The Man Who Knew Once A Lifetime

Yesterday was only a two movie day. One, my weekly movie with my friend, was the Hitchcock classic The Man Who Knew Too Much. The James Stewart/ Doris Day international intrigue plotted movie. They are unwittingly the pawns of an assassination plot and kidnapping. They rush from Africa to London to save their kidnapped son as time runs out for an ambassador.

This is Hitch when he was in his wheelhouse. He knew this ground well and did it well. The symphony sequence in which no words are spoken is simply outstanding! A must see!

Second up was a documentary about the rise and fall of the New York Cosmos. The 1970's soccer team which signed a LOT of international talent to win including the legendary Pele. At the time it was the largest sports contract in the world and no one is for sure how much it was actually. There were varying numbers in the doc but it was anywhere from 2.5 million to 7 million.

The NASL was a success for a brief few years....until it was put on TV. Soccer is just a sport America will never embrace. It has been tried and currently the MSL is barely a blip on the ratings meter post Becks even! ESPN is probably regretting spending the 64 million for 8 years on that sport now...

Once In A Lifetime was a snapshot of the 70's lifestyle, that era when everyone had a party to go to and the games were secondary. Well that is for the Cosmos, the other teams struggled to bring people in and find an audience.

It was very interesting to watch lightning being caught in a jar and then break the jar. As fast as it was huge it was gone again. Watch it if you can find it. Even if you don't get or don't like soccer, this really isn't about the game so much as it is the era and the people who tried to introduce Soccer to America.