A League of Their Own
It was career day in elementary school. We were assigned to dress up as our future careers and make a presentation to the class. I stood up in front of the classroom in my Cardinals shirt, armed with my Mac Attack Vortex bat (this was long before any of us knew better than to idolize Mark McGwire), and proudly proclaimed that I would be a Major League Baseball player when I grew up. One of the boys in my class interrupted my presentation and matter-of-factly stated, “You know you can’t do that, right? Women can’t be in the MLB. They aren’t strong enough.” I scoffed slightly at his remark and quickly darted my eyes around the room, glancing at the faces of all of the students and the teacher. Everyone was silent. Serious. As if this wasn’t merely teasing or a misconception, but a stone-cold fact. “Well, I’d like to try…” I muttered before taking my seat. The world became a different place at that moment, a place that wasn’t built for me. I couldn’t in fact be anything I wanted to be. I hated myself for who I was, and I continued to for years thereafter. I’m still working on recovering from all of the damage that the patriarchy inflicted on my young soul. This is one of the many reasons why A League of Their Own holds such an important place in my heart.
There are so many reasons to love this movie. It challenges everything we have been programmed to believe by Hollywood. Women don’t play baseball? Look at this moment in history. Look at these actors who went to baseball camp as part of the rehearsal process. Look at these senior women bookending the film with their game and absolutely slaying! Women don’t direct? Check Penny Marshall, whose vision masterfully melds drama, tension, joy, and sorrow of the moment with her signature brand of comedy. But women can’t possibly be funny? Let me introduce you to Rosie O’Donnell and Madonna, one of the great comedic screen duos, along with the rest of the distinctive and hilarious Rockford Peaches.
The script, written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel with the story by Kelly Candaele and Kim Wilson, brilliantly highlights everything women should hate about men. One of my favorite movie moments of all time is when the indifferent baseball scout, played by Jon Lovitz, condescendingly holds Kit’s (Lori Petti) arm as he’s explaining she’s not wanted for the league, happens to feel her arm muscle, and, surprised and impressed, says she can try out for the team. I just love that reversal of an unsolicited touch. While there are several similar moments of feminist brilliance, the film stumbles occasionally in such efforts. The storyline I have the most trouble with is that of Marla’s (Meghan Cavanagh), the heavy hitter who was raised by a single father. He claims to have “raised her as a boy,” but that only really seems to mean she’s great at baseball and she doesn’t know how to dress like a lady. Everything else: her timidity, awkwardness, and lack of assertion, is a far cry from the typical masculine athlete. Due to her lack of a female influence in her life, she became a timid and awkward woman who only became fulfilled as a person when her more feminine side was allowed to blossom. It’s frustrating that a movie that is so empowering in all other respects still presumes that women inherently need a certain degree of femininity to be their best selves. Nevertheless, the goodbye scene with her dad never fails to tug at my heartstrings.
I may have some problems with the character of Marla, but there is no lack of great characters to fall in love with in this movie. Geena Davis and Lori Petty are wonderful as the leads (although it is frustrating that they fall prey to the film and television trope of sibling rivalry between female athletes), but they are just the tip of the iceberg of talent that is the center of the film. All of the Rockford Peaches, from Evelyn (Bitty Schram) to Betty “Spaghetti” (Tracy Reiner) have comically big and singular personalities that are memorable and hilarious to witness as they act off of one another. However, the two stars of the film in my eyes are the aforementioned Doris (Rosie O’Donnell) and “All the Way” Mae (Madonna). Frequently paired together in the film, these two give the impression onscreen that they’ve been besties for years. O’Donnell’s success in portraying a hilarious and self-fulfilled character wasn’t as much of a surprise, but when I first saw this movie, familiar with her solely from her music career and her take on the title role in Evita (1996, dir. Alan Parker), I had no idea how funny Madonna could be, to the degree that she was evenly matched with Rosie O’Donnell! Not to mention the fact that she completely steals the film in her exhilaratingly iconic swing dance scene. Much as they are excluded in baseball, women are so rarely given the opportunity to be the major comedic elements in film (this was even more so the case in the ‘90s), and it delights me to no end that these two actors get to do their thing and do it well. They stand for everything the movie stands for, and are its greatest assets.
Despite its comedy trappings, so much of A League of Their Own has a hint of melancholy. Most obviously, you get to witness the misogynistic B.S. that female players had to endure, from the nonsensical short skirt uniforms to the player highlights that emphasized their domestic skills. There’s the unspoken but looming historical understanding that as men returned from war and saw women excelling at the jobs that had previously been exclusively male, there was a greater effort than ever to return women to “their place.” There is the slightest of acknowledgements of racial segregation, even within the AAGPBL, the movie having been set a few years before Jackie Robinson broke the color line in Minor and Major League Baseball. The most depressing moment to me, the Hall of Fame exhibit at the end of the film is a bittersweet reminder that the existence of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (what a name for a league of adult women) was only a sliver of baseball history. While it was a touching ending to the movie to reminisce about the characters we had fallen in love with, it just had the feeling of “Thank you for your service even though you’re no longer needed.” It’s odd to look at the 1940s as more inclusive for women than it ever was after the league’s end in 1954.
Oops. I forgot to talk about Tom Hanks. But it’s okay. Hollywood forgets to talk about us all the time.
I’d like to say that if I had seen A League of Their Own as a kid, I could have used that as a point of refutation against that boy in my class, but I know I would have only been met with “Yeah, but they couldn’t play against men.” I contend that the gender division in most sports, especially baseball, is absolute crap, especially given the abundance of steroid abuse in professional sports. I would like to believe that baseball is much more than the strength contest that many seem to think it is (also, if you’re giving excuses as to why it’s okay to exclude half of the population from something, maybe the rules should be amended a tad). If women ever get to opportunity to go head-to-head with men at (Half of) America’s pastime, I know that A League of Their Own will serve as inspiration for any female players out there, if only to remind them how infuriated they should be about their treatment throughout the history of the sport. To any girls out there with the ambitions that I had at nine years old, I can only quote Kit’s greatest advice ever given to a young girl, “Get dirty.” – Bailey 🚫😭⚾
“There’s no crying in baseball!” Boy, how Jimmy Dugan (portrayed by Tom Hanks) was wrong in Penny Marshall’s 1992 sports dramedy, A League of Their Own… But, even so, there is no denying how iconic this quotable line has become, and how utterly delightful this fictionalized retelling of the founding of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) truly is. What makes this film particularly rewatchable is the excellent performance of the film’s ensemble cast and the way in which the narrative is contained within an extended flashback sequence. For this gal, who’d rather skip most sports films, I will easily admit that this film works well on so many levels, so much so that I will gladly revisit it from time to time.
With the narrative starting out and ending in the present day, with special appearances and footage of some of the original members of the AAGPBL, A League of Their Own truly cements itself as a film honoring the sports legends that it set out to portray. There is an air of authenticity that really tugs at one’s heartstrings during those reflective moments, particularly the film’s ending sequence when the returning players start singing the AAGPBL theme song at the ceremony unveiling the Baseball Hall of Fame exhibit devoted to the league and its female players. You get the sense, while watching A League of Their Own, that everyone involved wanted the film to be as realistic as possible. This becomes especially apparent given that many of the injuries (like the giant bruise on Renée Coleman's thigh) on set were real, and included in the film. (I felt sympathy pain every time one of the players/actors slid into a base in their skirted uniforms, as I cannot imagine doing that repeatedly…) This heightened level of ‘realness’ makes it easy at times to forget that you are in fact watching a fictional movie. To me, this element makes the film that good, and does a superb job portraying some of the hardships the original AAGPBL players would have faced too.
The standout performances are undoubtedly those of the “Rockford Peaches,” particularly Geena Davis as Dorothy ‘Dottie’ Hinson, Lori Petty as Dottie’s kid sister, Kit Keller, Rosie O’Donnell as Doris Murphy, and Madonna as “All the Way” Mae Mordabito. Yet, in true ensemble fashion even the most minor of characters is given their moment to shine, from the young boy playing Evelyn’s son, Stillwell Gardner (Justin Scheller), to a young Téa Leoni as the first baseman for the “Racine Belles,” nearly every character is given a chance to take center stage and steal a scene here or there. And, of course, it wouldn’t be quite the same film without the memorable scenes featuring Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan, Jon Lovitz as Ernie Capadino (an AAGPBL scout), David Strathairn as Ira Lowenstein (the AAGPBL general manager), Garry Marshall as Walter Harvey (in a role based loosely on the chewing gum, and baseball, mogul Philip K. Wrigley), and Bill Pullman as Dottie’s husband, Bob Hinson. A League of Their Own features a truly stellar group effort on all fronts.
The film excels, however, during some of its quieter moments, featuring at times subtle comedy and emphasizing the interactions between the characters. Whether it is Jimmy (Hanks) grotesquely scratching his crotch in the dugout, the bickering between Doris (O’Donnell) and Mae (Madonna), or Dottie (Davis) and Jimmy (Hanks) sending mixed hand signals to the Rockford Peaches’ pitcher, there are plenty of opportunities in this film to laugh at the little moments that you wouldn’t find in most other sports films. A League of Their Own, in this sense, takes a less ‘glorifying’ approach to the sports film, in that is doesn’t attempt to put its athletes on pedestals, but rather humanizes the characters and allows audiences to get a glimpse into the challenges, sacrifices, and absurdities they faced (I know I’ve already mentioned them, but I think we can all agree that those skirted uniforms are the absolute worst…). However, it is clear that director Penny Marshall does well ramping up the tension and capturing some intense bursts of action. While rewatching this movie, I particularly appreciated some of the sport montage moments, which we see during the tryout scene and those games that were briefly highlighted during the World Series that lead up to the final face-off between the Peaches and Belles. The juxtaposition created between the comedy, drama, and sports action really meshes together quite well, and creates a truly enjoyable film.
I don’t think that there is any way to walk away from A League of Their Own without appreciating the hard work, dedication, teamwork, and barriers that the real-life women of the AAGPBL broke. Without them, and their contribution to their enduring legacy of women within the history of baseball, we wouldn’t have this fabulous film nor plenty of trailblazing role models to which any young girl could look up to. I, for one, came away from revisiting this film thinking back fondly to my early t-ball and softball days, with the urge to find my old mitt, ball, and bat, and take to the field… – Sarah 🍫🚌💪
What did you think of A League of Their Own? Did this film make you want to go outside and toss around a baseball too? Share your thoughts in the comments below and check back soon for our April Film Club Pick!
Copyright © 2022 Sarah Crane & Bailey Lizotte Clark
