Movies at the Olympics Trivia Quiz

1896 Athens

"It Happened in Athens" (1962) was set during the first modern Olympic games, but made little or no attempt to be historically accurate. A Greek named Spiridon Loues DID win the Marathon, but would likely not have recognised himself as portrayed by Trax Colton. Jayne Mansfield played an entirely fictional actress who promised to marry the race winner, for a publicity stunt. Real Olympian Bob Mathias appeared as the coach of the American team.

Anachronisms abound, as traditions not begun until decades later are included in the views of the Games, and onlookers appear to be dressed in 1960s styles, to mention a few.

1912 Stockholm

"Jim Thorpe -- All-American" (1951) was a fictionalised biopic of James Francis Thorpe, a member of the Sac and Fox nation from Oklahoma, who excelled at many sports. Burt Lancaster played Thorpe, and Michael Curtiz directed.

The film depicted Thorpe winning gold medals in pentathlon and decathlon at the Olympics held in Stockholm, only to be stripped of them due to having played semi-professional baseball. At the time Olympians were required to be entirely amateurs. His exploits in other sports, including American football, were also explored.

Not shown in the film, because it had yet to happen, was the restoration of Thorpe's medals and status as Olympic champion, which finally happened in 2022.

1924 Paris

"Chariots of Fire" (1981), with its award-winning theme music by Vangelis, followed two British runners in their endeavours at the Paris Olympics, and the preparation for those Games. Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) and Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) were real Olympians, and the movie showed Liddell's famous refusal to compete on Sunday, which resulted in his competing in his second best event, yet still winning. That left Abrahams as the British hope in the 100 m race, and he did not disappoint.

1936 Berlin

The title of "Race" (2016) could be seen as having a double meaning, referring both to athletic races to be run, and the discrimination faced by its main subject, Jesse Owens, as he strove for excellence at the Olympic Games held in Nazi Germany in 1936. Stephan James portrayed Owens, as the film followed him from training to ultimate triumph in Berlin. Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons and William Hurt were among those also in the cast.

1948 London & 1952 Helsinki

Bob Mathias, gold medallist in the decathlon in both 1948 and 1952, played himself in "The Bob Mathias Story" (1954). His wife Melba appeared as herself, as well, while Ward Bond appeared as the young athlete's coach. The film took Mathias from high school, through training and winning in London at age 18, through the winning of his second gold medal four years later.

1956 Melbourne

"Geordie" (1955), sometimes known as "Wee Geordie" is a wonderful British film that was actually released before the Olympics during which part of its story is set. As a youngster, Geordie MacTaggart was very small and longed to be bigger and stronger. He decided to invest in a mail order bodybuilding course, to good effect. Grownup Geordie was played by Bill Travers, and came to excel at such Highland Games pursuits as throwing the hammer, to the extent that he made the team that travelled to Australia to compete in the Olympics. Geordie was under the impression that he was there to represent Scotland, mind you, and insisted on wearing his kilt when competing! Alastair Sim appeared as the Laird, who encouraged Geordie in his endeavours.

1964 Tokyo

Possibly the most notable thing about "Walk Don't Run" (1966) was that it was Cary Grant's last movie. It was at heart a romantic comedy, set against accommodation shortages in Tokyo, brought on by the influx of people for the Olympic Games. A businessman (Grant) found himself sharing a flat with a young woman (Samantha Eggar) and a race walker (Jim Hutton), and set out to help the young folk "get together".

1988 Calgary

"Cool Runnings" (1993) was a highly fictionalized account of the first Jamaican bobsled team at the Winter Olympics held in Calgary in 1988. The coach played by John Candy was made up, and the names of the team members were all changed. The four man team did crash, more or less as depicted. Their spirit and energy have also been said to have been truly depicted, and the film has been quite popular.

1992 Albertville and 1994 Lillehammer

Much of the action of "I, Tonya" (2017) takes place before the Olympics held in Norway in 1994, the first time the Winter Olympics were "staggered", and not held in the same year as the summer version. The film followed the life of figure skater Tonya Harding, who became infamous when members of her immediate circle of friends and family made a vicious attack on her rival, Nancy Kerrigan, a short time before the 1994 Games. Kerrigan recovered to win silver, while Tonya's performance was only good enough for eighth place. Margot Robbie played Tonya, and Allison Janney won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar playing her mother.

1996 Atlanta

"Richard Jewell" (2019) is the true story of the security guard who discovered the bomb in the Atlanta park where celebrations were going on during the centennial of the "modern" Olympics. Initially hailed as a hero, Jewell was later deemed a suspect in the bombing. The film depicted how the press and law enforcement harassed Jewell and his mother (Kathy Bates) in pursuit of a confession. Paul Walter Hauser played Jewell, and Sam Rockwell played his lawyer. Bates was Oscar-nominated. Jewell was not charged, and a scene late in the movie showed his lawyer telling him that the real culprit had been found, years later.

The Olympics themselves are seen only in snippets on television, of real events, including the torch lighting by Muhammad Ali and Michael Johnson running in his golden shoes.