) brings Homer’s epic journey to the screen as we follow Matt Damon’s Odysseus from the Trojan War through monsters, sirens, and a long road home. In this episode, we'll learn from author and former documentary filmmaker Neil Laird about the historical accuracy of the movie and how well it ties into Homer’s Odyssey.

Guest Links
Prime Time Troy: https://links.boatspodcast.com/388troy
Prime Time Pompeii: https://links.boatspodcast.com/388pompeii
Prime Time Travelers: https://links.boatspodcast.com/388travelers
Neil Laird's Website: https://links.boatspodcast.com/388guest

Chapters
0:00 Letter grade & Homer’s Odyssey
3:30 Troy (2004) vs The Odyssey (2026)
9:30 Monsters, cyclopses and mythical beasts
14:30 Circe’s island and men turned to pigs
19:30 Hades, Achilles and war guilt
23:30 Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis and hard choices
37:30 Calypso, lost years and the long road home

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Email me: dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com

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BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 387) — How accurate is the 1990 movie Memphis Belle? Military historian Joshua Donohue returns to Based on a True Story to break down what the movie gets right, where Hollywood takes liberties, and what the real crew of the Memphis Belle actually experienced during World War II.
Guest Links
Josh's YouTube = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387guest
Josh's Wake Island Article = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387wakearticle
Josh's Pearl Harbor Article = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387ewaarticle

Other Mentions
Find where to watch the movie = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387movie
Memphis Belle Unveiling = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387unveiling
The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle by Robert Morgan and Ron Powers = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387themanwhoflew
Memphis Belle Documentary = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387documentary
Memphis Belle - Air Force Fact Sheet = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387factsheet
The Memphis Belle Museum Exhibit = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387museumexhibit

Chapters
0:00 Intro and accuracy grade
2:13 Other bomber movies and context
12:37 The real Memphis Belle missions
22:15 Hollywood vs the real 25th mission
32:20 How lead bombers and formations worked
43:46 Bombing runs, smoke, and the Norden
52:13 Midair dangers and ball turret stories
1:15:02 The 1944 documentary and legacy
1:21:53 Josh's Bataan book project

Support My Work
Join the BOATS community: https://links.boatspodcast.com/community
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Email me: dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What really happened to Sir John Franklin’s doomed Arctic expedition, and how much of AMC’s The Terror is grounded in the historical record? Today we're joined by Rich Napolitano, host of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs, to compare the TV series with the real story of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, from the search for the Northwest Passage to the evidence historians have uncovered about the crew’s fate.
Links
Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs
Lost Franklin Expedition w/NEW UPDATES
Dr. John Rae
The Terror (TV Series)

Chapters
0:00 Intro to The Terror
2:12 Two Truths and a Lie
4:08 Meet Rich Napolitano
7:22 The Real Franklin Expedition
20:06 Stuck in the Arctic Ice
33:42 Food, Disease, and Survival
47:41 The Terror’s Supernatural Twist
59:18 How the Expedition Ended

Support My Work
Join the BOATS community: https://links.boatspodcast.com/community
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Email me: dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com
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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

Support my work
Join the BOATS community: https://links.boatspodcast.com/community
Become a BOATS Producer (name in credits + ad-free episodes): https://links.boatspodcast.com/producers
Support my sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.com/advertisers
Email me: dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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
Support my work
Join the BOATS community: https://links.boatspodcast.com/community
Become a BOATS Producer (name in credits + ad-free episodes): https://links.boatspodcast.com/producers
Support my sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.com/advertisers
Email me: dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.