Based on a True Story

Today I'm honored to be joined by the renowned Dr. Zahi Hawass to learn more about how much of the 1963 classic film  Cleopatra  was historically accurate.   Find Dr. Zahi Hawass online at: https://links.boatspodcast.com/137guest Get  Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt:  https://www.amazon.com/Cleopatra-Search-Last-Queen-Egypt/dp/1426205457/ Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comme...

This isn't a normal episode of Based on a True Story. Let's take a few moments to chat about some of the changes coming to the podcast. Questions or concerns? Reach out to me at dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info...

Today's episode will talk about the renowned artist Vincent van Gogh as depicted in the movie  Loving Vincent. Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/fb9262e6-5e84-4b02-908b-deaab971f6b6 Find the transcript and full show notes:  https://links.boatspodcast.com/135 Support our sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.com/advertisers Remove the ads by supporting the show: ...

D-Day was June 6th, 1944. The 75th anniversary is this week, and if there's one movie that has changed the perception of the invasion it's The Longest Day . So, we'll chat with author and historian Marty Morgan to find out how much  The Longest Day  got right...and what it didn't. Marty's work mentioned in the episode: Marty's books D-Day: A Photographic History of the Normandy Invasion Down to Ea...

Today we'll travel back in time to the days of Greek mythology as we compare the 2004 movie  Troy  with history.  Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/2edc156f-feeb-4679-9465-665b3ed3460c Find the transcript and full show notes:  https://links.boatspodcast.com/133 Support our sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.com/advertisers Remove the ads by supporting the sho...

This is the story of the 1919 Black Sox scandal that rocked the world of Major League Baseball. Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/d4d07bf9-221a-4947-9534-83f0fc9e5b75 Find the transcript and full show notes:  https://links.boatspodcast.com/132 Support our sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.com/advertisers Remove the ads by supporting the show:  https://links....

It's been called a rags to riches story, and an inspiration to millions. But how much of 2003's Seabiscuit actually happened? Let's find out! Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment: https://galas.fm/episode/f0415180-ba09-4700-9ba3-b1557e909c3b Find the transcript and full show notes:  https://links.boatspodcast.com/131 Support our sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.com/advertisers Remove th...

Sometimes, Hollywood exaggerates nature's fury on screen. Today, we'll learn about one of the stories that reminds us how scary it can really be. Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/5ae36531-e06e-4053-a6e4-49894a7ad180 Find the transcript and full show notes:  https://links.boatspodcast.com/130 Support our sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.com/advertisers Remo...

Two years ago, we covered The Fellowship of the Ring as an April Fools Day surprise. Last year, it was a little less of a surprise when we continued the story with The Two Towers . This year, the trilogy will come to an end with the epic conclusion in The Return of the King . Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/57781645-96ea-46b6-b7f4-08683431e8da Find the transc...

Today we'll learn about Malcolm X, the man whose childhood saw his family get attacked by the KKK to an adulthood where he turned to robbery and drugs before growing into a civil rights activist and minister speaking out against racism in the United States. Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/ae069329-866b-4a63-be16-a81ec53718b9 Find the transcript and full show...

Last episode we learned about Oliver Stone's 1991 film  JFK.  This week we'll learn about the 2016 film LBJ  that covers President Lyndon Baines Johnson, the man who became President the moment John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/3a8dc365-52bf-4cae-ba2f-bfa092b8078c Find the transcript and full show notes:  https://links.boatspod...

To say Oliver Stone's 1991 film JFK caused a lot of controversy is an understatement. With all the conspiracies circling the assassination of President Kennedy, let's take some time to compare JFK to history. Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/8d4f5c3a-f663-49ad-87c9-689a28e337bd Find the transcript and full show notes:  https://links.boatspodcast.com/126 Suppor...

Rami Malek stars in the blockbuster film about Freddie Mercury's life. Since it's release, there have been many reviews who have dinged the film for its historical accuracy. Are they right? Let's compare history with Bohemian Rhapsody! Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/fbfea906-e0cb-43e9-9591-1cc7089ca41d Find the transcript and full show notes:  https://links....

Going from Major League Baseball player to spy isn't your average change in jobs. But then, Moe Berg wasn't your average baseball player. Let's dig into Moe's life as we compare The Catcher Was a Spy with history. Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/4565c344-5870-469c-bab5-11759bc6ab0e Find the transcript and full show notes:  https://links.boatspodcast.com/124 S...

As a special treat, you'll get access to one of the minisodes that are normally exclusive to Based on a True Story patrons on the weeks between regular episodes. Listen in and you'll get the explanation for how minisodes are different from regular episodes. The episode's duration isn't the key factor. The story we're looking at today is all about the real Aladdin. Brought to life in Disney's anima...

A couple years ago, we covered  The Greatest Showman  as a pre-release episode. In other words, the podcast episode came out before the movie did. In that episode, we learned about the life of P.T. Barnum. In this episode, we're going back to Barnum's life as this time we give  The Greatest Showman  the typical Based on a True Story treatment -- comparing it to history. Did you enjoy this episode?...

President Nixon's resignation in 1974 was the first time for a U.S. president. That same year, Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein released their book that went into detail how they broke the Watergate scandal wide open with articles that eventually led to Nixon's resignation. Let's learn more about what happened as we compare history with the 1976 film based on and named aft...

Last week on the podcast, we learned all about the life of Charles Dickens as it was told in the movie The Man Who Invented Christmas. While that’s not a requirement before listening to this episode, it’ll help you get a little more of a behind the scenes of what it was like for the man who wrote what we’re going to be hearing today. That’s because today, we’re going to do something special. We’re...

It's time to get in the Christmas spirit! The subject of our episode today is the 2017 movie about Charles Dickens and his writing of A Christmas Carol. Did Charles invent Christmas? Let's find out. Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/a85e1971-a6f6-4da5-9c7a-cb8adb8e8a4b Find the transcript and full show notes:  https://links.boatspodcast.com/120 Support our spon...

The 2004 film Finding Neverland stars Johnny Depp as J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan. How much of the movie was true and how much was changed? Let's find out. Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/5eecdf60-1a7a-4ad2-951f-9771c5a2661f Find the transcript and full show notes:  https://links.boatspodcast.com/119 Support our sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.co...

In his first movie after  Lord of the Rings , Viggo Mortensen portrays Frank T. Hopkins as he rides on his horse, Hidalgo, in The Ocean of Fire long-distance race. How much of the movie really happened? Let's find out. Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/31c2c030-3d98-4b49-9242-a99a619353e4 Find the transcript and full show notes:  https://links.boatspodcast.com/...

Called the Scottish Robin Hood, Rob Roy's story has been the subject of books and movies. Today, one of the most popular renditions of that is the 1995 film starring Liam Neeson. I'm joined by Moxie LaBouche on this episode to learn more about the real Rob Roy. Listen to Moxie's show, Your Brain on Facts, at https://links.boatspodcast.com/117guest Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  http...

After inventing the lie detector test, William Moulton Marston came up with the character of Wonder Woman. His inspiration was his wife Elizabeth, and his significant other, Olive. Learn more about their story as we compare history with the movie Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/4829f600-313e-4483-8bcd-7380b83f48cc Find...

Today marks the 51st anniversary of revolutionary Che Guevara's capture that led to his death. How much do you know of his story? Let's find out as we compare 1969's  Che!  with history. Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/32a1746b-fed0-414a-983a-73037bd7e64f Find the transcript and full show notes:  https://links.boatspodcast.com/115 Support our sponsors: https:...

Author J.G. Ballard wrote the novel  Empire of the Sun  based on his own childhood. That's the first level of creative difference between truth and fiction. By the time it was adapted for the big screen, there were bound to be some things that were changed. So, what really happened? Let's find out. Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment:  https://galas.fm/episode/f0a6736f-3fcc-49a5-9f53-53b39...