Introduction
Welcome to my corner! This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film A League of Their Own. A movie perfect for the end of baseball season, and right before we get into October spooky season with spooky movies. Enjoy!
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American sports comedy drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). It stars Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, Rosie O'Donnell, Jon Lovitz, David Strathairn, Garry Marshall, and Bill Pullman, and was written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, from a story by Kelly Candaele and Kim Wilson.
Columbia Pictures released A League of Their Own on July 1, 1992. It was a critical and commercial success, grossing $132.4 million worldwide and garnering acclaim for Marshall's direction and the performances of its ensemble cast. In 2012, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Plot: As America's stock of athletic young men is depleted during World War II, a professional all-female baseball league springs up in the Midwest, funded by publicity-hungry candy maker Walter Harvey (Garry Marshall). Competitive sisters Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) and Kit Keller (Lori Petty) spar with each other, scout Ernie Capadino (Jon Lovitz), and grumpy has-been coach Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) on their way to fame. Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell co-star as two of the sisters' teammates.
Acting: My favorite title is A League of Their Own for the following actors, if not stated otherwise.
Geena Davis played Dorothy "Dottie" Hinson (#8, catcher/assistance manager). I've never seen Geena with hair this light before. I didn't like it at first, but it grew on my by the end of the movie. Her four most notable titles currently are The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Fly, Thelma & Louise, and A League of Their Own. My favorite Davis film is Beetlejuice.
Tom Hanks played Jimmy Dugan (manager). He's great; enough said. His four most notable titles currently include Cast Away, Big Forrest Gump, and Philadelphia. My favorite is the Toy Story franchise.
Madonna played "All the Way" Mae Mordabito (#5, center field). I applaud Madonna for this role; I did not think she could act. She also looks better with dark hair. Her four most notable titles currently are Who's That Girl, A League of Their Own, Evita, and Desperately Seeking Susan.
Lori Petty played Kit Keller (#23, pitcher). She was a fine actress, but I hated the character. Her four most notable titles currently include Tank Girl, Free Willy, A League of Their Own, and Point Break.
Rosie O'Donnell played Doris Murphy (#22, third base). I loved Rosie in this movie. She was great! Her four most notable titles are currently Sleepless in Seattle, Tarzan, A League of Their Own, and The Flintstones. Tarzan is my favorite.
Minor roles were played by Lynn Cartwright as Older Dottie; Eunice Anderson as Older Mae; Kathleen Butler as Older Kit; Vera Johnson as Older Doris; Anne Ramsay as Helen Haley (#15, first base); Barbara Pilavin as Older Helen; Megan Cavanagh as Marla Hooch (#32, second base); Patricia Wilson as Older Marla; Freddie Simpson as Ellen Sue; Tracy Reiner as Betty "Spaghetti" Horn (#7, left field/relief pitcher); Betty Miller as Older Betty; Bitty Schram as Evelyn Gardner (#17, right field), mother of Stillwell "Angel" Gardner; Renée Coleman as Alice "Skeeter" Gaspers (#18, left field/center field/catcher); Shirley Burkovich as Older Alice; Ann Cusack as Shirley Baker (#11, left field); Barbara Erwin as Older Shirley; Robin Knight as Linda "Beans" Babbitt (shortstop); Patti Pelton as Marbleann Wilkinson (second base); Kelli Simpkins as Beverly Dixon (#4, outfield); Connie Pounds-Taylor as Connie Calhoun (Outfield); Jon Lovitz as Ernie Capadino, AAGPBL scout; David Strathairn as Ira Lowenstein, AAGPBL general manager; Marvin Einhorn as Older Ira; Garry Marshall as Walter Harvey, candy bar mogul and AAGPBL founder (based on Philip K. Wrigley); Julie Croteau as Helen Haley on the field (baseball double for Anne Ramsay); Bill Pullman as Bob Hinson, Dottie's husband; Téa Leoni as Racine first base; David L. Lander as the Game Announcer; Janet Jones as Racine pitcher; Don S. Davis as Charlie Collins, Racine manager; Eddie Jones as Dave Hooch, Marla's father; Justin Scheller as Stillwell Gardner, Evelyn's son; Mark Holton as Older Stillwell; Pauline Brailsford as Miss Cuthburt, Rockford chaperone; Alan Wilder as Nelson; Rae Allen as Ma Keller; and DeLisa Chinn-Tyler in an uncredited role as the Black woman who threw the ball back to Dottie.
Background information from American Film Institute (AFI): According to a Aug 21, 1992 Hollywood Reporter (HR) "Hollywood Report" column, co-producers Bill Pace and Ronnie Clemmer became interested in the AAGPBL after reading an article in the Boston Globe. They attended the league's annual reunion in Fort Wayne, IN, and acquired film rights to the organization and its story. Around the same time, Pace and Clemmer's top-choice director, Penny Marshall, became interested in the subject after seeing a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) documentary about the league, titled A League of Their Own. Pace and Clemmer had not yet reached out to Marshall when she learned they owned the film rights to the AAGPBL and contacted them. The three met and agreed to work together. As noted in a Jun 28, 1992 Los Angeles Times (LAT) article, Kelly Candaele, co-producer of the PBS documentary and son of AAGPBL player Helen St. Aubin, wrote a treatment for Marshall based on his mother's and her sister Margaret's experiences playing in the league. Candaele and his documentary co-producer, Kim Wilson, receive story credit on the film. However, according to filmmakers, the characters, Dottie Hinson and her sister, "Kit Keller," are composites, not directly based on Helen St. Aubin and her sister. The character "Walter Harvey" is based on chewing-gum tycoon P.K. Wrigley, who owned the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise and organized the AAGPBL in 1943.
Despite initial plans to shoot in Illinois, as noted in the Feb. 27, 1990 Daily Variety (DV), a Jun 2, 1990 Screen International brief reported that filming would take place in Indiana, beginning Jul. 1990, with Darryl Hannah, Laura Dern, Jon Lovitz, and Jim Belushi starring. Only Lovitz remained with the project. Actress Demi Moore joined, as noted in a Jun. 13, 1990 Variety (Var) brief, and the production came within days of rehearsals, but Moore dropped out, and the project went into turnaround.
According to a May 21, 1991 LAT "Morning Report" column, Demi Moor was back on the project, with Brooke Shields, Ally Sheedy, and Madonna, all of whom were said to be working with baseball coach Joe Russo. Debra Winger became attached as Dottie Hinson, as noted in the Jun 11, 1991 DV "Just for Variety" column, ostensibly replacing Demi Moore.
The ensemble case underwent rigorous training at a baseball camp run by a technical advisor William E. Hughes, an assistant baseball coach at the University of Southern California (USC), which began three months before filming. Using USC facilities, Hughes worked with the women six days a week, four hours a day, as noted in a May 22, 1992 LAT item.
While Wrigley Field doubled as the fictional "Harvey Field," a Huntingburg, Ind., community field was enlarged and rebuilt to stand in for the "Rockford Peaches" home field, with construction done "to code" so the structure could remain in use after filming. Mayor Connie Nass named the revamped stadium Huntingburg "League" Stadium, in honor of the production. In Evansville, Ind., Bosse Field, built in 1915 and the fourth-oldest baseball stadium still in use at the time, became the home stadium for the "Racine Belles." The final week of shooting took place in Cooperstown, N.Y., where 65 original AAGPBL members appeared in scenes recreating 1988 ceremony in which the AAGPBL was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The filmmakers also filmed an exhibition game there, on Abner Doubleday Field. Principal photography concluded on Oct. 31, 1991.
Critical reception was mixed, but the film was commercially successful. According to the Jul. 10, 1992 Screen International, A League of Their Own took in $13,739,456 on 1,782 screens in its opening weekend, making it Columbia Pictures' highest-grossing non-sequel opener at that time. The Sep 8, 1992 DV announced domestic box-office earnings surpassed $100 million on the film's 68th day in release.
Final Thoughts: A League of Their Own is a great baseball movie. My go-to films are rarely sports-related because I'm just not into sports. But I would definitely rewatch this movie. If you haven't seen it yet, please do!
I'm not sure if we were supposed to be rooting for Kit or not; she was a main character, but Dottie was more so. I really didn't like Kit, and I didn't root for her at all during the movie. Yeah, it sucks to be overshadowed by someone, especially if it's a sibling or relative, but get over it and grow up. Instead of being mad at your sister, Dottie, for being good at everything (which she doesn't do intentionally; it's just natural), prove you're great too! Or work to find something you're better at! Just don't give up! Kit was just the worst. I won't spoil the ending, but I wasn't satisfied with it.
Also, it was super weird that they had Geena Davis' voiced dubbed for the old Dottie when all the other "old" versions of the characters didn't have their "young" voices—odd choice in my opinion.
My favorite scene was when Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) finds a better way to reprimand Evelyn without making her cry. He's holding his anger and shaking, but he stays calm as he tells Evelyn she still needs to work on where she throws the ball. I laughed so hard watching Tom Hanks during this scene.
My favorite quote is "There's no crying in baseball!" —Jimmy Dugan. When he says the line, he sounds just like Woody from Toy Story, which Hanks later voiced.
Rated: PG
Where to watch it: According to Google, A League of Their Own is currently available on Netflix (until today), Apple TV, and The Roku Channel with a subscription. You can also purchase or rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Public Library in Clark for you all to enjoy if you choose to.
