Épisodes

  • Donald Rumsfeld in the Movies with William Cooper

    Donald Rumsfeld in the Movies with William Cooper
    Sep 18 2025
    BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 375) — Donald Rumsfeld served as the U.S. Secretary of Defense twice in his career, including during the 9/11 attacks. Today, we'll learn how the movies "Vice", "W." bring a fictional portrayal of Rumsfeld. We'll also look into the accuracy of the documentary "The Unknown Known" which interviews Rumsfeld himself.⁠Get William's book⁠Separating fact from fiction for us today is William Cooper, whose new historical fiction novel "The Trial of Donald H. Rumsfeld" is available now.⁠Where to watch Vice⁠⁠Where to watch W.⁠⁠Where to watch The Unknown Known⁠Answer this question from the episode: What impact do you think Rumsfeld has had in U.S. politics today?⁠Share your opinion in the BOATS Discord⁠Chapters00:00:00 Introduction00:00:15 Movie synopsis00:02:13 Two truths and a lie00:03:27 Interview01:09:02 Two truths and a lie answerAlso mentioned in this episode⁠Follow William on Bluesky⁠⁠(BOATS EP. 196) — Moneyball with William Cooper⁠⁠(BOATS EP. 335) — Vice with William Cooper⁠⁠Search Rumsfeld's archive at Rumsfeld.com⁠⁠William's Non-Fiction Book: "How America Works . . . and Why It Doesn’t"⁠Support my work⁠Become a BOATS Producer (name in credits + ad-free episodes)⁠⁠Great deals from my sponsors⁠⁠Join the BOATS Discord⁠⁠Get the BOATS email newsletter⁠⁠Email me: dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com⁠⁠Get my video podcasting class⁠Note: If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, copy/paste this in your browser to find all the links: ⁠https://links.boatspodcast.com/375See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    59 min
  • Young Guns II with Josh from The Wild West Extravaganza

    Young Guns II with Josh from The Wild West Extravaganza
    Sep 2 2025
    BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 374) — Today we'll rejoin Billy the Kid's outlaw gang as they continue their attempts to escape the law following the events in Young Guns (BOATS EP. 146). Was Brushy Bill Roberts a real person? Was he Billy the Kid? What other creative liberties did the filmmakers take in telling the true story of Billy the Kid? Where to watch Young Guns II Follow Josh's podcast To help us unravel the historical accuracy of Young Guns II, we'll be joined by Josh, the host of The Wild West Extravaganza podcast. Is Young Guns or Young Guns II a better movie? Share your opinion in the BOATS Discord Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:15 Movie synopsis 00:02:13 Two truths and a lie 00:03:27 Interview 01:09:02 Two truths and a lie answer Also mentioned in this episode The Wild West Extravaganza PodcastWild West Extravaganza on YouTubeJosh's episode on Dirty Dave RudabaughCharlie Bowdre's blood-stained photoListen to Based on a True Story's episode covering the first Young Guns"Alias Billy the Kid" by William Morrison and C.L. SonnichsenThe Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid by Pat Garrett (and Ash Upson)The Saga of Billy the Kid by Walter Noble Burns Support my work Support my sponsorsBecome a BOATS Producer (name in credits + ad-free episodes)Join the BOATS DiscordGet the BOATS email newsletterEmail me: dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.comGet my video podcasting class 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/374 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 h et 27 min
  • Amelia with Chris Williamson

    Amelia with Chris Williamson
    Aug 19 2025

    BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 373) — Learn about legendary aviator Amelia Earhart as she was portrayed onscreen by Hilary Swank in the 2009 biopic. To uncover the true story, today we'll talk with author, documentarian, and host of Chasing Earhart , the only podcast dedicated entirely to Amelia Earhart: Chris Williamson.

    Where to watch Amelia

    Get Chris's book

    Chris Williamson has an array of work with the Chasing Earhart Project, including the book "Rabbit Hole: The Vanishing of Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan."

    Chapters

    00:00:00 Introduction

    00:00:15 Movie synopsis

    00:02:13 Two truths and a lie

    00:03:27 Interview

    01:09:02 Two truths and a lie answer

    Also mentioned in this episode

    • Chasing Earhart Podcast
    • The Aviator and the Showman by Laurie Gwen Shapiro
    • Chasing Earhart on Facebook

    Support my work

    • Support my sponsors
    • Become a BOATS Producer (name in credits + ad-free episodes)
    • Join the BOATS Discord
    • Get the BOATS email newsletter
    • Email me: dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com
    • Get my video podcasting class

    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/373

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    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 h et 12 min
  • Trail of Vengeance with Rob Hilliard

    Trail of Vengeance with Rob Hilliard
    Aug 5 2025

    BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 372) — Travel back to the Old West for a tale of revenge, Pinkerton agents, and frontier justice in the wake of the Civil War. One of those former Pinkerton agents in the movie is John Scobell (Gbenga Akinnagbe), making 2025's Trail of Vengeance the first movie to feature John Scobell as one of its main characters.

    Where to watch Trail of Vengeance

    Get Rob's book

    To help us separate fact from fiction in the movie today is author Rob Hilliard, whose book "In Freedom's Shadow" is a historical novel based on John Scobell. How well does the movie tell us John Scobell's true story? Let's find out!

    Chapters

    00:00:00 Introduction

    00:00:09 Movie synopsis

    00:02:05 Two truths and a lie

    00:03:18 Interview

    01:31:54 Two truths and a lie answer

    Also mentioned in this episode

    • "The Spy of the Rebellion" by Allan Pinkerton
    • "The Pinkertons" miniseries with Rob

    Support my work

    • Dan LeFebvre's Getting Started with Video Podcasting
    • Unlock ad-free episodes
    • Support my sponsors
    • ⁠⁠Chat about this episode⁠⁠
    • ⁠Get the BOATS email newsletter⁠
    • Talk to a real person ⁠dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com

    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/372

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    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 h et 34 min
  • Classic: Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story with Matthew Polly

    Classic: Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story with Matthew Polly
    Jul 22 2025

    BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 371) — How well do you know about the real Bruce Lee? There are a lot of myths that came out of the movie "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" so today we'll pull another classic episode from the Based on a True Story vault.

    Where to watch Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story

    ⁠Get Matthew's book⁠

    Matthew Polly authored "Bruce Lee: A Life," called the definitive biography by The New York Times. His research revealed Lee's more complex humanity, debunking decades of Hollywood myths.


    Did you enjoy this episode?

    • Unlock ad-free episodes
    • Get the BOATS email newsletter
    • ⁠Chat about this episode⁠
    • 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/371

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    55 min
  • Titanic with Mark B. Perry

    Titanic with Mark B. Perry
    Jul 1 2025

    BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 370) — Twentieth Century-Fox's "Titanic" starring Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb claims to draw facts from 1912 congressional inquiries, so how well does it do when we compare it to history?

    Where to watch Titanic (1953)

    ⁠Get Mark's book

    Mark B. Perry is the author of the novel "And Introducing Dexter Gaines: A Novel of Old Hollywood", a tale that transports you back to the time when during the film's production. is a Golden Globe and Emmy-winning screenwriter known for Wonder Years, Law & Order, Picket Fences, and more. A self-proclaimed "ship geek" and founding board member of SS United States Conservancy, he ironically wrote his own Titanic screenplay in 1988—rejected by studios because "nobody cares about the Titanic."


    Also mentioned in this episode

    • Get Mark's audiobook
    • Walter Lord's A Night to Remember
    • BOATS episode #35 about James Cameron's Titanic
    • SS United States Conservancy

    Did you enjoy this episode?

    • Unlock ad-free episodes
    • Get the BOATS email newsletter
    • Chat about this episode
    • 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/370

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    1 h et 28 min
  • Classic: Saving Private Ryan with Marty Morgan

    Classic: Saving Private Ryan with Marty Morgan
    Jun 3 2025

    BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 369) — This Friday marks the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings. Arguably the most popular movie depicting the fighting on the beaches of Normandy is 1998's Saving Private Ryan. Where to watch Saving Private Ryan In this remastered edition of Based on a True Story, we'll compare the movie with what really happened with historian Marty Morgan. What did Saving Private Ryan get right, where did it miss the mark, and hear how the movie has influenced Marty's experiences as a tour guide of the Normandy beaches. Editor's note: This episode was originally recorded in January of 2020. Get Marty's D-Day: A Photography History of the Normandy Invasion Also mentioned in this episode

    • HBO's Band of Brothers
    • Mythbusters on Private Jackson's sniper shot

    Did you enjoy this episode?

    • Support my work
    • Get the BOATS email newsletter
    • Join the Discord
    • Support my 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/369

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    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    2 h et 4 min
  • Behind the True Story: Not a Real Enemy with Robert Wolf

    Behind the True Story: Not a Real Enemy with Robert Wolf
    May 13 2025

    BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 368) — Go behind the true stories shown in Holocaust movies through the experiences of Robert Wolf's family. Since we'll be talking about the Holocaust, listener discretion is advised.


    Get Robert's book
    Where to watch today's movies
    • The Sound of Music (1965)
    • Life is Beautiful (1997)
    • Schindler's List (1993)
    • Walking with the Enemy (2013)
    • Sunshine (1999)

    Did you enjoy this episode?
    • Support our sponsors
    • Unlock ad-free episodes
    • Get the BOATS email newsletter
    • Join the BOATS community
    • Roll the credits

    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/368


    Disclaimer: Dan LeFebvre and/or Based on a True Story may earn commissions from qualifying purchases through these links.

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    1 h et 23 min