Ouisie Shapiro
Celebrating the league's 100th season and championing the women who have played an integral role in its history, NFL Films presents an unprecedented look at the history of professional football through the eyes of four iconic female owners: Chicago Bears' Virginia McCaskey, Detroit Lions' Martha Firestone Ford, Kansas City Chiefs' Norma Hunt and Pittsburgh Steelers' Patricia Rooney. Narrated by Academy Award winner, Regina King.
An American story. Traces the career of Joe Louis (1914-1981) within the context of American racial consciousness: his difficulty getting big fights early in his career, the pride of African-Americans in his prowess, the shift of White sentiment toward Louis as Hitler came to power, Louis's patriotism during World War II, and the hounding of Louis by the IRS for the following 15 years. In his last years, he's a casino greeter, a drug user, and the occasional object of scorn for young Turks like Muhammad Ali. Appreciative comment comes from boxing scholars, Louis's son Joe Jr., friends, and icons like Maya Angelou, Dick Gregory, and Bill Cosby.
Using the frame of opening day, 2006, this documentary examines the Cubs' 100 years without a World Series title. Between conversations with a half-dozen selected Cubs fans in 2006, the film looks back at the Wrigley years, sale to the Tribune, and coming oh-so-close in 1945, 1969, 1984, and 2003.
