“The Jesse Owens Story”: The movie and the man

Dorian Harewood played the title character

in the 1984 television movie "The Jesse Owens Story".

Source: https://people.com/dorian-harewood

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Everything I know about legendary, trailblazing athlete Jesse Owens I learned on television. In particular, a four-hour TV event I saw one Sunday afternoon in 1986 called “The Jesse Owens Story”.

On the occasion of his birthday today, I was reminded of that four-hour TV movie, the insight it gave me into the man, and the actor who played Jesse Owens.

The story
By 1986, it had already been 50 years since Jesse Owens broke onto the international stage. I knew the general outline of his life.

Owens was born in Alabama and rose to prominence as a sprinter and long jumper. He qualified for the 1936 United States Olympic team at a most precarious time in history.

Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party had risen to power in Germany, capitalizing on the insecurity of a nation hobbled by war, the Depression, and economic instability. He not only had consolidated his power in the country, but was creating a supremely racist state that was exterminating all opposition, religious groups, and ethnic groups who did not conform to his concept of the “Master Race”.

Seeking to demonstrate to the world Germany’s return to glory and prominence, and showcase his “Master Race”, Hitler and his country hosted the 1936 Olympics in the German capital of Berlin.

Into this hypertense environment stepped Jesse Owens. As a Black man, he had experienced extreme racism in his own country. It kept him from attending college and living the life other Americans did.

Owens had the opportunity to stick it to Hitler and his “Master Race”. He was competing in four events and could very easily win them all.

That is exactly what he did. Owens won the 100-metre sprint; 200-metre sprint; long jump and four-by-100-metre relay. Moreover, he shook Adolf Hitler’s hand when receiving his medals, and stuck it in his eye again.

Owens should have been a conquering hero after that, but he was still a Black man in America in the 1930s. He experienced racism, his various sponsorship opportunities dried up, he had to work various menial jobs, and eventually he declared bankruptcy and was charged with tax evasion.

The movie shed a lot of light on this aspect of Jesse Owens’ story.

The movie
The “Jesse Owens Story”, which came out in 1984, is told largely through flashbacks as Owens is facing tax evasion charges. A court-appointed investigator, played by Georg Stanford Brown, looks into his life.

The first thing I recall distinctly is that Owens’ first name is not Jesse. He was named James Cleveland or J.C. Owens. However, his coach, played by George Kennedy, was hard of hearing. He thought he heard “Jesse” and, when he called him that, Owens did not correct him.

He did not want to make waves, a theme that is re-visited throughout the movie.

I knew well Owens’ Olympic journey, so that does not stick with me. What does sit with me is everything the movie showed me about what happened to Owens after the Olympics.

Avery Brundage was with the Olympic committee. The movie paints him as a racist who hobbles Owens’ chances to capitalize on his success. I recall being so angry at the injustice.

Owens ended up doing all sorts of things to make ends meet. The one thing that stands out was how Owens competed head to head with race horses – and won. At that time, the Olympics were still a recent memory and gold medalists were doing all sorts of commercials. I thought it was just sad that an Olympic champions, got so little respect or appreciation at home.

Dorian Harewood played Jesse Owens and he was amazing. Not only did he look like Owens, but he portrayed the pain and emotion the athlete felt. Harewood had previously played Alex Haley’s father Simon in “Roots: The Next Generations” and Dr. Nate “Skate” Baylor in this drama called “Trauma Center”.

Sunday afternoon viewing
I distinctly recall recording “The Jesse Owens Story” and sitting down on a Sunday afternoon to watch it. It was four hours long and, even fast forwarding through the commercials, it took the entire afternoon.

Often, after I watched something I had recorded, I would record over it. “The Jesse Owens Story” left enough of an impression on me that I kept it. I didn’t use that tape for anything else ever again.

Personal connection
One of my Grade 7 and 8 teachers was Joyce Ober, who had been an accomplished athlete. At one time, there was a display in our home room with newspaper clippings of her accomplishments. Before she got married, she was Joyce Meheden. When I looked at one of the clippings, there was a picture of Joyce Meheden sitting with Jesse Owens. He was older and grayer, but it was unmistakably him.

It was so cool.

Parting thoughts
America really didn’t treat its champions very well if they were Black. Boxer Joe Louis, a contemporary of Jesse Owens, suffered a similar fate, driven into bankruptcy and was ultimately taken in by his one-time nemesis. Jesse Owens endured racism before he went to the Olympics and again when he returned a conquering hero.

It is telling that he endorsed the opponent of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, pointing out Hitler shook his hand but Roosevelt didn’t.

Yet, at the time, and especially with the benefit of history, Jesse Owens has taken his rightful place in the annals of the greatest athletes of the 20th Century. Moreover, he is recognized as a trailblazer for equal rights, someone who fought valiantly against racism.

So much of Jesse Owens story I learned from TV, and it was well worth watching.