Gallery – Beyond the Games – Montreal’s Olympic Story

Beyond the Games – Montreal’s Olympic Story

McCord Stewart Museum

Chapters

In black and white, Mayor Jean Drapeau stands next to his wife. Looking somewhat surprised, he is clapping.

Games of the XXI Olympiad

In black and white, Jean Drapeau presents a model of the Olympic Stadium and Velodrome to twenty or so members of the press. The mayor is holding a folded document and a telescopic pointer.

Yvon Laroche and Raymond Bellemare are smiling, standing in front of tall bookshelves and a spiral staircase. Both men are wearing dark sweaters.

Yvon Laroche and Raymond Bellemare

Three people stand side by side in front of tall bookshelves and a spiral staircase. From left to right: Yvon Laroche, Loïc Poisson and Raymond Bellemare. All three are wearing dark sweaters and smiling.

Loïc Poisson meets with Yvon Laroche and Raymond Bellemare

Raymond Bellemare stands in front of tall bookshelves with his arms crossed. Dressed in a dark sweater, he is wearing glasses.

Raymond Bellemare looks back on his poster

Yvon Laroche stands in front of bookshelves with his arms crossed. Dressed in a dark sweater, he is wearing glasses.

Yvon Laroche looks back on his poster

Games’ graphics manual

At Expo 67, crowds of people wander near the French Pavilion, a circular multi-storey white building that is now the home of the Casino de Montréal.

Two children, seen from the back, walk through a carnival ride under construction, parts of which are covered by tarps. The sign over the ride reads "Calypso."

On the platform of the Peel metro station, Mayor Jean Drapeau and the chair of Montreal's executive committee, Lucien Saulnier, look at their watches. They are accompanied by two uniformed agents, one of whom is also checking his watch.

It is dark and the mayor of Montreal, Jean Drapeau, is making a speech at the foot of the Olympic flame burning in a tall metal cauldron. The Mount Royal cross rises up behind it.

Jean Drapeau and the flame

Outside, Michel Dallaire is sitting on a public bench.

Michel Dallaire

A black and white cartoon shows a worker at the top of a ladder leaning against the Olympic cauldron. Under a driving rain, the flame is burning and the man exclaims in French, "Wow! That's a good little lighter." Down below, another man shouts in French, "How sacrilegious!"

Olympic cauldron

Yvan Dubois, the Director General and Mayor of the Olympic Village, talks with Kenyan athletes dressed primarily in red and white. Standing in front of the Olympic Village, the mayor, dressed in a dark suit, and the athletes are smiling.

Kenyan athletes

A mosaic made from five photographs. Posing against a gray background, the five athletes are smiling. A young man is wearing a black sweater, his arms crossed. A boy is dressed in a beige sweater and a yellow beanie. A young woman, wearing a black sweater, is holding a trophy in her hands. A girl is wearing a colorful sweater. A young man is wearing a black jacket with white patterns.

The next generation!

Arts and Culture

This flyer from the Montreal Olympic Games Arts and Culture Program features a photograph of a violin and stripes in rainbow colours rising up, like water in a fountain. It promotes an Orchestre symphonique de Montréal concert, with conductor Neil Chotem and folk fiddler Jean "Ti-Jean" Carignan.

Arts and Culture

Aven Jairho Allana and the Jeux de Montréal

Crowd control officer

Stéphane Préfontaine and Sandra Henderson are seen from the back, running on the track in the Montreal Olympic Stadium. Wearing white shorts and t-shirts, the two young athletes are both holding the red handle of a flaming torch, which burns from black part on the top.

Arrival of the flame

A close-up shows the face and shoulders of Canadian swimmer Anne Jardin, age 17. With her brown hair pulled back, she is wearing a green and white tank top and a serious expression. A clear glass sits before her.

In black and white, 13-year-old swimmer Robin Corsiglia stands outside, showing off her braces as she smiles. She is wearing jeans and a t-shirt that reads "National Swimming Team," with a maple leaf in the centre.

Robin Corsiglia

A close up shows young Canadian diver Cindy Shatto wearing a short-sleeved red striped t-shirt. Her loose blond hair falls on her shoulders and she is smiling slightly.

Young Canadian track cyclist Gordon Singleton sits on his black-framed bike. Looking focussed, he exhales while a member of his team holds him upright as they wait for the race to start.

Gordon Singleton

Caitlyn Jenner, then competing as Bruce Jenner, performs a high jump. Back arched and arms extended, the athlete in blue shorts and a red singlet just clears the bar.

Young gymnast Nadia Comăneci smiles during a floor routine, wearing a white leotard with a blue, yellow and red stripe running down the sides. Standing on an orange mat, she holds out her left arm and points her right foot in front of her, toes on the floor and her knee bent. A seated woman in the background watches her.

Nadia Comăneci

The young gymnast Nadia Comăneci does a handstand on the uneven bars. She is wearing a white leotard with a blue, yellow and red stripe running down the sides. In the background are spectators, two photographers and a cameraman.

Nadia Comăneci

An Olympic Lottery Canada ticket, priced at ten dollars, specifies its ticket number, the date of the drawing on April 15, 1974, and the first prize amount of one million dollars.

Olympic Lottery

In black and white, five construction workers in helmets flank a sign reading "STOP" in French on a gate to the Velodrome construction site. One of them wears a t-shirt with the message, "I want my 50 cents" in French.

In black and white, a tall crane rises next to the unfinished Olympic Village. Construction materials are stacked in front of the pyramid-shaped building and a debris chute runs from the top to a dumpster on the ground.

Olympic Village

In black and white, construction equipment and building materials are scattered around the clay soil inside the Olympic Stadium under construction. Cranes rise up through the round opening in the roof.

Olympic Stadium

In black and white, an aerial view of the Olympic Stadium under construction shows the round opening in the roof. The inside of the building is full of construction equipment and vehicles.

Olympic Stadium

In black and white, the interior of the Velodrome under construction features an oval cycling track with banked sides, grandstands and a concrete roof with multiple skylights. Four workers stand in the open space in the centre of the track.

In black and white, six athletes in equestrian outfits are riding horses in an open area with a ski mountain in the background. Near the group is a sign that reads, "Hotel Bromont, Montmorency Street" in French.

Olympic Equestrian Centre

In black and white, Mayor Jean Drapeau, the Commissioner General of the Olympic Games Roger Rousseau, and the federal Postmaster General Bryce Mackasey hold up large-format copies of three Olympic stamps.

Commemorative stamps

The domed roof of the Maurice Richard Arena stands against an overcast sky. Two ladders lean against the wall near the entrance flanked by stone bas-reliefs. Several cars are parked in front of the building.

Maurice Richard Arena

The wide, glassed entrance to the Centre Pierre Charbonneau is topped by a grey limestone façade. The rest of the large building is clad in yellow brick. A young woman wearing blue shorts and a red t-shirt is walking by the front of the sports complex.

Pierre Charbonneau Centre

In black and white, crowds of people crisscross St. Catherine Street in front of the Forum. Hanging from the front of the building are the flags of Canada, Quebec and Montreal, along with those of the Olympic Games and the Montreal Olympic Games.

International Youth Camp

Olympic Stadium

Maintenance staff

In black and white, a delivery truck for the Allan soft drink company drives down St. Catherine Street, passing a tavern and a strip club. A pedestrian walks by in the foreground and two men sit across the street near a shoe repair shop and a parked motorcycle.

In black and white, over fifty protesters, most of them young, gather in Dorchester Square. Two people hold up a large sign that reads, "Stop harassing gay people" in French.

In black and white, about seventy people protesting for gay rights are gathered in Dorchester Square, across from the Windsor Hotel. Many are holding signs.

A black and white cartoon shows two women in short dresses. The plumper one wearing a lot of jewellery stands behind the other one, who is sitting in a chair, smoking a cigarette. The former asks the latter for a cigarette. She responds in French, "No, go buy your own. Everyone has to take a turn paying off the deficit."

Crowd waiting for the flame

In black and white, buildings in the Old Port of Montreal and downtown skyscrapers rise above the St. Lawrence River. A ferryboat is leaving the port.

Montreal Old Port

A group of guides and hostesses for the Olympic Games walks by a light grey concrete wall of the Claude Robillard Sports Complex. They are wearing solid red uniforms.

Claude Robillard Centre

In black and white, an aerial view shows the vast site next to the dome-roofed Maurice Richard Arena where the Olympic Stadium will be built.

Hochelaga-Maisonneuve

In the disco, numerous little round tables with wooden chairs are set up around a dance floor. The tables are covered in white tablecloths with ashtrays in the middle. There are stacks of red plastic Coca-Cola crates.

In front of the pyramid-shaped buildings of the Montreal Olympic Village, an outdoor terrace is full of little round white tables equipped with yellow chairs and closed umbrellas. Red geraniums and shrubs are planted in a decorative bed in the foreground.

Olympic Village

In black and white, a dentist holds a dental instrument over a reclined man with his mouth open, illuminated by a bright lamp. The dentist and a woman assisting him look intently off to the side, in the same direction.

Several athletes wearing green clothing adorned with the South Korean flag are exchanging pins with a man who is smoking.

Athletes at the Village

In a large room with pale yellow walls in the Montreal Olympic Village, a number of casually dressed people are playing pool. Five tables are spread out around the room and several games are underway.

With the tall pyramids of the Olympic Village rising up behind them, five men and women in bathing suits are stretched out on yellow lounge chairs set up on a lawn. Some are dozing, while others are reading.

In black and white, eight beauty salon chairs with dryer hoods are lined up in an empty salon with a checkerboard floor. Two mirrors hang on the back wall, covered in forest wallpaper.

Four musicians standing in a semi-circle play on a lawn with the Montreal Olympic Village in the background. A bearded man plays guitar, a man and woman both play violins, and another woman plays a melodica (keyboard harmonica).

In black and white, a work of public art entitled The Houses of Sherbrooke Street by artist Melvin Charney stands on a Montreal street. Two full-size fake façades hung on pipe scaffolding replicate heritage homes from the neighbourhood.

In Montreal, a woman holds up a banner that reads, "CORRIDART on Sherbrooke Street" in French. A woman standing next to her looks down at a sheet of paper in her hands. Other people hold up large-format black and white photographs of heritage buildings.

Sauvons Montréal

A man in a white jumpsuit with a red stripe running down the sleeves and pant legs is sitting in an autocamera used by the Olympics Radio and Television Organization (ORTO). The blue vehicle, stripped of its shell, holds various pieces of equipment, including a film camera and parabolic dish antenna. There is a red helicopter behind it.

ORTO technician

Five Olympics Radio and Television Organization (ORTO) employees stand out from the crowd in a packed grandstand because of their shirt. It has a blue background, with a red letter "C" radiating in all directions, becoming orange and yellow.

Members of ORTO

In the centre of the Olympic Stadium, a crowd of brightly costumed people wanders around a tall yellow teepee during the closing ceremony of the Games. In the background above the packed grandstands, a giant screen displays in French, "Farewell, Montreal, til we meet in Moscow."

Closing ceremony

In the centre of the packed Montreal Olympic Stadium stand two teepees, one red, the other white. Both feature a stylized picture of an animal: a deer or caribou on the red one, and a buffalo on the white one. Many people dance around them, wearing outfits in solid colours.

Closing ceremony

Located next to the inclined tower of the Montreal Olympic Stadium, the Planetarium has a distinctive aluminium façade and a cut-off cone shape. A person walks along a concrete path bordered by green spaces and trees.

The large pyramid-shaped buildings of the Olympic Village soar into a blue sky, with their tiered light-grey concrete façades.

Olympic Village

An aerial view of the Olympic Stadium and the Biodôme shows the city in the background. Three cranes rise up through the stadium's open roof. Montreal's downtown skyline and Mount Royal can be seen in the distance.

The Olympic Stadium and its inclined tower are seen sandwiched between a blue sky and a grassy area. Two cranes poke up through the stadium's open roof, while an elaborate metal scaffolding on the left provides access to the roof.

Olympic Stadium

A black and white photomontage depicts the Montreal Olympic Stadium with a huge wind turbine attached to the top of the tower above two giant electrical outlets. In the top right-hand corner, a text reads, in French, "The solution: A combination stadium/windmill."

Stadium/Windmill

A black and white cartoon shows Mayor Jean Drapeau running with a burning stick of dynamite in his bum. On the stick is written, in French, "Malouf Report."

Malouf Commission report

A black and white cartoon shows Mayor Jean Drapeau with a ball and chain around his ankle. On the ball is written, in French, the last few letters of the word "report" followed by the name "Malouf."

Malouf Commission report

A black and white cartoon shows the Montreal Olympic Stadium. Hovering above the round opening in the roof is a giant rubber bathtub plug, hanging from a metal chain.

A black and white cartoon shows the tower of the Montreal Olympic Stadium turned into a climbing wall. Several people are climbing it while another person encourages them from the top. In French, the words "Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced" indicate each route's level of difficulty.

A black and white cartoon shows a giant plunger covering the round opening in the roof of the Montreal Olympic Stadium. A plumber points to it, explaining, in French, "I thought it was the perfect solution, with all the s... going on here."

A number of people, several of them children, walk or stand in front of the Olympic Stadium. They are wearing colourful summer clothing.

People in front of the Stadium

Crowds of people outside the Olympic Stadium stand in various lines around the huge light grey concrete structure.

Crowds in front of the Stadium

A black and white cartoon shows the Montreal Olympic Stadium with a giant hamburger covering the round opening in its roof. The top right-hand corner of the drawing has the artist's signature, Aislin, and the year '81.

Gérald Vallée recounts his Olympic experience

In black and white, four women row a scull, while a fifth, the coxswain, faces them. Off in the distance, grandstands and the large spherical structure of the United States of America Pavilion from Expo 67 can be seen under an overcast sky.

Women’s rowing team

Étienne Desmarteau Centre

Venue staff uniforms

Photographer uniform

Press messenger uniform

Maintenance staff uniform

Auxiliary staff uniform

Medal presenter uniform

Two mannequins are dressed in rainbow-striped visored head scarves and the hostess uniform of the Games. The one on the left is wearing a bright red midi skirt and matching short-sleeved jacket, buttoned over a blouse with a rainbow-striped collar. The outfit is accessorized with a knotted belt in the same rainbow-striped fabric and solid-coloured plastic bracelets in the same colours. The one on the right is clothed in a bright red long cape over a skirt and jacket in the same colour, open to a multicoloured striped shirt.

Hostess uniforms

A mannequin is dressed in a clear hooded rain poncho, with a rainbow band running down the sleeves. Underneath the poncho can be seen a hospitality uniform from the Games: a bright orange midi skirt and matching jacket open to a white shirt.

In black and white, the old CBC/Radio-Canada tower stands some 25 storeys high above René-Lévesque Boulevard East. Just behind it is the Molson Brewery complex with its clock tower on the banks of the St. Lawrence River.

Sainte-Marie neighbourhood

In black and white, the wrought-iron entrance to the Montreal Botanical Garden can be seen in front of the main building. A family, seen from the back, walks along the central path leading to the Art Deco style building.

Botanical Garden

A black and white cartoon depicts Mayor Jean Drapeau unsuccessfully trying to perform the linking rings trick with the five Olympic rings. He holds two up in the air in one hand and rests his other hand on a third ring standing on the ground. A fourth ring is around his neck, and the last one is around his ankle.

A black and white cartoon shows Mayor Jean Drapeau writing a calculation on a blackboard: one billion dollars divided by two. He explains in French, "If we divide the overall deficit by the number of Olympic Games, we can reduce the debt by half, get it?"

Olympia and Montréal

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Athletics. It depicts five female runners jumping over a hurdle at the same time, arms and legs fully extended.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Basketball. The slightly blurred image evokes movement as a player jumps and prepares to toss the ball into the basket. In the background, the arm of another player reaches towards the basket.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Archery. The close-up of the face of a female archer shows her concentrating as she pulls the taut string of the bow against her lips. Wearing a ring on her right ring finger, she prepares to release the arrow.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Boxing. The close-up shows a boxer in a ring blocking a punch from his opponent. Both are wearing red and white gloves.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Canoeing. It depicts two athletes on one knee in their wooden craft in calm water. Heads down and arms outstretched, they lunge forward as they pull their respective paddles vertically through the water.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Cycling. The blurred image evokes movement as a helmeted cyclist in a red and white jersey and black shorts pedals his green bike.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Equestrian Sports. The close-up shows a horseman wearing a black riding helmet and a red jacket leaning forward in the saddle, on a horse tagged with the number 22.

Equestrian Sports

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Fencing. Two athletes dressed in white fencing uniforms and masks are facing off. The one seen from behind bends his knees, with his foil in his left hand. His opponent is right-handed.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Gymnastics. It depicts a female gymnast in a red leotard, upside down with her body arched and full extended, just touching a vaulting horse with the fingers of her right hand.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Football. It depicts two opposing soccer players, trying to gain possession of the ball on a grass field. The player wearing yellow and blue slides in front of the other, who is dressed all in white.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Handball. The close-up shows a player, wearing a yellow jersey with the number 10, jumping as he holds a white ball over his head.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Weightlifting. It shows a sweating athlete with a moustache, his cheeks puffed out. His arm muscles tensed, he holds the barbell at shoulder level.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Volleyball. It depicts two female players, arms raised, jumping towards the ball from opposing sides of the net. In the background a teammate of one of the players watches the action, ready to react.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Swimming. The close-up shows the wet head and right arm of two athletes as they swim the freestyle stroke in their respective lanes.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Shooting. It depicts the dark silhouette of a shooter, lit from behind, aiming a sports firearm.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Rowing. It depicts a number of athletes in different sculls rowing in calm water. In the foreground, two opponents tense their faces with effort.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Modern Pentathlon. The poster illustrates five disciplines: a large-format picture of equestrian, plus four smaller ones of fencing, shooting, swimming and cross-country.

Modern Pentathlon

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Hockey. It shows three male athletes playing field hockey. Two dressed in red uniforms rush towards their opponent in a green jersey who is controlling the ball on the field.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Wrestling. It depicts two wrestlers facing off with arms interlocked, heads down.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Yachting. It depicts athletes in three sailboats skimming over slightly choppy water, sails billowing in the wind.

The top of a photographic poster reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montréal, 1976, Judo. The close-up shows two male athletes during a match, pulling on each other's white jacket.

A leaflet folded like an accordion is standing upright on a surface. Its title, "I know" in French, appears in a speech bubble between two stylized heads, under a text that reads: Games of the twenty-first Olympiad, Montreal, 1976, July 17 to August 1, 1976. The leaflet notably includes the schedule of events.

<i>Je sais…</i>

Four people model uniforms from the Games. A man is wearing a red suit. A woman is dressed in a casual white outfit with a midi skirt. A man is wearing a yellow ensemble. A woman is wearing a light blue suit with a fitted jacket.

"The Corridart affair" is printed in French across the top of a black and white photograph used in an invitation. It shows a man standing in the back of a truck, with one foot balanced on a stack of long metal poles. A second man stands next to the vehicle, smoking.

L’Affaire Corridart

The front cover of Télé Presse magazine is illustrated with the Olympic rings and a photograph of a female torchbearer running with the torch. In French, the front reads, "24 special pages, How to watch the Games on television." It is dated the week of July 17-24, 1976.

A black and white cartoon shows a giant pumpkin wearing the thick black glasses and moustache of Mayor Jean Drapeau. It is covering the round opening in the roof of the Olympic Stadium. A man in the foreground explains in French, "I got the idea last night."

A military truck drives down a Montreal street past a crowd. A child waves a small red and white Olympic flag. A family and some stopped cyclists are also watching the truck pass.

Military convoy

In black and white, Montreal's massive concrete Olympic Stadium looks a little like a flying saucer. Crowds of people are circulating around the imposing building. Others are sitting on a grassy area.

Opening ceremony

In black and white, Ron Hunt, a player for the Expos, shakes hands with a fan. At the bottom of the packed grandstand, his teammate signs an autograph while boys wait their turn, notebooks in hand.

In black and white, fourteen members of a lacrosse team pose in a photographer's studio. The back row is standing, while the rest are sitting on chairs or the floor holding long sticks with netted heads. They are wearing white shirts, solid-coloured knickers over striped long johns, and caps.

Three white pictograms against a black background represent the silhouettes of athletes engaged in various sports. From left to right: judo, weightlifting and basketball.

Caitlyn Jenner, then competing as Bruce Jenner, leans back on one leg, preparing to throw the javelin. The athlete is wearing blue shorts, a red singlet labelled USA, and a bib with the number 935. Three officials dressed in yellow, light blue and white watch in the background.

Photo temporaire

A series of six numbered photographs, flanked by black perforated film edges, are laid out in three columns of two pictures each. Each one is slightly different from the others, but all show Yvan Dubois, the Director General and Mayor of the Olympic Village. Wearing a light grey suit and dark grey tie, he smiles as he sits on a low concrete wall in front of the pyramid-shaped buildings of the Village.

In black and white, the roof of the unfinished Velodrome rises up in the midst of a vast muddy construction site. Pierced with openings, it stands out against the clear sky, while construction vehicles and large cylindrical pipes sit in the foreground.

Numerous people dressed in colourful summer clothing head towards the Olympic Stadium along a wide concrete ramp. Others sit along the edge of the crowded esplanade surrounding the building.

Crowd around the Stadium

In black and white, Canadian Paralympic athlete Arnold Boldt, a leg amputee, performs a high jump. With his back arched and arms extended, he begins his ascent over the bar. An official and a crowd of spectators watch him, wearing rain gear.

In front of the Olympic Stadium, on the esplanade, a summer crowd is gathered. On the left, people are seated around picnic tables. Others stroll near food trucks scattered across the site.