9 Nights of Glory tonight (Sunday) 9PM

[mysticchic]

9 Nights of Glory tonight features the battle of the Brian's and figure skating in Calgery from 88. Produced by Greenspan. It's on Universal Sports 9PM

[smileyskate]

I have it listed as '88 Calgary: 16 Days of Glory.
It's also supposed to feature K. Witt and speedskater Boucher (he is first up). It ends at midnight EST.

[AJ Skatefan]

Thanks for the heads up! I'm recording it now. Sounds like a good show.

[smileyskate]

Perhaps it's just me, but the narrator's voice sounds computer-like and monotone.

[TalentedButHumble]

I still like Orser better. But sad to see Bowman and even Orser's mom, who died not that many years later.

And I just had to google Uschi Kezler to see what she's doing nowadays!

As an Olympics fan in general I still remember so many names from those other sports - like Nykunen (sp?) the ski jumper.

[HeatherC]

I love these movies! I wish they would air more of them this week but I'm sure there's a time constraint for Universal Sports. I plan to enjoy what they're showing and I can't wait to see the next ones. Love reliving the Battle of the Brians and the ladies event. I still adore Liz Manley!

[tlk]

Lots of fun to see all the backstage footage!

[Quintuple]

I would watch the 1984 Summer film from the library over and over again as a kid. I watched that last night, and tonight am enjoying 1988 Winter. I don't think I've ever seen the others, so I can't wait!

[tlk]

Monday night will be the '94 Lillehammer film. I haven't seen it, really looking forward to it! 9 pm Eastern time, Universal Sports.

[beebee]

The "Nine Nights of Glory" refers to the nine different Bud Greenspan Olympic documentaries that Universal Sports will air on consecutive nights from Jan. 1 to Jan. 9 (9:00 pm to 12:00 midnight Eastern) as a tribute to him following his recent death. The rest of the schedule is:

1/3 Lillehammer '94
1/4 Atlanta '96
1/5 Nagano '98
1/6 Sydney '00
1/7 Salt Lake City '02
1/8 Athens '04
1/9 Torino '06

These documentaries are fabulous and I'm not sure if they ever aired on non-premium cable. I seem to recall them shown on either HBO or Showtime, but I could very well be wrong about that. For me, they are a must-see!

[taf2002]

Some of us don't get Universal Sports no matter how hard we beg our cable provider...grrrr.

[SpeedySucks]

These documentaries are fabulous and I'm not sure if they ever aired on non-premium cable. I seem to recall them shown on either HBO or Showtime, but I could very well be wrong about that. For me, they are a must-see!

The older ones were shown on ESPN Classic back in 2004, but all of the films from 1998 to present have only aired on Showtime. I wish they'd release all of the films on DVD--some of the newer ones are, but the older ones are only available on VHS (and are very hard to find). Universal Sports has not been showing the entire films--just selected stories from the films.

[HeatherC]

FYI: They're repeating the 9 PM-midnight version again from midnight-3 AM in case anyone misses something during the original broadcast. My regular TV shows are all new this week (figures they'd come back during this week when I want to watch Bud's movies, LOL) but I'm hoping to catch the stuff I end up missing during the second broadcast.

[AlexDSSF]

As an Olympics fan, I've been wanting to see these documentaries for some time. The first one I remember seeing as a kid was the Barcelona one. IIRC, it aired on the Disney Channel and I caught it during one of those free preview weekends that it would have every few months. (This was when the Disney Channel was a premium channel, long before we heard of Hannah Montana and High School Musical.) As of late, I saw the Salt Lake City edition and a special called "Bud Greenspan's Favorite Stories of Winter Olympic Glory" on Showtime in 2005. The "Favorite Stories" had the following stories:

The Battle of the Carmens in 1988 (Katarina Witt and Debi Thomas)

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean (from their early years to the 1994 Olympics)

Jack Shea (one of the first US Winter Olympic champions; his grandson Jim Shea won men's skeleton gold in 2002)

Billy Fiske (two-time Olympic bobsleigh champion who was the first US pilot to die in World War II, serving in the Royal Air Force of Great Britain)

Colin Coates (Australian speed skater who competed in six Olympic Games and earned the respect of his competitors even while having to eke out a meager existence)

Maurilio de Zolt (Italian cross-country skier who, at the age of 41, helped Italy to defeat Norway in the 1994 Olympic men's cross-country ski relay)

I hope that Bud Greenspan worked on a documentary for Vancouver 2010. I wonder, can you get any of these on DVD? If so, hopefully they'll have updated information on the featured athletes. For instance, Matti Nykaenen, after winning three gold medals in 1988, had a life that would make many wild Hollywood stars look positively saintly by comparison: four failed marriages, bouts with alcoholism, stints as a singer and a stripper, and assaulting his fourth wife in 2009...

[Sylvia]

I hope that Bud Greenspan worked on a documentary for Vancouver 2010.

Yes, he did, according to posts in the Bud Greenspan thread in Off the Beaten Track forum: http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/showthread.php?t=76649

[kittyjake5]

I have been watching too. Fabulous documentaries.

[aliceanne]

Some of us don't get Universal Sports no matter how hard we beg our cable provider...grrrr.

I get it on my laptop with a TV tuner and antenna. Can't you get over-the-air broadcast in your area? That sucks if you don't.

[viennese]

Even if you've seen the skating before, the Greenspan documentaries reveal something new -- a new angle, at least, on the events.

The crew uses film (35mm) cameras, set up in different parts of the arenas than what we get to see with TV coverage. In more recent years, they use HD cameras, too - it's really cool how things are edited - you get a sense of being both inside and outside the athlete's mind as they recall the competition, re-live it.

[Fergus]

Just noticed tonight that the musical score is done by Lee Holdridge.

[skatesindreams]

Some of us don't get Universal Sports no matter how hard we beg our cable provider...grrrr.

I feel your pain!
I'm too far away for an antenna to work, either.