Based on a True Story

Dan LeFebvre

We've all seen movies that claim to be 'based on a true story', but have you ever wondered how accurate they are? That's what we'll find out as we compare Hollywood with history. read less

Our Editor's Take

Based on a True Story is a podcast that explores historical accuracy in the movies. The host of the show is Dan Lefebvre.

Hollywood often dramatizes big moments in history for cinematic effect. Sometimes, this happens in the form of biopics, like Nixon and JFK. Other times, wars and battles are immortalized on the screen. Napoleon and Saving Private Ryan are two examples of wartime stories in film. Other movies, like Little Big Man and The Pianist, focus on certain eras. By doing this, filmmakers can educate audiences about historical events. Sometimes, directors and screenwriters take liberties with historical facts for cinematic reasons. In Based on a True Story, Dan and his occasional guests are there to correct the record.

Every episode of the podcast starts with a quick game of two truths and a lie." Dan makes three statements about a historical era or figure. According to the Hollywood version, all three are true. As the episode unfolds, Dan points out the inconsistencies in a particular movie. For example, listeners discover that Napoleon already knew of Josephine's death when he left exile. Dan chooses movies based on events that happened the same week in history as the podcast release. One episode discusses the accuracy of The Right Stuff. In another, listeners learn about Patty Hearst, the film, and Patty Hearst, the person.

Podcast listeners may also enjoy Dan's interviews with historians like Marty Morgan. He discusses the conspiracy theories about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Gregory J. W. Urwin talks about the Battle of Gettysburg. Alexander Mikaberidze points out that Marie Antoinette's hair was shorn at the time of her beheading.

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The Based on a True Story podcast may appeal to history fans who believe in the importance of factuality. Its mission is to examine filmmakers' cinematic decisions while evaluating historical accuracy.

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Episodes

Indiana Jones with Neil Laird
16-12-2024
Indiana Jones with Neil Laird
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 356) — Today we're tackling all five movies in the storied Indiana Jones franchise that needs no further introduction. To help us separate fact from fiction, we'll learn from multiple Emmy-nominated director and producer Neil Laird. Learn more about Neil's work While his name may not be as popular as Indiana Jones, if you've watched programming on Discovery, BBC, PBS, History Channel, or National Geographic, then you're likely familiar with his work. From Mysteries of the Abandoned and Secrets of the Lost Ark to Forbidden History and Shark Week, Neil has produced over 100 programs around the globe that feature many of the real places and topics popularized by the Indiana Jones franchise. Get Neil's latest book Neil is also the author of the Jared Plummer vs the Ancient World series about a TV director who travels back in time to shoot the greatest documentary ever made. Currently, there are two books in the series, Prime Time Travelers which features Jared going back to ancient Egypt and Prime Time Pompeii.    Also mentioned in this episode Prime Time Travelers Prime Time Pompeii Did you enjoy this episode? Unlock ad-free episodes Get the BOATS email newsletter Leave a comment Support our sponsors Note: If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, copy/paste this in your browser to find all the links: https://links.boatspodcast.com/356 Disclaimer: Dan LeFebvre and/or Based on a True Story may earn commissions from qualifying purchases through these links. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tora! Tora! Tora! with Jon Parshall
07-12-2024
Tora! Tora! Tora! with Jon Parshall
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 355) — Today is the 83rd anniversary of the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor that was depicted in the 1970 movie Tora! Tora! Tora! Often praised for its accuracy, Tora! Tora! Tora! has also perpetrated some myths about what really happened. Where to watch Tora! Tora! Tora! now To help us separate fact from fiction, we'll be joined by Jon Parshall, an award-winning author who has worked as a historical consultant on numerous TV shows, and as a frequent lecturer at the U.S. Naval War College, the National World War II Museum, the Nimitz Museum, just to name a few. Get updates on Jon's new book at 1942book.com    Also mentioned in this episode Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully's Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway Day of Infamy, 60th Anniversary: The Classic Account of the Bombing of Pearl Harbor by Walter Lord At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor by Gordon Prange with Donald M. Goldstein and Katherine V. Dillon Tora! Tora! Tora!: Pearl Harbor 1941 by Mark Stille Pearl Harbor by H.P. Willmott No One Avoided Danger: NAS Kaneohe Bay and the Japanese Attack of 7 December 1941 by J. Michael Wenger, Robert J. Cressman, and John F. Di Virgilio Did you enjoy this episode? Unlock ad-free episodes Get the BOATS email newsletter Leave a comment Support our sponsors Note: If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, copy/paste this in your browser to find all the links: https://links.boatspodcast.com/355 Disclaimer: Dan LeFebvre and/or Based on a True Story may earn commissions from qualifying purchases through these links. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This Week: Napoleon, Thirteen Days, The Patriot, The Last Duel
14-10-2024
This Week: Napoleon, Thirteen Days, The Patriot, The Last Duel
BOATS THIS WEEK (OCT 14-20, 2024) — This Wednesday is the anniversary of Marie Antoinette's execution in 1793 that we saw inn the opening sequence of Ridley Scott's Napoleon (2023). After that, we'll travel exactly 169 years from 1793 to 1962, because Wednesday is also depicted in Thirteen Days (2000) as it's showing the start of the Cuban Missile Crisis. For our final historical event from the movies this week, we'll hop to October 19th, 1781 as it's shown in The Patriot (2000) to see how it shows the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.  After learning about this week's birthdays from historical figures in the movies, we'll wrap up this episode by comparing history with another of Ridley Scott's movies, The Last Duel, which released in the U.S. on October 15th, 2021. Finally, we'll get a little behind the scenes update about BOATS This Week episodes for the remainder of 2024. Until next time, here's where you can continue the story. Events from this week in history Wednesday: Napoleon (2023) | BOATS Napoleon Miniseries Wednesday: Thirteen Days (2000) Saturday: The Patriot (2000) | BOATS #60 Birthdays from this week in history Monday: Dwight D. Eisenhower in The Longest Day (1962) Wednesday: Oscar Wilde in Wilde (1997) Sunday: Mickey Mantle in 61* (2001) Historical movies releasing this week in history Tuesday: The Last Duel (2021) Mentioned in this episode JFK's October 22nd, 1962 speech Cuban Missile Crisis timeline Eric Jager's book that they based The Last Duel on Eric Jager's article Modern-day photos of Saint-Martin-des-Champs Did you enjoy this episode? Get the BOATS email newsletter Leave a comment Support our sponsors Unlock ad-free episodes Note: If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, copy/paste this in your browser to find all the links: https://links.boatspodcast.com/352 Disclaimer: Dan LeFebvre and/or Based on a True Story may earn commissions from qualifying purchases through these links. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This Week: Che!, Eight Men Out, 1492, Captain Phillips
07-10-2024
This Week: Che!, Eight Men Out, 1492, Captain Phillips
BOATS THIS WEEK (OCT 7-13, 2024) — 57 years ago tomorrow, Che Guevara was captured in Bolivia just before his execution. Then, two years later, Omar Sharif portrayed him in the movie version of Che's story that we'll compare to the true story of this week's event. Then, we'll shift to Eight Men Out because as baseball season comes to a close, one of the darkest moments in Major League Baseball history happened this week back in 1919.  This Saturday marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus making landfall, which was shown in the movie 1492: Conquest of Paradise. For this week's historical movie release, the Tom Hanks movie Captain Phillips was released 11 years ago this Friday. Until next time, here's where you can continue the story. Events from this week in history Tuesday: Che! | BOATS #115 Wednesday: Eight Men Out | BOATS #132 Saturday: 1492: Conquest of Paradise | BOATS #186 Birthdays from this week in history Wednesday: Eugene Bullard in Red Tails Friday: Eleanor Roosevelt in The First Lady Sunday: Jane Grey in Becoming Elizabeth Historical movies releasing this week in history Friday: Captain Phillips | BOATS #28 Mentioned in this episode Meet Félix Rodríguez, The CIA Operative Who Captured Che Guevara And May Have Tortured A DEA Agent by Marco Margaritoff Infamous America's and the Black Sox Scandal A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty Did you enjoy this episode? Get the BOATS email newsletter Leave a comment Support our sponsors Unlock ad-free episodes Note: If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, copy/paste this in your browser to find all the links: https://links.boatspodcast.com/351 Disclaimer: Dan LeFebvre and/or Based on a True Story may earn commissions from qualifying purchases through these links. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This Week: Alexander, 61*, Black Hawk Down, The Social Network
30-09-2024
This Week: Alexander, 61*, Black Hawk Down, The Social Network
BOATS THIS WEEK (SEP 30-OCT 6, 2024) — Thousands of years ago this week, Alexander the Great fought his final decisive battle against Darius III so we'll start our journey by comparing the true story of Gaugamela with the battle in 2004's Colin Farrell movie. Then we'll hop onto the baseball field because tomorrow, October 1st, 1961, is when Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's MLB home run record. We'll learn about the Billy Crystal-directed movie called 61* (we'll learn about the * in the movie's title in the episode). For our third event from this week in history according to the movies, we'll learn about the Battle of Mogadishu—or, as it's commonly called, the Black Hawk Down Incident. That happened on Thursday this week, October 3rd, 1993. Then, after a few historical birthdays from this week in history, we'll wrap up today's episode by comparing history with 2010's The Social Network. Until next time, here's where you can continue the story. Events from this week in history Monday: Alexander | BOATS #157 Tuesday: 61* Thursday: Black Hawk Down | BOATS #105 Birthdays from this week in history Wednesday: Paul von Hindenburg in Hitler: Rise of Evil Wednesday: Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi Saturday: Ray Kroc in The Founder Historical movies releasing this week in history Tuesday: The Social Network Mentioned in this episode Steven Bertoni's article on Sean Parker Wall Street Journal article on Peter Thiel and Facebook's political ads Baseball this week: See "The Whammer" in The Natural Baseball this week: Say Hey, Willy Mays! Did you enjoy this episode? Get the BOATS email newsletter Leave a comment Support our sponsors Unlock ad-free episodes Note: If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, copy/paste this in your browser to find all the links: https://links.boatspodcast.com/350 Disclaimer: Dan LeFebvre and/or Based on a True Story may earn commissions from qualifying purchases through these links. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This Week: Turn, A Bridge Too Far, The Godfather Part III, Remember the Titans
23-09-2024
This Week: Turn, A Bridge Too Far, The Godfather Part III, Remember the Titans
BOATS THIS WEEK (SEP 23-29, 2024) — AMC's Turn: Washington's Spies shows us how Benedict Arnold's treason was discovered back on September 24th, 1780. The next day, on Wednesday this week, marks the anniversary of Operation Market Garden coming to a close, which we see in the classic film A Bridge Too Far. And then The Godfather, Part III has a key plot point surrounding a very real event that happened on September 26th, 1978: The death of Pope John Paul I. This week's movie premiere to compare with history is the 2000 sports drama Remember the Titans, which has its 24-year anniversary this Sunday. Until next time, here's where you can continue the story. Events from this week in history Tuesday: Turn: Washington's Spies | BOATS #139 Wednesday: A Bridge Too Far Thursday: The Godfather, Part III Birthdays from this week in history Wednesday: Fletcher Christian in Mutiny on the Bounty | BOATS #156 Thursday: T.S. Eliot in Tom & Viv Friday: Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici in Medici Historical movies releasing this week in history Sunday: Remember the Titans Mentioned in this episode Turn: Washington's Spies: The "Treason House" where Arnold and Andre met this week in history Did you enjoy this episode? Get the BOATS email newsletter Leave a comment Support our sponsors Unlock ad-free episodes Note: If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, copy/paste this in your browser to find all the links: https://links.boatspodcast.com/349 Disclaimer: Dan LeFebvre and/or Based on a True Story may earn commissions from qualifying purchases through these links. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This Week: Frida, Chaplin, Tolkien, Goodfellas
16-09-2024
This Week: Frida, Chaplin, Tolkien, Goodfellas
BOATS THIS WEEK (SEP 16-22, 2024) — Tuesday is the 99th anniversary of the bus accident that changed Frido Kahlo's life, and we'll learn more about the way the movie Frida shows it happening. After that we'll jump to the movie with Robert Downey Jr. as Charlie Chaplin for his being kicked out of the U.S., which happened 72 years ago on Thursday this week. Then we'll learn a bit about the start of an adventure that ended this week in history when The Hobbit was published on September 21st, 1937. Finally, Wednesday is the release anniversary of a classic Martin Scorsese gangster movie releasing, so we'll wrap up this week by learning more about the true story of Goodfellas. Until next time, here's where you can continue the story. Events from this week in history Tuesday: Frida Thursday: Chaplin | BOATS #283 Saturday: Tolkien | BOATS #141 Birthdays from this week in history Wednesday: Greta Garbo in The Silent Lovers Friday: Maxwell Perkins in Genius Friday: "Red" Auerbach in Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Historical movies releasing this week in history Wednesday: Goodfellas Mentioned in this episode Scott Eyman's book Charlie Chaplin vs. America: When Art, Sex, and Politics Collided BBC documentary with Tolkien Did you enjoy this episode? Support our sponsors Unlock ad-free episodes Get the BOATS email newsletter Leave a comment Note: If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, copy/paste this in your browser to find all the links: https://links.boatspodcast.com/348 Disclaimer: Dan LeFebvre and/or Based on a True Story may earn commissions from qualifying purchases through these links. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This Week: 300: Rise of an Empire, United 93, A Star-Spangled Story, The Exorcism of Emily Rose
09-09-2024
This Week: 300: Rise of an Empire, United 93, A Star-Spangled Story, The Exorcism of Emily Rose
BOATS THIS WEEK (SEP 9-15, 2024) — Tuesday this week marks the anniversary of the Battle of Marathon, which we see in the movie 300: Rise of an Empire. Then, of course, we'll be looking at this week's anniversary of the 9/11 attacks from the movie United 93. For our third historical event, we'll learn about A Star-Spangled Story and how an event from this week in history inspired the U.S. national anthem. We'll also learn about the true story behind The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which released exactly 19 years ago today. Did you enjoy this episode? Support the next one! Events from this week in history Tuesday: 300: Rise of an Empire Wednesday: United 93 | BOATS #113 Saturday: A Star-Spangled Story Birthdays from this week in history Thursday: Henry Hudson in The Last Voyage of Henry Hudson Friday: Daniel Defoe in Robinson Crusoe Sunday: Marco Polo in Marco Polo Historical movies released this week in history Friday: The Exorcism of Emily Rose Also mentioned in this episode 300: Rise of an Empire: Based on a True Story episode #5 about 300 300: Rise of an Empire: Photos from the battlefield at Marathon as it looks today 300: Rise of an Empire: Map of the Battle of Marathon 300: Rise of an Empire: More about the Battle of Marathon's affect on democracy today The Exorcism of Emily Rose: The Windsor Star 1978 article interviewing the priests The Exorcism of Emily Rose: National Catholic Register article about the 1998 revised rite of exorcism Unlock ad-free episodes Get the BOATS email newsletter Leave a comment Support our sponsors Note: If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, copy/paste this in your browser to find all the links: https://links.boatspodcast.com/346 Disclaimer: Dan LeFebvre and/or Based on a True Story may earn commissions from qualifying purchases through these links. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This Week: Rome, Geronimo: An American Legend, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid
02-09-2024
This Week: Rome, Geronimo: An American Legend, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid
BOATS THIS WEEK (SEPT 2-8, 2024) — On this day almost two thousand years ago, the Battle of Actium decided power in Rome. Not coincidentally, we'll learn about that today from a TV show called Rome. The second event from this week in history according to the movies comes from the 1993 film called Geronimo: An American Legend, because Wednesday this week marks the 138th anniversary of that event. For our third event, we'll learn about one of Jesse James' infamous holdups from September 7th, 1876 as it's shown in the movie The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid. Until next time, here's where you can continue the story. Events from This Week in History Monday: Rome Wednesday: Geronimo: An American Legend Saturday: The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid Birthdays from This Week in History Tuesday: James "Whitey" Bulger in Black Mass Thursday: Jesse James in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford | BOATS #166 Friday: Marquis de Lafayette in Turn: Washington's Spies | BOATS #139 Saturday: Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age | BOATS #106 (Elizabeth) | BOATS #112 (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) A Historical Movie Releasing This Week Friday: 1992 Mentioned in this episode Krakatoa and Edvard Munch's The Scream Original newspaper reports of each Jack the Ripper victim Did you enjoy this episode? Get the BOATS email newsletter Leave a comment Support our sponsors Unlock ad-free episodes Note: If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, copy/paste this in your browser to find all the links: https://links.boatspodcast.com/343 Disclaimer: Dan LeFebvre and/or Based on a True Story may earn commissions from qualifying purchases through these links. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This Week: Saving Mr Banks, Krakatoa East of Java, From Hell
26-08-2024
This Week: Saving Mr Banks, Krakatoa East of Java, From Hell
BOATS THIS WEEK (AUG 26-SEPT 1, 2024) — Tomorrow marks the 60th anniversary of Disney's Mary Poppins premiered, and that event is shown in the 2013 movie called Saving Mr. Banks about the making of Mary Poppins. If that's too confusing, give the episode a listen to unravel it all. From there, we'll travel to the west of Java to the movie incorrectly titled Krakatoa, East of Java. It got the geography wrong in the title, but we'll find out how well it shows the eruption of Krakatoa from August 28th, 1883. Then we'll go to London in 1888 because this Saturday is the anniversary of the first Jack the Ripper victim being discovered; an event from the movie From Hell. Until next time, here's where you can continue the story. Events from This Week in History Tuesday: Saving Mr. Banks Wednesday: Krakatoa, East of Java Thursday: From Hell | BOATS #93 | Jack the Ripper newspaper reports Birthdays from This Week in History Tuesday: President Lyndon B. Johnson in LBJ Friday: Mary Shelley in Mary Shelley Saturday: Caligula in The Robe Historical Movies Releasing This Week Friday: 1992 Mentioned in this episode Krakatoa and Edvard Munch's The Scream Original newspaper reports of each Jack the Ripper victim Did you enjoy this episode? Get the BOATS email newsletter Leave a comment Support our sponsors Unlock ad-free episodes Note: If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, copy/paste this in your browser to find all the links: https://links.boatspodcast.com/342 Disclaimer: Dan LeFebvre and/or Based on a True Story may earn commissions from qualifying purchases through these links. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This Week: The Crucible, Sweet Dreams, Pompeii
19-08-2024
This Week: The Crucible, Sweet Dreams, Pompeii
BOATS THIS WEEK (AUG 19-25,2024) — Historical events from the movies start with The Crucible and how it depicts the Salem witch trials from this week in 1692. Then, we'll learn a bit about Patsy Cline's hit song "Crazy" because it was this week in 1961 that she started recording it in the studio, and that's shown in the 1985 biopic about her life called Sweet Dreams. For our third event, we'll learn about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius as it was shown in the movie Pompeii. Editor's note: The filmmakers couldn't have known this, but there's a good chance it didn't actually happen this week in history. Listen to the episode to learn more. Until next time, here's where you can continue the story. Events from this week in history Monday: The Crucible Wednesday: Sweet Dreams Saturday: Pompeii Birthdays from this week in history Friday: King Louis XVI of France in Marie Antionette Saturday: William Wilberforce in Amazing Grace Sunday: Ivan Vasilyevich "Ivan the Terrible" in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Historical movie released this week in history Wednesday: Inglorious Basterds Also mentioned in this episode Photos from the real Pompeii Schindler's List with Dr. Dan McMillan Did you enjoy this episode? Get the BOATS email newsletter Leave a comment Support our sponsors Unlock ad-free episodes Note: If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, copy/paste this in your browser to find all the links: https://links.boatspodcast.com/341 Disclaimer: Dan LeFebvre and/or Based on a True Story may earn commissions from qualifying purchases through these links. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This Week: The Philadelphia Experiment, Macbeth, The Pacific
12-08-2024
This Week: The Philadelphia Experiment, Macbeth, The Pacific
BOATS THIS WEEK (AUG 12-18,2024) — Today is the 81st anniversary of the conspiracy theory from the 1984 movie The Philadelphia Experiment. Or is it? Tune in to find out. After that, we'll move into the Shakespearean classic-turned-modern movie Macbeth (2015) because this Wednesday is the 984th anniversary (1040 CE) of King Duncan I of Scotland's death. This week also marks the 79th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day, so our third event will come from the HBO miniseries The Pacific. Until next time, here's where you can continue the story. Events from This Week in History Monday: The Philadelphia Experiment Wednesday: Macbeth Thursday: The Pacific | BOATS The Pacific Miniseries Birthdays from This Week in History Tuesday: Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun Wednesday: Doc Holliday in Tombstone | BOATS #59 | BOATS #142 (Chris Wimmer) | BOATS #317 (Tom Clavin) Thursday: Napoleon Bonaparte in Napoleon | BOATS Napoleon Miniseries Friday: T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia | BOATS #49 Historical Movies Released This Week in History Thursday: Apocalypse Now Saturday: Monty Python's Life of Brian Mentioned in this episode The Philadelphia Experiment II The Philadelphia Experiment (2012) Potsdam Conference photos Chris Wimmer's Legends of the Old West podcast Tom Clavin's Tombstone book Louis Sarkozy's book Napoleon's Library Alexander Mikaberidze's book The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History Lt. Col. John Stockton photo Did you enjoy this episode? Get the BOATS email newsletter Leave a comment Support our sponsors Unlock ad-free episodes Note: If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, copy/paste this in your browser to find all the links: https://links.boatspodcast.com/339 Disclaimer: Dan LeFebvre and/or Based on a True Story may earn commissions from qualifying purchases through these links. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices