‘Boys of ’36’ Premieres August 2 on PBS
A new PBS film honors UW's 1936 gold-medal rowers
By Seattle Mag July 26, 2016
This article originally appeared in the August 2016 issue of Seattle magazine.
Just in time to help us warm up for some Team USA fist pumping during this summer’s Olympic Games, PBS’s American Experience series of historical documentaries presents an episode celebrating a group of athletes who hold a special place in local hearts.
The program, “The Boys of ’36,” tells the story of the scrappy crew of University of Washington rowers that took the gold medal in the men’s eights competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Nazi-controlled Berlin. The documentary is based on the nonfiction best-seller The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, which describes the odds stacked against the team, composed of the sons of local fishermen, farmers and loggers from what was then considered a backwoods corner of the country, and how the rowers’ performance helped quash Adolf Hitler’s highly choreographed show of Teutonic superiority.
Fascinating viewing, right up to the photo finish. “The Boys of ’36” premieres 8/2. Check pbs.org for local listings.
Follow Us
Holiday Hunt in Pioneer Square
A daily ornament drop turns December into a neighborhood-wide scavenger hunt.
The holidays tend to bring out the kid in all of us. And if opening presents and eating too many treats weren’t enough, there’s also a scavenger hunt in Seattle’s oldest neighborhood. Pioneer Square’s Holiday Ornament Scavenger Hunt has returned for its third year. Twenty-five handblown glass ornaments—all made at Glasshouse Studio—are hidden across 25…
Chit-Chat Kids
Phone a friend.
Twenty years ago, before everyone walked around with a device in their pocket, kids used to call each other on a landline—often tethered to the kitchen in their home. It was a simpler time, when parents didn’t have to worry (nearly as much) about a potential predator contacting their child. Nowadays, things are different, which…
A Plate for Pickleball
The design celebrates the state’s official sport. Additional plates are on the way.
Washington served up a new license plate last week, honoring the state sport of pickleball. In the works for three years, it’s the second of seven specialty plates to hit the market since getting approved by lawmakers earlier this year. “We’re thrilled to see our efforts become reality,” says Kate Van Gent, vice president of…
Seattle-Based Agency Brings Real Voices to NBC’s New Campaign
DNA&STONE built the project around candid conversations to understand what audiences want from reporting.
“I turned off news altogether. I want to be able to form my own opinions. Just tell the truth.” These lines open NBC News’ new national campaign, a 60-second ad that drifts over forests, farms, neighborhoods, and cityscapes while Americans talk about how worn out they feel by the news. The landscape carries the conversation…