RAFER JOHNSON STORY, THE (TV)
Summary
A documentary about Olympic decathlete Rafer Johnson and his rise to prominence. The Johnson family moves to the small idyllic town of Kingsburg, CA in 1945. Rafer Johnson, the eldest boy of the family, grows up there and finds it is a good environment for him. His mother describes him as "less mischievous" than other kids his age, and that he was often a "peacemaker" for other children at school. She recounts an accident Johnson suffered at the local cannery, and his childhood desire to be a dentist. Johnson excels in many different sports in high school, demonstrating his remarkable athleticism. The one which garners the most focus from him is track and field, and his coach convinces him to start trying out the decathlon, which he soon excels at. In 1952, Olympic decathlon gold medalist Bob Mathias arrives for a homecoming in the nearby town of Tulare. Johnson is inspired by Mathias, the youngest decathlete to win the Olympic gold medal, and aspires to win the gold medal himself. To reach this goal, Johnson competes in decathlons across the state and wins many awards for his exemplary abilities. The decathlon consists of ten events spread out over a two-day period. The first day's events consist of the 100 meter dash, the long jump, the shot put, the high jump, and the 400 meter dash. The second day consists of the 110 meter high hurdles, the discus throw, the pole vault, the javelin throw, and finally the 1,500 meter run. Johnson graduates high school in 1954 and goes on to attend UCLA; he is attracted to it in part due to its well-regarded track and field program. He begins studying as a pre-dental student but changes his major to physical education when he becomes more engrossed in his track and field endeavors. He and veteran UCLA track coach "Ducky" Drake work closely together and form a lasting friendship. Coach Drake talks about his impressions of Johnson and how his upbringing imbued him with a great sense of humility. In March of 1955, Johnson enters his first international competition, the Pan-American Games in Mexico City, Mexico, at the age of 19. He wins with a new world record and gains international acclaim. Kingsburg presents him with the key to the city, much to his appreciation. He retains his aspirations of competing in the Olympics. During his sophomore year he joins the fraternity Pi Lambda Phi, becoming the first African-American in the UCLA chapter. His fellows in the fraternity describe him as easygoing and fun-loving, but also introspective at times. In July 1956 Johnson competes in the Olympic trials in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He wins and gains the opportunity to represent the United States in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. Over the next few months, Johnson intensifies his training with Coach Drake to prepare for the games. As the games near Johnson starts feeling a stabbing pain in his knee during training. Doctors diagnose him as having an aggravated condition, requiring an operation to sort out. However, this would take him out of the Olympics and Johnson is determined to compete regardless of his condition. In November, Johnson, aged 21, arrives in Melbourne for the start of the games. He faces several prominent rivals from around the world, including fellow American Milt Campbell, Vasili Kuznetsov from the USSR, and C. K. Yang from China. Johnson's knee begins to act up during the long jump, and continues to deteriorate over the remaining eight events. Except for some trouble with the pole vault, Campbell leads the entire time and wins the gold medal, while Johnson takes the silver. While his failure to achieve the gold in Melbourne is "somewhat disappointing" to him, Johnson decides to direct his energies to winning in Rome in four years, his final Olympic decathlon. Upon his return to the United States doctors operate on his knee, taking him out of training for months. During this time he takes the opportunity to exercise his upper body, greatly improving his performance in the weight events. Coach Drake helps Johnson rebuild the muscles in his legs. Outside of the field, Johnson maintains good academics and an active role in student life. With the help of an unconventional advertising campaign, Johnson is elected president of the student body, and eagerly takes to the responsibilities the post entails. By 1958, Johnson's recovery from his operation is complete and he maintains his role as the star of the UCLA track team. He and Coach Drake learn that Kuznetsov has broken Johnson's world record, and that the United States and Russia are holding a dual meet the following month in Moscow. Johnson is eager to accept Kuznetsov's challenge and arrives in Moscow with other American athletes, greeted by over 70,000 enthusiastic spectators. He and Kuznetsov square off against each other; their scores are close the entire time, but Johnson wins by a narrow margin. The Russian crowd gives Johnson a remarkable ovation for his athleticism, and Johnson's international fame continues to increase. On the way home to attend his little sister's high school graduation in 1959, Johnson gets into a car accident, suffering a back injury. This causes a major setback for his preparations for the Rome games, now only months away. During this time, C. K. Yang comes to the United States to train with Coach Drake alongside Johnson. The former rivals soon become friends both on and off the field, each of them helping the other with their training. At the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon in July of 1960, Johnson worries about aggravating his back injury, but finds he can compete without risking it. Yang provides stiff competition, and both of them qualify for the Olympic Games in Rome, with Johnson setting another world record. In the summer of 1960 the Olympics in Rome begin. Johnson's biggest concern is facing Yang in the decathlon. It begins and Kuzetsnov, his other rival, falls behind, leaving the contest for the gold medal between Johnson and Yang only. Yang defeats Johnson in the 100 meter dash and the long jump, but Johnson manages to recover his lead in the shot put. A rainstorm delays the competition by over two hours; by the time the high jump starts it is already night. Yang defeats Johnson in the high jump and wins the 400 meter dash by two-tenths of a second, sharply cutting Johnson's lead to a narrow margin. Due to the delay, the exhausted competitors receive only a few hours of sleep before the second day of competition. Johnson performs poorly in the 110 meter high hurdles, allowing Yang to snatch the lead. However, he manages to regain the lead by beating Yang's discus throw by 29 feet. Yang goes on to win the pole vault, but Johnson wins the javelin throw. The final event, the 1,500 meter run, is to decide the victor, and Johnson is concerned because Yang always beat him by at least 200 yards in this event during training. In the third lap Yang breaks into a desperate sprint, Johnson pushes himself to keep up pace with Yang despite his lack of strength. The race ends and Johnson is declared the winner of the decathlon, accomplishing his dream of winning the gold medal. After holding the distinction of being the world's most celebrated athlete, Johnson volunteers to help recruit members for the newly-formed Peace Corps. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1960
- RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:15215
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/documentaries
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David L. Wolper … Executive Producer
- Mel Stuart … Producer, Director
- Malvin Wald … Writer
- Mike Wallace … Host
- Rafer Johnson … Guest
- Merle Dodson … Guest
- Alma Gibson Johnson … Guest
- Ducky Drake (See also: Elvin C. "Ducky" Drake) … Guest
- Evan Olins (audio id only) … Guest
- Bill Ackerman … Guest
- Vasili Kuznetsov … Guest
- C. K. Yang (See also: Yang Chuan-kwang) … Guest
- Milt Cambell
- Sid James
- Bob Mathias
- Ed Sullivan