WINTER OLYMPICS '80: THE WORLD COMES TO AMERICA (TV)
Summary
This program presents a forescast of the upcoming 1980 XIII Olympic Winter Games from Lake Placid. Highlights include the following events and topics:
Anchor sports commentator Jim McKay presides throughout this portion and recaps the highlights of the 1976 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck.
McKay provides background on Lake Placid, traveling from the Statue of Liberty in Manhattan up the Hudson River to northern New York, discussing the various historical towns and landmarks along the way.
McKay discusses the preparations made by the town of Lake Placid for the Games, including the construction of a new skating rink and ski jump.
McKay discusses alpine skiing and various notable competitors from the 1976 Olympic Winter Games at Innsbruck and the 1972 Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo, including gold medalist Franz Klammer (Austria), bronze medalist Ingemar Stenmark (Sweden), bronze medalist Cindy Nelson (USA), and silver medalist Annemarie Moser-Pröll (Austria), all of whom are favored to do well at Lake Placid.
McKay then examines cross-country skiing, the "oldest winter sport," noting that Oddvar Bra (Norway), who won a silver medal at the 1972 Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo, and Bill Koch (USA), who won silver at the 1976 Olympic Winter Games at Innsbruck, are both favored to win again.
In ice hockey, the relatively young USA team is favored to do well, having won a surprising victory over the USSR team at the 1960 Olympic Winter Games at Squaw Valley.
McKay touches upon other winter sports, including the ski jump, the bobsled, the luge and speed-skating, then profiling brother-sister speed-skaters Beth and Eric Heiden (USA), who discuss the challenges of training and practice and their hopes for the Games.
Figure skater Dick Button (USA) interviews his former coach Gus Lussi, discussing the stress of training and the relative fairness of judges, and the talents of USA figure skaters Dorothy Hamill, Linda Fratianne, Charles Tickner, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner.
McKay discusses the 1932 Olympic Winter Games, also held at Lake Placid, noting that only 3,000 people attended the opening ceremonies, presided over by then-governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
McKay examines a plaque from the 1932 Games, acknowledging gold medalist figure skater Sonja Henie (Norway), who died in 1969.
McKay interviews figure skater Peggy Fleming, who won a gold medal at the 1968 Olympic Winter Games at Grenoble, and she discusses the challenges of fame at a young age and her early interest in dance. She then gives a special skating performance in the newly built arena.
McKay provides further background on Lake Placid, home to only 2,700 people, acknowledging various local residents who worked to bring the Games to their town, including Art Devlin, who competed in previous Games as a ski-jumper, speed-skater Jack Shea, who won two gold medals at the 1932 Games, and Mayor Robert Peacock.
McKay visits the grave of famed abolitionist John Brown, discussing the town's historical relevance.
McKay interviews musician and composer Chuck Mangione, who has been commissioned to write special music for the Games, and he discusses his favored instrument, the flugelhorn, as well as his composing techniques. He then performs an original piece along with his quartet. Further footage of Fleming's skating is shown.
Notable commercials include Dorothy Hamill for credit unions.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: January 12, 1980 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:57:30
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T80:0430
- GENRE: Sports
- SUBJECT HEADING: U.S. Olympic Archive, presented by Gordon Crawford, The; Olympic Games, 1980, Winter, Lake Placid; Olympics; Sports; Alpine Skiing; Cross Country Skiing; Ice Hockey, ice hockey men; Speed-skating; Ski Jumping; Bobsleigh; Luge; Figure Skating
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV, 1980
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - CUNA Mutual Insurance Group
- TV - Commercials - Credit Unions
- TV - Commercials - United Airlines
- TV - Promos - Angie
- TV - Promos - Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders II
- TV - Promos - Laverne & Shirley
- TV - Promos - Stone
- TV - Promos - The 2nd Guiness Book of World Records
CREDITS
- Roone Arledge … Executive Producer
- Doug Wilson … Producer, Director
- Jim Jennett … Director
- Bob Paul … Choreographer
- Jim McKay … Anchor Sports Commentator, Host
- Chris Schenkel … Sports Commentator
- Charles Meeks … Instrumentalist, Chuck Mangione Quartet
- Chris Vadala … Instrumentalist, Chuck Mangione Quartet
- James Bradley Jr. … Instrumentalist, Chuck Mangione Quartet
- Grant Geissman … Instrumentalist, Chuck Mangione Quartet
- Franz Klammer … Athlete
- Ingemar Stenmark … Athlete
- Phil Mahre … Athlete
- Cindy Nelson … Athlete
- Annemarie Moser-Proell … Athlete
- Oddvar Bra … Athlete
- Bill Koch … Athlete
- Beth Heiden … Athlete
- Eric Heiden … Athlete
- Linda Fratianne … Athlete
- Charlie Tickner … Athlete
- Tai Babilonia … Athlete
- Randy Gardner … Athlete
- Sonja Henie … Athlete
- Peggy Fleming … Athlete
- Jack Shea … Athlete
- Art Devlin … Athlete
- Dick Button … Guest
- Gus Lussi … Guest
- Chuck Mangione … Guest, Instrumentalist
- John Brown
- Robert Peacock
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- Dorothy Hamill … Talent, Credit Union commercial