The Manhattan Project in Oppenheimer with Alice Lovejoy
From Based on a True Story by Dan LeFebvre
February 17, 2026 · 55 min · Episode 383
About this episode
The episode explores the accuracy of the Oppenheimer movie's portrayal of the Manhattan Project with guest Alice Lovejoy.
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 383) — Did the Oppenheimer movie get the Manhattan Project right? Today, we'll dig into the film's portrayal of the project. From the Los Alamos we see in the movie to what we don't see in the movie such as Oak Ridge's massive factories, Hanford's plutonium production, and more that you don't ever see in the movie. Get Alice's book Alice Lovejoy is the author of Tales of Militant Chemistry , film scholar, and a professor at the University of Minnesota. She'll join us today to unravel the true story behind the Manhattan Project in the movie. Find more of Alice's work Army Film and the Avant Garde Remapping Cold War Media Visit Alice's website Follow Alice on Bluesky Follow Alice on Instagram Listen to the other BOATS episode on Oppenheimer Chapters 00:00 Manhattan Project Overview 04:50 Uranium vs. Plutonium Bombs 09:45 Scale of the Project 15:28 Einstein's Role 20:42 Trinity Test Depiction 25:04 Radiation Concerns 30:51 Project's End & Legacy 33:52 Post-War Impacts Support my work Support my sponsors Become a BOATS Producer Email me: dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy…
People in this episode
Host: Dan LeFebvre
Guest: Alice Lovejoy
Topics covered
- Manhattan Project
- Oppenheimer
- nuclear history
- film analysis
- scientific legacy
Keywords
- Oppenheimer
- Manhattan Project
- nuclear bombs
- Los Alamos
- Oak Ridge
- Hanford
- Trinity Test
- radiation concerns
- Einstein
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Tales of Militant Chemistry, Army Film and the Avant Garde
Places: Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Hanford
More episodes of Based on a True Story
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- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with John Barker · April 6, 2026 · 45 min
- Oppenheimer · January 30, 2026 · 44 min
- Classic: King Arthur with Dorsey Armstrong · January 14, 2026 · 1h 3m
- Captain Phillips with Brian Beckcom · December 16, 2025 · 1h 1m
- Beyond Pearl Harbor in the Movies with Joshua Donohue · December 7, 2025 · 1h 25m
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