6.0/101 votesLoading...#1 - Star Trek
Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 6/30/2013
With 12 films and multiple television series in its thirty-year history, Star Trek is one of the most successful franchises in film history. The Real Story investigates the life of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and reveals actual scientific advances that inspired the series or were inspired by its fiction. Featuring interviews with actor Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock); the producer of the Star Trek TV series; Roddenberry’s son, Rod; and original members of the Star Trek fan club, the program charts Roddenberry’s meteoric rise to fame and extreme tactics to keep his series on the air.
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#2 - The Untouchables
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 8/27/2008
Al Capone was a notorious Mafia boss who thrived during the Prohibition era of 1930s Chicago. In the film "The Untouchables," he was brought down by a small group of gritty law enforcers led by Eliot Ness. The public believed that Ness and his Untouchables were responsible for Capone's downfall, but that's not the real story. The Internal Revenue Service recently opened secret documents surrounding the case, including highly classified objects such as Capone's gun and Ness's diary. See the full story behind the plot to capture Capone.
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#3 - Indiana Jones
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 9/12/2008
Just who was the real Indiana Jones? Indy's creators George Lucas and Steven Spielberg say the inspiration for the whip-cracking adventurer came from the explorers featured in 1930s and 40s movie serials. In turn, many writers of these serials say their inspiration came from the real-life adventures of Roy Chapman Andrews. Another source for the Indy legend is the German scholar and Grail-hunter, Otto Rahn. Both embody the spirit of Indiana Jones, and lived real lives of scholarship, exploration and danger.
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#4 - The Amityville Horror
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 9/19/2008
The quiet village of Amityville, NY took the country by gruesome surprise on November 13, 1974, when police discovered six members of the DeFeo family shot dead in their suburban home. Ronald, the eldest son, was found guilty of the murders. But when a new family moves into the DeFeo's Amityville home, reports of demonic possession and poltergeist activity grab international attention. Through eyewitness accounts and archival footage, we explore the facts behind the Amityville case and reveal new evidence, which suggests a hoax could be behind the horror.
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#5 - James Bond
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 9/26/2008
Bond...James Bond. Is this man of mystery a personification of a real spy or a fantasy spun by author Ian Fleming? Fleming wanted his suave secret agent to be the ultimate spy - but who provided the inspiration? Discover Fleming's wartime service in naval intelligence, and meet two men who could have supplied the basis for Bond's character. Uncover the facts behind the fiction - the people, places and even the gadgets that inspired the iconic spy.
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#6 - The Exorcist
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 4/25/2010
Perhaps the scariest part of "The Exorcist" is that it's not a work of complete fiction. We recount the 1949 exorcism of a young boy through reenactments and witness accounts. We also show how exorcism continues to this day and how neuroscientists' recent discoveries dispute this controversial, centuries-old ritual.
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#7 - The Silence of the Lambs
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 5/2/2010
Meet the deranged serial killers and the determined FBI agents who inspired one of Hollywood's most terrifying thrillers and gave Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster the roles of a lifetime. We go behind the scenes at the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit to meet the profilers who became the basis for Harris's characters and to uncover the details of real-life murderers Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, and others.
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#8 - The Bourne Identity
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 5/16/2010
Believe it or not, the covert, violent, and deadly world of Jason Bourne is actually grounded in reality. We take an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the CIA to see how a super assassin like Matt Damon's conflicted hero is created. We also probe the intelligence agency's controversial past operations, involving sinister mind-control experiments and often bizarre assassination plots.
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#9 - Casino
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 5/9/2010
Behind Martin Scorsese's masterful direction and Robert De Niro's larger-than-life performance lies the very real story of the high-stakes battle between the mob and the law for control of Las Vegas. We interview key figures on both sides of this colorful crime story and detail how the FBI was finally able to overcome the Mafia's formidable grip on Sin City.
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#10 - The Hunt for Red October
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 5/23/2010
In 1975, The Sentry, a state-of-the-art Russian warship, was taken over by a rogue Soviet officer. This remarkable mutiny not only inspired the best-selling political thriller and the Sean Connery/Alec Baldwin blockbuster, "The Hunt for Red October," it almost triggered World War III. For the first time, The Real Story takes you deep into the details of the events depicted in the film, revealing firsthand accounts of bravery and tragedy from the men aboard the warship and the officers who ordered its destruction.
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#11 - Apollo 13
Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 8/12/2012
No one would believe the story if it hadn't actually happened. The 1970 rescue of Apollo 13 captivated the nation and the film adaptation went on to win two Oscars(r). But how close to the truth was the film? Was "Houston, we have a problem," or "Failure is not an option," ever actually said? Did hostilities between the astronauts really exist? To reveal the truth, we put the big movie moments to the test. Firsthand accounts from astronauts and Mission Control staff involved in the rescue, as well as an interview with filmmaker Ron Howard, reveal the full story.
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#12 - Live Free or Die Hard
Season 5 Episode 2 - Aired 7/7/2013
Reviewing the history and the science of one of the Die Hard movies.
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#13 - Platoon
Season 5 Episode 3 - Aired 7/14/2013
Reviewing the truth behind the movie 'Platoon'.
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#14 - The Da Vinci Code
Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 7/21/2013
Reviewing the truth behind the movie 'The Da Vinci Code'.
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#15 - Scream
Season 5 Episode 5 - Aired 7/28/2013
Reviewing the Real Life Inspiration behind the movie "Scream"
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The Best Episodes of The Real Story
Every episode of The Real Story ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Real Story!
Discover the true stories involving very real people, places and events -- some known to the public, others hidden from it -- that went on...
Genre:Documentary
Network:Smithsonian Channel
Best Episodes Summary
"Star Trek" is the best rated episode of "The Real Story". It scored 6/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 6/30/2013. This episode scored NaN points higher than the second highest rated, "The Untouchables".