Greenspan Show Airs Tonight

Olympic filmmaker Bud Greenspan and his late wife Cappy worked the 1972 Munich Olympic Games for NBC Radio. Greenspan, then 44, went from reporting on athletic achievements to a major news event once Palestinian terrorists took 11 members of the Israeli delegation hostage in Building 31 of the Olympic village on the morning of Sept. 5.

Using his radio reports as a backdrop, Greenspan has compiled a 100-minute documentary to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Munich massacre.

“The 1972 Munich Olympics: Bud Greenspan Remembers” will be televised on Showtime tonight at 10.

The film, narrated by Will Lyman, features comments from Greenspan, newly discovered archival footage and interviews with about 30 Olympic officials, athletes, politicians, journalists and relatives of those killed.

Those interviewed include Shmuel Lalkin, head of the 1972 Israeli Olympic team, Walter Troeger, mayor of the Olympic village in 1972, and Gen. Ulrich Wegener, who became the head of Germany’s GSG-9 counter-terrorism force when it was created after the Olympics. Wegener was candid in discussing all the mistakes the German police and security forces made.

Gad Tsobari, an Israeli wrestler, talked about his escape after 10 minutes as a hostage.

Also featured are many athletes in the spotlight during the 10 days of the Munich Games leading up to Sept. 5.

Greenspan’s film will be the second documentary on Munich to be shown on national television this week. Sunday, ABC aired “Our Greatest Hopes, Our Worst Fears: The Tragedy of the Munich Games.” It featured many of the ABC personnel who covered the Games, including Jim McKay and Peter Jennings.