The First Olympics: Athens 1896

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The First Olympics: Athens 1896
Genre Period drama
Sports
Miniseries
Teleplay by Charles Gary Allison
William Bast
Story byCharles Gary Allison
Directed by Alvin Rakoff
Starring
Theme music composer Bruce Broughton
Country of origin United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes2
Production
Executive producerLarry White
Producers Charles Gary Allison
William Hill
CinematographyPaul Beeson
EditorsJohn Grover
Ralph Sheldon
Running time237 minutes
Production companiesLarry White/Gary Allison Productions
Columbia Pictures Television
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseMay 20 (1984-05-20) 
May 21, 1984 (1984-05-21)

The First Olympics: Athens 1896 is a 1984 American television miniseries produced by Columbia Pictures Television for broadcast by the NBC network. This television miniseries tells the story of the founding of the modern Olympics by focusing on individuals in several countries and their preparations and eventual competition in Athens in 1896. The two-part mini-series originally aired in the United States on May 20 and 21, 1984. [1]

Contents

Plot

The preparation and events leading up to the inaugural modern Olympic Games held in Athens, 1896. The movie examines the experience of competitors from different nations, but especially concentrates on the creation of the first American Olympic team and their trials in getting to the Olympics in Athens. The series ends with a voice over giving brief descriptions of the various historical individuals that took part.

Cast

Historical inaccuracies in the series

Awards and nominations

Primetime Emmy Awards

YearCategoryAwardNominee(s)Result
1984Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Limited Series or a Special (Dramatic Underscore)Emmy Bruce Broughton Won
1984Outstanding Art Direction for a Limited Series or a SpecialEmmyMichael Stringer (production designer)

Fred Carter (art director)
Petros Kapouralis (art director)
Terry Parr (set decorator)

David Ogden Stiers (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Special)

Nominated

Writers Guild of America, USA

YearCategoryAwardNominee(s)Result
1985Original/Adapted Multi-Part Long Form SeriesWGA Award (TV)Charles Gary Allison (teleplay/story)
William Bast (teleplay)
Won

Casting Society of America, USA

YearCategoryAwardNominee(s)Result
1985Best Casting for TV Miniseries' or TV Movie of the WeekArtiosFran BascomNominated

References

  1. O'Connor, John J. (May 20, 1984). "Squeezing Inspiration from the 1896 Olympics". The New York Times . Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  2. The Complete Book of the Olympics: 1908 Edition, David Wallechinsky and Jamie Loucky, London, Aurum Press Ltd., 2008, p. 227
  3. The Complete Book of the Olympics: 1908 Edition, David Wallechinsky and Jamie Loucky, London, Aurum Press Ltd., 2008, p. 86
  4. The Complete Book of the Olympics: 1908 Edition, David Wallechinsky and Jamie Loucky, London, Aurum Press Ltd., 2008, p. 134
  5. "First time at the Olympic Games". olympic-museum.de. Archived from the original on June 12, 2004.
  6. 1 2 "The First Olympics: Athens 1896 (TV Mini Series 1984) - IMDb". IMDb .
  7. "Olympic Marathon Athens 1896 I Olympiad".
  8. "Full Moon, Jupiter, and Jupiter's Moons". April 19, 2017.
  9. "Remembering the First US Olympic Team". February 21, 2023.
  10. BBC History Magazine; August 2024 issue; pages 52-53