''The Bob Mathias Story'' is a 1954 American

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by

Francis D. Lyon Francis D. "Pete" Lyon (July 29, 1905 – October 8, 1996) was an American film director, television director, and film editor. He and Robert Parrish were co-recipients of the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for the 1947 film, '' Body and So ...

and starring

Bob Mathias Robert Bruce Mathias (November 17, 1930 – September 2, 2006) was an American decathlete, two-time Olympic gold medalist in the event, a United States Marine Corps officer, actor and United States Congressman representing the state of Californ ...

and

Ward Bond Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series ''Wagon Train'' from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Be ...

. The story of Bob Mathias (portraying himself), the first man to win two consecutive

Olympic Gold Medal Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece be ...

s in the

Decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄ ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1948 and in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

in 1952. His wife Melba appeared as herself. The film utilized extensive footage of the London and Helsinki Games, including actual footage of Mathias' triumphs. It was produced and distributed by Allied Artists and was marketed as being similar to other biopics ''

The Stratton Story ''The Stratton Story'' is a 1949 American biographical film directed by Sam Wood that tells the true story of Monty Stratton, a Major League Baseball pitcher who pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 1934 to 1938. The film is the first of three ...

'' and '' The Glenn Miller Story''.

Plot

Cast

as Bob Mathias *

as Coach Jackson * Melba Mathias as Melba Mathias * Howard Petrie as Dr. Charles Mathias * Ann Doran as Mrs. Lillian Mathias *

Diane Jergens Diane Jergens (born Dianne Irgens; March 31, 1935 – October 9, 2018) was an American film and television actress. Early years Jergens was the daughter of Norman C. Irgens, an alderman in Minneapolis, and his wife. In 1944, at age 8, she au ...

as Pat Mathias * Paul Bryar as Bill Andrews *

Anne Kimbell Anne Kimbell Relph, known professionally as Anne Kimbell (née Banks; June 28, 1932 – May 16, 2017) was an American actress most active on screen during the 1950s. Kimbell is best known as the star of the 1954 science fiction film, ''Monster f ...

as Sally * Harry Lauter as Irving Mondschein

References

External links

* * * 1954 films 1950s biographical drama films Allied Artists films American biographical drama films American black-and-white films Biographical films about sportspeople Cultural depictions of American men Cultural depictions of track and field athletes Films directed by Francis D. Lyon Films about the 1952 Summer Olympics Films about the 1948 Summer Olympics Films about Olympic track and field Films scored by Leith Stevens 1954 drama films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-drama-film-stub