The story of the University of Washington rowing team that triumphed at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany gets the “American Experience” treatment in a 52-minute documentary film this week on PBS. It’s timed to capitalize on both the 80th anniversary of the underdog story and interest in all things Olympics thanks to the summer games kicking off in Brazil on Aug. 5.
Inspired by Redmond author Daniel James Brown’s best-selling 2013 book “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics,” the “American Experience” film includes both archival footage and newly shot scenes of the current University of Washington rowing team slicing through the waters of Union Bay.