The inspiring true story behind 'The Boys in the Boat' and its connection to Eastern Washington
Joe Rantz who was born in Spokane and Charles Day who was born in Colville were part of the rowing team who beat Germany in the 1936 Berlin Games
George Clooney Interview
It may have been a story lost in history, if not for the book by Daniel James Brown and the upcoming film directed by George Clooney.
“The Boys In The Boat” tells the true tale of eight poor and working class University of Washington rowers who defied the odds and won gold at the 1936 Olympics, defeating Germany in front of Hitler.
Entertainment reporter Kim Holcomb interviewed Clooney and Brown at Conibear Shell House in Seattle, the home of the current UW Rowing program.
Read the full transcript of the interview here.
University of Washington Shell House
It stands as a testament to the human spirit.
"Hidden in plain sight," said capital campaign manager Nicole Klein.
The Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW) Shell House, once a Navy seaplane hangar, has witnessed more than 100 historic years here on the shores of the Montlake Cut.
"Seattle has a connection to rowing," said UW rowing historian Eric Cohen said. "It's been a huge part of who we are. This building is a representation of that community spirit and that community connection."
No year was more glorious than 1936. The University of Washington rowing team earned a spot in the pre-war Berlin Games, where the underdogs toppled Hitler's team to take Olympic gold.
The shell house was their headquarters.
"It's pretty exciting to stand in it," Klein said, "Eight national titles from this building. We beat the world from a World War I hangar.
Read the full article here.
MOHAI's 'Pulling Together' exhibit
The gold medal won by UW rower Don Hume in the 1936 Berlin games.
An Olympic jersey surrendered by a German rower.
And an American flag Nazi Germany presented to gold medalist Joe Rantz.
If you want to see up close proof of the pluck University of Washington rower have developed on Puget Sound waters, the story is here in a Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) exhibit called "Pulling Together: A Brief History of Rowing in Seattle."
"This exhibition has come together, because of so many people," Curator Devorah Romanek said. "So many organizations who have really gone the extra mile to make it happen."
Romanek read Daniel James Brown's best-selling book, "The Boys On The Boat," on the plane as it headed towards Seattle for her job interview at MOHAI.
On opening day in November, visitors, family members and Olympic medalists from the University of Washington peered over each other's shoulders to check out the exhibit.
Read the full article here.
Sequim's Premiere of 'The Boys in the Boat'
He's "The Boy in the Boat" who's the heart of both the bestselling book - and the upcoming movie directed by George Clooney.
“Historically he's a hero. He's a darn hero,” said Judy Stipe, executive director of Sequim Museum and Arts. This local history museum has a permanent display dedicated to Joe Rantz, Sequim’s hometown hero who was abandoned by his parents, then went on to become a rower for the University of Washington, eventually rowing on the boat that would win gold for the USA in the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany.
Volunteers at this museum even helped author Daniel James Brown research his book.
"We went into the old newspapers old annuals, and we found everything we could,” Stipe said.
Easy enough in a small town - Rantz attended high school in this building right across the street from the museum before going to the University of Washington and making crew, then making history.
Read the full article here.
Sequim Students pitch to George Clooney
What's it take to get the attention of a movie star? Well, maybe, making a movie of your own.
Sequim High School is the alma mater of a great Olympian, Joe Rantz, a member of the 1936 rowing team that took gold in Hitler's Berlin. Rantz is the central figure in the bestselling book, "The Boys in the Boat."
"The students still remember the story," rotary youth advisor Colleen Robinson said. "They read it in the sixth grade and they're seniors now. And it touched them in a way, of what this person overcame and what his life turned out to be."
Like that legendary Olympian, Sequim High School's "Interact" service club has some big ambitions. And that's where George Clooney comes in. The Hollywood A-lister is currently producing and directing the new "Boys in the Boat" movie. So, what if Clooney would agree to bring his film here for a fundraiser screening?
"To raise money for the Joe Rantz Rotary Youth House," Interact president Ayden Humphries said.
Read the full article here.
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