by Jeff Benjamin
The mysterious 1912 Olympics Jim Thorpe Pole Vault Pic!
Jeff Benjamin has been following the Jim Thorpe story for several years now, from the beginning of the fight to regain the medals for Jim Thorpe, to the key books on the World’s greatest athlete, to the announcements and development of the movie by Bright Path.
As one peruses through historical film and photos of the legendary Jim Thorpe, particularly around the 1912 Olympics, one can say they feel like they are looking for the Holy Grail.
As a matter of fact, the pic of Thorpe performing in the Pole Vault in Stockholm is quite a rarity to find and raises questions as to why?
Unfortunately, the many reasons for this frustrating quest can be tied to injustice and vindictiveness.
As many know, the legendary Sac & Fox Potawatomi athlete, who already had made a name for himself in early 20th-century football while competing at the Carlisle Indian School, also played Major League Baseball and Professional Basketball, earning the title given by Swedish King Gustav V alongside many others as “The World’s Greatest Athlete.”
Yet it was his Olympic performances in the Stockholm Olympiad where Thorpe was truly a sight of domination.
Two photos from the 1912 Olympic film, featuring Jim Thorpe and King Gustav V
Two photos from the 1912 Olympic film, featuring Jim Thorpe and King Gustav V
Winning the Pentathlon AND Decathlon, Thorpe demolished his competition and set long-standing records. In the words of the preeminent Olympic historian Bill Mallon, “That margin of victory (in the Decathlon) and Thorpe’s dominance has never been approached at the Olympic Games.”
Two photos from 1912 Olympic film, featuring Jim Thorpe
But after arriving back in America to great praise and welcome, Thorpe would see his Olympic awards stripped away by both the U.S. & International Olympic Committees for the “violation” of professionalism, which violated the Olympic Amateur code.
One should not forget that his ethnicity played a role in this as well.
Thorpe had played minor league baseball in the summers prior to Stockholm and, although his pay was along the lines of the rent/food category, he was caught in this “crime.”
Jim Thorpe, Abel Kiviat, photo credit unknown
“Awful… A poor baseball player getting — what was it, a hundred dollars a month?,” said Thorpe’s Olympic teammate sarcastically, the 1500 meters world record holder and Staten Islander Abel Kiviat.
While, due to the Herculean efforts of Robert Wheeler, Florence Ridlon, and others, Thorpe’s family had the medals restored in 1984 by the IOC, two topics of controversy still exist today.
#1 – The restoration of Thorpe as the SOLE winner of the 1912 Pentathlon & Decathlon, something which STILL has not happened.
#2 – The true scarcity of Thorpe’s 1912 Olympic exploits on film.
Yes, some may state, in 1912 there probably wasn’t a lot of film on those Olympics in that era.
Yet this writer must respectfully yet forcefully disagree.
With the growing advent of moving picture technology, filming DID occur on a large basis during the Stockholm Games — as a matter of fact, the IOC released a magnificent film set of all of the Olympiads going back to 1912 with close to 3 hours of Stockholm events displayed.
However, when it comes time for Thorpe there are VERY short clips of the Star of these Games, and it is only when being presented with his awards by King Gustav V.
In his painstakingly and persistently decades-long research, Wheeler basically concludes that there was most definitely a film of Thorpe’s exploits which has been “edited” out of the narratives following his illegal disqualification.
“Someone spliced out the film of Jim’s performances from the official IOC films,” said Wheeler.
“His images were purposely cut and then the film was reattached,” continued Wheeler. “Viewing the film reveals abrupt interruptions whenever the Pentathlon/Decathlon were being competed.”
So for decades, a search for the film of Thorpe at the Olympics has produced naught.
But in 1967 Wheeler, a guest in the home of Homer and Beth Ray – who were co-editors of the Yale (Oklahoma) News, was shown a copy of the 1912 Olympic film, which had belonged to Thorpe himself and was presented to the Rays as a gift!
The metal reel case, unopened for many years, had unfortunately led to the deterioration of most of the film.
“We were able to salvage very little of it and were able to save Jim’s Pole Vault performance and make it into a picture,” said Wheeler.
In 2020, Jeff Benjamin visited the Jim Thorpe monument, photo by Jeff Benjamin
So the quest continues on.
One theory Wheeler and Ridlon hold on to is the hope that the original film that was produced by the Swedish Army is in Sweden’s government archives or perhaps in someone’s attic in their home.
Jim Thorpe, World’s Greatest Athlete, photo by Robert Wheeler
One can only hope!
As a side note to Thorpe’s athletic greatness – the first time Thorpe ever attempted the Pole Vault was at these Olympics!
Bell Lap — For more information on the upcoming Hollywood Jim Thorpe film please go to – https://brightpathmovie.com/
To sign the Petition to restore Jim Thorpe as the SOLE Olympic Champion in the official record book please go to
https://petition.brightpathstrong.org
– Robert Wheeler’s paramount Jim Thorpe biography is available at –
https://www.amazon.com/Jim-Thorpe-Worlds-Greatest-Athlete/dp/0806117451
Other links of note –
