Schmied, now a principal in Samsara Filmproduction, had previously produced five feature films in Austria. says Franz Klammer whose hair-raising romp to gold at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck is still regarded as one of the . And then I completely changed the line. If there . The story of Franz Klammer is the story of ski racing in Carinthia. Its about skiing to school each day, always enjoying that feeling of sliding on snow. But Pepi Fischer wanted more. But young Franz loved the snow, skiing to school in the winter and climbing up hills on his own to come racing back down. Franz Klammer has a height of 6'0" (1.83 m). And he took a three-win streak, including his second straight Hahnenkamm win, into the Olympics. Chasing the Line, it would have been easy to simply pull archival footage to build a documentary story. The Klammer story was, well, pretty perfect. Showings in the United States and Canada are pending. He would win 26 World Cup Downhills between 1973 and 1984. I thought, Franz is the most famous Carinthian and we should do something with him, said Kresse. In skiing, its the Swiss Alps and the Austrian Alps that define the sport. The opportunity for Andreas Schmied, along with his wife Elisabeth, to write the screenplay for the Klammer story was both good fortune and a big challenge. I was not sure how much time I gained or lost, yet it gave me so much determination that I kept risking everything until the last meter. Yet Franz fought hard to stay on line, his arms wheeling in the air while approaching the last turns. Even his coaches were tense. At the last Olympics in Nagano, after a five-day delay, Trinkl was the only Austrian to win a medal in the downhill. This time, Alberto could not attend her performance, but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next to me. At a trade show in Berlin, he met Vienna filmmaker Jakob Pochlatko of epo-film, a third-generation family-owned production company. He was adorable. He also remains close to Russi. He was paired with Frank Gifford to call one of the Winter Olympics' most famous ski races for ABC - Austrian great Franz Klammer's electric downhill run to capture gold in 1976. Everybody was in front of the television set. And then I came down. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. I wanted to make a film. A fan of the Klagenfurt ice hockey team KAC, Klammer liked the film. But the skating star didnt meet Alberto afterwards. Memorable Moments. Franz Klammer In 1976, How the legendary Austrian skier won one of the most exciting Olympic downhill races of all time. Patrick Ortlieb admitted afterwards that he had a French passport lying around somewhere at home, yet he was happy to race for Austria. And his new girlfriend, Eva, was back home at college in Vienna. And there was only one leftit was Franz Klammer. Russi continued; Franz Klammer was in the starting gate. Newspaper. An ABC van brought us from the medal plaza to the Saddledome arena. Franz Klammer's downhill exploits from Insbruck 1976 Restless Volleyball men's Final Yugoslavia vs Russia at Sydney 2000 Should aliens compete at the Olympic Games Our kids casters pick their preferred team to participate at Olympic Games Kids Call Franz Klammer's downhill exploits from Insbruck 1976 Klammer won the World Cup downhill title five times: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1983 twice more than the next best downhiller. Your email address will not be published. [citation needed]. Tim also talked directly to Arnie, who asked him for Maiers phone number. Posted by: DeusxMac Date: July 21, 2021 08:38PM He was adorable, said Witt of her time with La Bomba. He would win 31 downhills in World Cup competition. He won a fourth in 1984, at the age of 30. After that, he was known as The Herminator. But I felt, you know, they were really pushing me., Passing the finish tape, the time showed 1:45.73. The antagonist role was cast with Fischer Skis owner Josef Pepi Fischer, the second-generation owner of the famed Austrian ski company. What happened next was the creation of a legend. There are no products in your shopping cart. Thats a fun story. Second in the season-long battle for the downhill crystal globe in 1973, he turned up the heat in 1975 winning eight World Cup downhills and taking the season title. Hes quick to talk about stars of the sport like Alberto Tomba, Hermann Maier and Bode Miller. Posted by: Dennis S Date: July 21, 2021 08:34PM Frank Gifford called the race for ABC. The greatest downhill run of ALL Time! Rahlves, too, is in a fascinating place in Austrian ski history. For Eva, they went with a young actress from Vienna, Valerie Huber. Downhill courses are the monsters of alpine skiing: 9,000-foot-long beasts with steep pitches that combine to build tremendous speed. Game 6 of the 1975 World Series Reds v. Red Sox 4. The two became friends. Background Born into a farming family in Mooswald, community Fresach, Carinthia, in 1953. He did all the action shots, said Schmied. He is not only legendary as a skier, hes just a very great person.. I am not a skiing fan. Hes one of the very few persons who seemed to do everything right. He was a very legendary skier, said Mayer, the son of Helmut Mayer, the 1988 Olympic super-G silver medalist in Nakiska. So heres the real deal! . For others, like Franz Klammer, its about climbing mountains for fun and sliding back down. One of the most exciting sports events I have ever witnessed was Franz Klammer's 1976 Winter Olympic run for the gold in the downhill. Nobody was doing anything. movie character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The blow-by-blow delivered over the PA system didnt help their nervesKlammer was behind the leaders at the intermediate times. Franz Klammer is an Austrian former Alpine ski racer known for dominating the Downhill skiing discipline. She fought for her rights, yet lost focus and energy during the intense political battle. Franz Klammer and the 1976 Olympic Downhill [], Your email address will not be published. 14/11/2009 LICENCE: Creative Commons. Originals 01:52. He would win on skiings toughest downhill course, Kitzbuhel, an incredible four times. At the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, (then Yugoslavia, now Bosnia), Klammer finished a disappointing tenth on a less-than-challenging course on Bjelanica. Klammer dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. When casting ski racing doubles for Klammer, Salmina turned to his longtime friend Rahlves. Austria in February 2013. So they took a chance, thinking what if we did a full-length feature film and just focused on one race? We pitched Franz on the idea, said Schmied. And suddenly, there were 60,000 people in the stadium and the whole mountain started to shake, Bernhard Russi explains. But, with Eva, it was immediate. The Austrian former champion alpine ski racer dominated the event for four consecutive World Cup seasons and was gold medallist in 1976. Finally!! I hope it lasts forever., Storyline in hand, casting the right actors became the next challenge. Rahlves wasnt even three years old when Klammer won gold. Chasing the Line. They shared an embrace, some laughs and watched a film that showcased the sport that formed the DNA of their lives on snow. Kids act as sportscasters while watching Franz Klammer's performance at the Olympic Winter Games Insbruck 1976. . Hoping for a low start number in the draw, Klammer drew 15 last in the top seed. Chasing the Line screenplay does a masterful job in capturing the pressure he felt that week. Klammer dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). But in that year, 1975, I had won all the World Cup races. I couldnt stop thinking about it. I had to ski out of control and make these little mistakes everywhere. He had a few interesting moments, skis up against the old picket fence, but never any really close calls. Frank Gifford who passed away yesterday at the age of 84 was known most as a Hall of Fame football player and the play-by-play man on Monday Night Football. Olympic triumph. They also required more feeling from the racers, who needed to steer them continuously from the entrance to the exit of each turn. He also earned the Olympic gold medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics wining the Downhill event. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. So, the necessary conflict was born. The project really came to us with a big burden, said Schmied, echoing Pochlatkos concerns. Klammer created The Franz Klammer Foundation which benefits seriously injured athletes in honor of his brother. Finally he also skied a line in the final pitch which Im sure he never recognised. After his victories, Alberto told me hed be pleased to watch East Germanys attractive superstar Katarina Witt competing at the ice arena in Calgary. Lineage: Original Scotch VHS 3Hr (1980) SP- Panasonic NVHS-960 SVHS (Gold edition - Mint) - SVIDEO lead - Canopus ADVC300 - Firewire - PC /w/ Sony Vegas with Neatvideo plugin - TMPGENC (Deint - 50fps mp4 3000bitrate) Youtube. Plus historical audio featuring ABC sportscaster Frank Gifford on the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics and the gold medal Franz Klammer downhill run that inspired this trip. Apparently they also threw quite a party at Arnies suite at the Hyatt Hotel to celebrate the wins. These achievements mark him as one of the greatest downhill racers ever: Karl Schranz achieved 20 wins over an extended career while Klammer won 19 in less than three seasons. Klammer first showed signs of promise in the second half of the 1973 World Cup season, finishing second in the St. Anton downhill behind Bernhard Russi of Switzerland, the reigning Olympic and World Cup downhill champion. All the other actors we found they were perfect, said Schmied, lighting up with excitement. He and Elisabeth dissected the story to determine how they could tell Klammers story and keep the attention of an audience 45 years after his famous ride down Patscherkofel. More Memorable Moments. You grow up with it., The most important week in my life! Seen here at Inghams 'Discovery Day' celebrating their 75th Anniversary at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon. As the lowest seed in 15th position, his task of bringing home . Hes let his skis do the talking over the years and has won a place in the hearts of Austrians well, to a degree. This time, Alberto could not attend her performance, but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next to me. 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