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A League of Their Own

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This article is about the 1992 film. For other uses, see A League of Their Own (disambiguation).

A League of Their Own is a 1992 American sports comedy drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). It stars Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, Jon Lovitz, David Strathairn, Garry Marshall, Rosie O'Donnell, and Bill Pullman and was written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, from a story by Kelly Candaele and Kim Wilson.

A League of Their Own
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPenny Marshall
Screenplay byLowell Ganz
Babaloo Mandel
Story byKelly Candaele
Kim Wilson
Produced byElliot Abbott
Robert Greenhut
Starring
CinematographyMiroslav Ondříček
Edited byGeorge Bowers
Music byHans Zimmer
Production
company
Parkway Productions
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • July 1, 1992 (1992-07-01)
Running time
128 minutes
CountryUnited States
Budget$40 million[1]
Box office$132.4 million[2]

A League of Their Own was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $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".[3][4][5]

Plot

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In 1988, Dottie Hinson attends the opening of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame. She sees pictures of many former teammates and friends, prompting a flashback to 1943.

With World War II threatening to shut down Major League Baseball (MLB), Chicago Cubs owner Walter Harvey persuades his fellow owners to bankroll a women's league. Ira Lowenstein is put in charge. Scout Ernie Capadino attends an industrial-league softball game in Oregon and likes what he sees in Dottie, the catcher for a local dairy. She is not interested, and is happy with her life, waiting for her husband Bob to return from the war. Her younger sister, Kit Keller, however, is desperate to escape and make something of herself. Capadino is unimpressed by Kit's batting and refuses to watch her pitch, but agrees to take her along if she changes Dottie's mind. Dottie agrees for her sister's sake.

Dottie and Kit travel to Harvey Field in Chicago for tryouts; en route, they force Capadino to accept homely second baseman Marla Hooch. They meet taxi dancer Mae "All-the-Way-Mae" Mordabito and her best friend, bouncer Doris Murphy, soft-spoken right fielder Evelyn Gardner, illiterate left fielder Shirley Baker, pitcher/shortstop and former Miss Georgia beauty queen Ellen Sue Gotlander, left field/relief pitcher Betty "Spaghetti" Horn, first baseman Helen Haley and Alice "Skeeter" Gaspers. They and five others constitute the Rockford Peaches, while 48 others make up the Racine Belles, the Kenosha Comets and the South Bend Blue Sox.

The Peaches are managed by former star, Cubs slugger Jimmy Dugan, a cynical alcoholic. He initially treats the whole concept as a joke, forcing Dottie to take over as on-field leader, initially. Dugan is also abrasive toward his players. The team travels with Evelyn's spoiled, bratty son Stillwell and team chaperone Miss Cuthburt. With a Life magazine photographer in the stands, Lowenstein begs the players to do something spectacular, as the league has attracted little attention. Dottie obliges, catching a popped-up ball behind home plate while doing a split. The resulting photograph makes the magazine cover. A publicity campaign draws more people to the ballgames, but the owners remain unconvinced.

The teammates bond. Marla marries a man named Nelson whom she met on a raucous roadhouse outing and leaves the team for the rest of the season, Mae teaches Shirley to read, and Evelyn writes a team song. Lowenstein promotes Dottie as the face of the league, making Kit resentful. Their sibling rivalry intensifies, resulting in Kit's trade to the Racine Belles.

The Peaches end the season with the league's best record, qualifying for the World Series. Jimmy gives Betty a telegram, informing her that her husband was killed in action in the Pacific Theater. Grief-stricken, she leaves the team. That evening, Dottie receives a surprise when Bob shows up, having been wounded and discharged from the Army. Jimmy discovers that Dottie is going home with Bob. Unable to persuade her to play in the World Series, he tells her she will regret her decision.

The Peaches face the Belles in the World Series, which goes the full seven games. Dottie rejoins the Peaches for the seventh game, while Kit is the starting pitcher for the Belles. With the Belles leading by a run in the top of the ninth, Dottie drives in the go-ahead run. Kit is distraught, but gets a second chance when she comes to bat with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. She gets a hit and, ignoring the third base coach's sign to stop, scores the winning run by knocking her sister over at the plate and dislodging the ball from Dottie's hand.

The sellout crowd convinces Harvey to give Lowenstein the owners' support. After the game, the sisters reconcile before Dottie leaves with Bob.

Back in the present at Cooperstown, Dottie is reunited with the other players, including Kit, Capadino and Lowenstein; she sees that Jimmy died a year earlier, in 1987. The surviving Peaches sing Evelyn's team song and pose for a photo. During the closing credits, they play baseball once again at Doubleday Field.

Cast

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Rockford Peaches

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  • Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan (manager)
  • Geena Davis as Dorothy "Dottie" Hinson (#8, catcher/assistant manager)
  • Madonna as "All the Way" Mae Mordabito (#5, center field)
  • Lori Petty as Kit Keller (#23, pitcher)
    • Kathleen Butler as Older Kit
  • Rosie O'Donnell as Doris Murphy (#22, third base)
    • 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 Gotlander (#1, shortstop/pitcher)
    • Eugenia McLin as Older 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 (credited as Renee Coleman) – Alice "Skeeter" Gaspers (#18, left field/center field/catcher)
  • 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)

Others

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Production

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Development

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Director Penny Marshall was inspired by the 1987 TV documentary A League of their Own, about the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. She had never heard of the league, and contacted the film's creators, Kelly Candaele and Kim Wilson, to collaborate with the screenwriters, Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz, on producing a screenplay for 20th Century Fox.[11] Fox eventually passed on the script and Marshall signed with Sony Pictures, which was eager to produce it.

Casting

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On MLB Network's Costas at the Movies in 2013, director Penny Marshall talked about her initial interest in Demi Moore for the part of Dottie Hinson: "Demi Moore, I liked, but by the time we came around, she was pregnant."[12] Debra Winger was then cast as Dottie[13] and spent three months training with the Chicago Cubs in preparation.[14] However, she dropped out of the production four weeks before the start of principal photography,[15][16] later saying that the casting of Madonna was the reason for her decision.[14] Marshall chose Geena Davis to replace Winger.[17]

USC assistant baseball coach Bill Hughes was the film's technical adviser and put the film's ensemble cast through baseball camp three months before filming.[18]

Filming

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Principal photography began July 10, 1991.[15] Filming the game scenes involved many physical mishaps: Anne Ramsay (Helen Haley) broke her nose with a baseball mitt while trying to catch a ball, and the large bruise seen on actress Renée Coleman's thigh was real.[11] Discussing the skirts they wore playing in the film, Geena Davis said on MLB Network's Costas at the Movies in 2013, "Some of our real cast, from sliding into home, had ripped the skin off their legs. It was nutty."[19] In a 2021 interview, Petty claimed to have broken her foot during filming,[13] but reiterated her enjoyment of the shoot and the understanding of the film's importance at the time.[13]

The tryout scene, at a fictional Major League Baseball stadium in Chicago called Harvey Field, was filmed at the Chicago Cubs' home stadium, Wrigley Field.[15] The Rockford Peaches' home games were filmed at League Stadium in Huntingburg, Indiana, and the championship game against Racine was filmed at Bosse Field in Evansville, Indiana.[15] Additional games were filmed at Jay Littleton Ball Park in Ontario, California.[20] The house where the Rockford Peaches lived is in Henderson, Kentucky; in addition to interior shots, the exterior of the house is visible both when one of the team members weds and drives off with her husband and when Dottie is leaving with her husband.[21] Railroad depot and onboard train scenes were filmed at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.[22] The final week of shooting was during late October 1991 in Cooperstown, New York, where 65 original AAGPBL members appeared in scenes recreating the induction of the league into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.[23]

Due to the length of the schedule, the cast entertained themselves by putting on an elaborate amateur production, Jesus Christ Superstar Goes Hawaiian.[24]

Soundtrack

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The A League of Their Own soundtrack was released on CD and cassette tape by Columbia Records on June 30, 1992. The album peaked at #159 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart on July 25, 1992.[25] Although Madonna contributed "This Used to Be My Playground" to the film, featured over the closing credits, her recording was not included on the soundtrack album for contractual reasons.[26]

Reception

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Box office

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A League of Their Own was released on July 1, 1992, and grossed $13.2 million in its first weekend, finishing second at the box office behind Batman Returns. In its second weekend it dropped just 15%, making $11.5 million and finishing first. It ended up a commercial success, making $107.5 million in the United States and Canada, but only $24.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $132.4 million against a production budget of $40 million.[2][1][27]

Critical response

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A League of Their Own was well received by critics, who praised the cast.[28][29][30][31][32] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 82% based on 82 reviews, with an average score of 7/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Sentimental and light, but still thoroughly charming, A League of Their Own is buoyed by solid performances from a wonderful cast."[33] On Metacritic, the film received a weighted average score of 69 based 21 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[34] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[35]

Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote: "Though big of budget, A League of Their Own is one of the year's most cheerful, most relaxed, most easily enjoyable comedies. It's a serious film that's lighter than air, a very funny movie that manages to score a few points for feminism in passing."[36] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it three out of four stars, and wrote: "The movie has a real bittersweet charm. The baseball sequences, we've seen before. What's fresh are the personalities of the players, the gradual unfolding of their coach and the way this early chapter of women's liberation fit into the hidebound traditions of professional baseball."[37]

Accolades

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On December 19, 2012, it was announced that A League of Their Own would be preserved in the United States National Film Registry.[38]

Jimmy Dugan's (Tom Hanks) remark to Evelyn Gardner (Bitty Schram), "There's no crying in baseball!", was ranked 54th on the American Film Institute's 2005 list AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes.[39]

Home media

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A League of Their Own was released as a 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray on October 16, 2012.[40]

Forty-seven former AAGPBL players reunited in New York to celebrate the film and the real women who inspired it. Events included a trip to Cooperstown for a special program at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, reminiscent of the film's final scene depicting AAGPBL players and family meeting to honor the Women's Professional Baseball League. The reunion wrapped up with a game of softball held at Alliance Bank Stadium in nearby Syracuse.[41]

Former players also made an appearance at Bosse Field in Evansville, Indiana on June 6, 2012, where many of the film's game scenes were filmed. Bosse Field still retains many of the Racine Belles themes from the movie. The event included an outdoor screening of the film, and a display of cars featured in the film.[42] In addition to Bosse Field, the production used Huntingburg, Indiana's League Stadium, another Southwestern Indiana field older than Bosse, that was renovated for it.

Spinoffs

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A short-lived series of the same title based on the film aired on CBS in April 1993, with Garry Marshall, Megan Cavanagh, Tracy Reiner, Freddie Simpson and Jon Lovitz reprising their roles. Carey Lowell took over Geena Davis's role. Only five of the six episodes made were broadcast.

On August 6, 2020, Amazon Video ordered a reboot series with the same title as the movie.[43] The series debuted on August 12, 2022, on Amazon.[44] The series was renewed in March 2023 for a four-episode final season, but in August 2023, Amazon announced that the second season would be scrapped due to delays caused by the WGA strike.[45]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Andrews, Suzanna (May 23, 1993). "FILM; The Great Divide: The Sexes at the Box Office". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 22, 2022. cost more than $40 million
  2. ^ a b "A League of Their Own (1992)". Box Office Mojo. September 29, 1992. Archived from the original on April 11, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  3. ^ King, Susan. "National Film Registry selects 25 films for preservation " Archived March 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Los Angeles Times (December 19, 2012)
  4. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on December 17, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  5. ^ "2012 National Film Registry Picks in A League of Their Own". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  6. ^ "Rae Allen, Actress in 'The Sopranos' and 'Damn Yankees,' Dies at 95". The Hollywood Reporter. April 7, 2022.
  7. ^ Burger, Steve (June 21, 2021). "Local Softball Legend Honored on Juneteenth". WJCT-TV. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  8. ^ Miller, Liz Shannon (July 6, 2022). "A League of Their Own: DeLisa Chinn-Tyler, the Woman Who Threw the Baseball Back, Speaks". Yahoo News. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  9. ^ "Brad Byrd InDEPTH: DeLisa Chinn-Tyler talks about " A League of Their Own"". WEHT-TV. July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  10. ^ Bennett, Alanna (June 30, 2017). "Looking Back At The Most Intersectional Moment In "A League Of Their Own"". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "An Oral History of 'A League of their Own' on its 25th Anniversary". ESPN. June 29, 2017. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  12. ^ "Penny Marshall". Costas at the Movies. MLB Network. January 28, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ a b c Carlin, Shannon (August 20, 2021). "Lori Petty Answers Every Question We Have About A League of Their Own". Vulture.
  14. ^ a b Alexander, Bryan (August 15, 2021). "Debra Winger quit 'A League of Their Own' after Madonna was cast: It became 'an Elvis film'". USA Today. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d "A League of Their Own". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  16. ^ Anderson, Susan Heller (July 12, 1991). "Chronicle". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  17. ^ Dening, Lizzy (July 6, 2022). "Geena Davis on A League of Their Own's 30th Anniversary and Why There's No Cat-Fighting in Baseball". Vogue. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  18. ^ "She Did All of Her Own Stunts and Naturally, Played the Field". Los Angeles Times. May 22, 1992. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  19. ^ "Demi Moore in 'A League of Their Own?' Almost happened". Newsday. March 7, 2010. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  20. ^ Schmall, Emily (August 24, 2024). "Fire Destroys Grandstand From 'A League of Their Own'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  21. ^ "Gallery: "A League of Their Own" in Evansville, Henderson". Courier & Press. Evansville Courier & Press. December 14, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  22. ^ "A League of Their Own (1992) - Filming Locations - IMDb". IMDb. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  23. ^ "A League of Their Own (1992) – AFI Catalog Spotlight". American Film Institute. July 1, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  24. ^ Mair, George (1998). Rosie O'Donnell: Her True Story. Carol Publishing Group. p. 71. ISBN 0806580143.
  25. ^ A League of Their Own soundtrack - The Billboard 200. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  26. ^ Wilker, Deborah (July 24, 1992). "Madonna Hit Single Not On Soundtrack". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  27. ^ Klady, Leonard (January 8, 1993). "Carolco's Instinct is global champ". Screen International. p. 9.
  28. ^ Kronke, David (July 2, 1992). "Penny Marshall pitches 'League of Their Own' agenda". The Dispatch. Lexington, NC. Los Angeles Daily News. p. 4C. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  29. ^ White, Sue (October 26, 2011). "'A League of Their Own' brings former ballplayer to the Riverside Saginaw Film Festival". MLive. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  30. ^ Sidewater, Nancy (April 23, 2004). "DVD Q&A – Penny Marshall". Entertainment Weekly. No. 761. Entertainment Weekly Inc. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  31. ^ "A League of Their Own". Fort-Worth Star-Telegram. June 30, 1992. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2013.(subscription required)
  32. ^ Rachlin, Jill (February 12, 1993). "A League of Their Own Review". Entertainment Weekly. No. 157. Entertainment Weekly, Inc. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  33. ^ "A League of Their Own (1992)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  34. ^ "A League of Their Own (1992)". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  35. ^ "A League of Their Own – CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  36. ^ Canby, Vincent (July 1, 1992). "Review/Film; For the Girls of Summer, Pop Flies and Charm School". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014.
  37. ^ Ebert, Roger (July 1, 1992). "A League of Their Ow". Chicago Sun-Times.
  38. ^ "Breakfast at Tiffany's added to film archive". BBC News. Archived from the original on December 19, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  39. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes". American Film Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 13, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  40. ^ "A League of Their Own Blu-ray Review | High Def Digest". bluray.highdefdigest.com. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  41. ^ Kekis, John (September 23, 2013). "Women Remain in League of Their Own". The Chronicle Herald. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  42. ^ Prell, Jon (June 12, 2012). "A League Of Their Own Comes Home To Bosse Field On June 22". Evansville Courier & Press. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  43. ^ Petski, Denise (August 6, 2020). "'A League Of Their Own' Reboot Gets Series Order at Amazon". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  44. ^ Chapman, Wilson (June 7, 2022). "'A League of Their Own' Amazon Series Sets August Premiere Date, Reveals First Look". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  45. ^ Otterson, Joe (August 18, 2023). "'A League of Their Own' Season 2 Scrapped at Amazon". Variety. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
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