A League of Their Own (1992): Women, Baseball, and that Darn Ending...

[TigerLynx]

21 hours ago, SlovakPrincess said:

LOL.  (But it wasn't the size of the door, it was the fact that Jack was too heavy and weighed it down too much.)

But I choose to believe Dottie did not throw the game, because that would really ruin it for me.  I loathed Kit, and I would hope Dottie wouldn't do that to her team.   

Me to.  Dottie did not drop the ball on purpose, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.  I liked seeing the girls come together as a team, and become friends.

I wasn't surprised Jack died in Titanic.  Every Titanic movie I have ever seen kills off the guy in the romantic pair.  Which is accurate to history.  There weren't enough life boats, several people originally refused to get on the life boats because they believed the myth that the Titanic was unsinkable, and when they finally started loading the life boats, they weren't filled to capacity.  More people died than survived the Titanic.

[chitowngirl]

 Mythbusters proved that the door would have held them both.

[Ms Blue Jay]

When I was a kid I think I thought Dottie dropped the ball on purpose.  Maybe that was the common thought at the time, like a more convoluted Hollywood ending.

But now that I'm older I don't think she did.  I think it's just a well-made movie with a hard fought battle won.  Then again, to be honest, I don't really care either way.  I love the movie.  And I'm a woman who loves baseball.   

Geena is so beautiful and charismatic, that was my thought when I rewatched the movie a few years ago.  However, I watched it again just a couple months ago and I realized the following: Lori Petty's performance in it is spectacular.  I truly didn't notice when I was a kid.  Now, I think she should have been nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.  (When she's shaking near the end?  Holy shit.)

Tom Hanks' performance is so damn funny.  I wish he used chances to play that asshole kind of character more often.  I love love love love Madonna and Rosie in this as well.

When Rosie's character is throwing a tantrum in the locker room at one point, Evelyn says, "She sounds like my husband."  Very funny detail.

Edited, sorry I didn't know why I screwed up my earlier post.  Distracted at work.

Tea Leoni plays a Racine Peach with no lines, I think.  She's in the movie at some point.

Edited June 7, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[Avaleigh]

It's the scene where Dottie instructs her eldest grandson to allow his younger brother to win on the grounds that he's "littler", that persuades me that Dottie dropped the ball on purpose. 

My favorite scene in the movie just might be the introductory talk with Jimmy and Walter Harvey. Harvey is showing Jimmy around his estate and talks about giving him another managing job:

Jimmy: Well sir, I promise to do a better job this time. 

WH: You kind of let me down on that San Antonio job.

Jimmy: You're right, sir. I had no right to sell off the team's equipment like that. That won't happen again. 

WH: Let me be blunt. Are you still a fall down drunk? 

Jimmy: Well, that is, er, blunt. *clears throat* No sir, I've quit drinking. 

WH: You've seen the error of your ways?

Jimmy: No, I just couldn't afford it. *laughs*

WH: It's funny to you. Your drinking is funny. You're a young man, Jimmy. You still could be playing. If you just would have laid off of the booze. *shakes his head*

Jimmy: Well, it wasn't exactly like that. I hurt my knee. 

WH: You fell out of a hotel, that's how you hurt it.

Jimmy: There was a fire...

WH: Which you started and I had to pay for. 

Jimmy: I was going to send you a thank you card, Mr. Harvey but I wasn't allowed anything sharp to write with. 

Edited June 7, 2017 by Avaleigh

[scarynikki12]

I disagree. I think it supports Kit beating her. She tells Jeffery "give him a chance to shoot" and then Bobby "kill him". Jeffery gave him a chance and he scored a basket. Parallels Dottie helping Kit get her chance (getting to the tryouts) and then Kit, when the opportunity arrived, scored. Not a perfect parallel I acknowledge but I saw it foreshadowing Kit's genuine win. 

[Bastet]

53 minutes ago, Avaleigh said:

It's the scene where Dottie instructs her eldest grandson to allow his younger brother to win on the grounds that he's "littler", that persuades me that Dottie dropped the ball on purpose. 

She doesn't tell him to let his brother win because he's littler, she says to give him a chance to shoot.  Then she tells the brother to kick his ass. 

Or, what scarynikki12 said; sorry - didn't scroll down far enough.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Bastet

[ClareWalks]

I had no idea until I read this thread that the ending was so controversial! This old dog can learn a new trick after all! ;) 

My two cents: Dottie didn't drop the ball on purpose; however, when she saw how happy Kit was she really didn't care about losing the game.

[Bastet]

One of the other things I've mentioned in one of the many threads this film has popped up in is how much I love the scene when tryouts are over and Shirley is still staring at the board with all the team rosters and the cut list.  The Racine coach is kind of short with her, telling her if she's not on a team she'll have to leave, and Helen, suspecting the problem, joins her at the board to gently ask, "Can you read, honey?"  When Helen asks for her name, and then scans the list for it, points to where "Shirley Baker" is written, saying, "This is you.  You're with us - you're a Rockford Peach," I get all warm and fuzzy inside.

I also like later, when Mae is teaching Shirley how to read using a trashy romance novel.  "Who cares what it is?  She's reading.  Shoo!  Go away."

Edited June 7, 2017 by Bastet

[slf]

In the locker room scene where the women first meet Jimmy, Tom Hanks didn't know how long Jimmy would be peeing; Penny Marshall was in a stall with a hose and a bucket to making the peeing noise. Kinda makes his shaking and moaning funnier knowing that just when he thought it was done Marshall would start back up again, lol.

[andromeda331]

31 minutes ago, Bastet said:

One of the other things I've mentioned in one of the many threads this film has popped up in is how much I love the scene when tryouts are over and Shirley is still staring at the board with all the team rosters and the cut list.  The Racine coach is kind of short with her, telling her if she's not on a team she'll have to leave, and Helen, suspecting the problem, joins her at the board to gently ask, "Can you read, honey?"  When Helen asks for her name, and then scans the list for it, points to where "Shirley Baker" is written, saying, "This is you.  You're with us - you're a Rockford Peach," I get all warm and fuzzy inside.

I also like later, when Meg is teaching Shirley how to read using a trashy romance novel.  "Who cares what it is?  She's reading.  Shoo!  Go away."

I love those scenes.  I loved Rosie's scene when she explains why she's with Charlie they really put it so many good moments into the movie. It was so fun to watch the women grow and change.  I liked how the one guy (I forget his name) upset when he learns they won't need the women to play anymore and wondering what was going to happen to the women. Then trying to convince him to keep the league going even offering to run it himself. Also, the scene when the western union shows up and Jimmy grabbing the envelope from him. It was such a good movie, I really loved the team together and wish there were more movies like it.

[slf]

57 minutes ago, Bastet said:

One of the other things I've mentioned in one of the many threads this film has popped up in is how much I love the scene when tryouts are over and Shirley is still staring at the board with all the team rosters and the cut list.  The Racine coach is kind of short with her, telling her if she's not on a team she'll have to leave, and Helen, suspecting the problem, joins her at the board to gently ask, "Can you read, honey?"  When Helen asks for her name, and then scans the list for it, points to where "Shirley Baker" is written, saying, "This is you.  You're with us - you're a Rockford Peach," I get all warm and fuzzy inside.

I also like later, when Meg is teaching Shirley how to read using a trashy romance novel.  "Who cares what it is?  She's reading.  Shoo!  Go away."

The first scene always makes me tear up and the second is hilarious (Shirley's happiness at finishing the sentence melts away into shock as she realizes what she just read but Mae's all, "It gets really good after that. Look. The delivery boy walks in... " lol). These diverse women are in a tense competition with a lot on the line and they annoy, shock, and confound one another but they also support and lift each other up. 

[kiddo82]

I could quote this movie all night.  I had heard (read) that Rosie O was basically riffing the whole time she was playing 3rd during the last World Series game.  "You're out, Brenda.  You 'ah out."  "Ellen Sue!  Ellen Sue!  Ellen Sue!  That looked good to me, Ellen Sue.  That looked good to me.  Shake that one off now.  Shake that one off."  The whole sequence when Miss Cuthbert wakes Jimmy up on the bus from "WHO'S LOU!?" to "by the way I loved you in the Wizard of Oz." is gold.  Anything out of Lovitz's mouth.  Anything out of David Lander's mouth.  And of course, my friends and I all know the correct response should one of us ask if anyone has "seen my new, red hat". And that answer is uncalled for.  

[Avaleigh]

My favorite Jon Lovitz scene is when he tells the insurance salesman "If I had your job, I'd kill myself. Sit here, I'll see if I can dig up a pistol." This movie had some great humor.  Other lines I like include:

Doris: Jeez, let's go practice.

Mae: Evelyn. Evelyn! I'm sorry but I'm going to have to kill your son!

Jimmy: By the way I loved you in the Wizard of Oz.

Dottie: Yeah, I hope I have five just like him. 

Evelyn: Don't eat the wrapper, honey. 

Edited June 7, 2017 by Avaleigh

[LilWharveyGal]

Oh wow, this is right up my alley.  I love the entire scene with Jon Lovitz and the sisters in the barn.  And of course Marla's performance, which can't really be translated into the written word.

Eyebrows, thin and separate.  There should be two.

This is our daughter, Dottie.  And this is our other daughter, Dottie's sister.

Hey cow girls, see the grass?  Don't eat it.

Yooooooou stink, you're gonna looooose.

You're killing me, Alice.  You're goddamn killing me!

Dottie, I married a plastic surgeon!

[kiddo82]

48 minutes ago, LilWharveyGal said:

And of course Marla's performance, which can't really be translated into the written word.

Ha! The sight gag of her in the newsreel is literally my avitar.  Poor Marla.  "You know General Omar Bradley?"  Alright I'm done now.  

 

Maybe.  We'll see.

Oh, one more

-Hey!  Blonde girl!  What's the sign to swing away.

  It's the letters but the infield's deep the squeeze will work.

Stop thinking with your tits you want a big inning here.  BATTER!

Edited June 7, 2017 by kiddo82

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, kiddo82 said:

I could quote this movie all night.  I had heard (read) that Rosie O was basically riffing the whole time she was playing 3rd during the last World Series game.  "You're out, Brenda.  You 'ah out."  "Ellen Sue!  Ellen Sue!  Ellen Sue!  That looked good to me, Ellen Sue.  That looked good to me.  Shake that one off now.  Shake that one off."  The whole sequence when Miss Cuthbert wakes Jimmy up on the bus from "WHO'S LOU!?" to "by the way I loved you in the Wizard of Oz." is gold.  Anything out of Lovitz's mouth.  Anything out of David Lander's mouth.  And of course, my friends and I all know the correct response should one of us ask if anyone has "seen my new, red hat". And that answer is uncalled for.  

Rosie O'Donnell plays softball against Larry David in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, as well!

I also heard Jon Lovitz ad-libbed some.

Edited June 7, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[CaughtOnTape]

Why the hell am I the only one on this bus!?!???!?!  Will never not be funny.  I die laughing every single time.

[TigerLynx]

When the women see the outfits, they will have to wear - "That's not a baseball uniform."

Mae:  "There's no pocket for my cigarettes."

Paraphrasing - "There is no smoking in this league.  Everyone will be a lady.  There is also no drinking and no men."

Mae gets up to leave, and Doris jerks her back down.

Dottie and Jimmy are arguing (with signs) about how Marla should bat:

Jimmy, "Who is the manager of this team?  Me."

Dottie, "Then manage it you big lush."

Doris, "Oh, you tell him Dottie."

Edited June 7, 2017 by TigerLynx

[Shannon L.]

I really enjoyed this movie and still do.  It never occurred to me that Dottie dropped the ball on purpose.

The quotes are great.  I don't know the exact words, but I like it when Jimmy is praying "Dear God, hallowed be thy name, may our bats be swift and our balls be plentiful..." then goes on to thank him for the woman he was with the last night "You know the one, she kept calling your name"  lol! 

Also:

Mae:  "What if at a key moment, my top bursts open and 'oops!' my bosoms fall out.  That would attract people."

Doris:  "You think there are men in this country who haven't seen your bosoms?"

[Avaleigh]

I've got more:

Helen: Has anyone seen my new red hat?

***

Doris: What d'ya think we are, ball players or ballerinas?

***

Doris: Evelyn, look at this! I've got Stillwell's snack stuck in my cleat. 

***

Assistant: What do you suggest [to make Marla prettier]? 

Teacher of the Charm and Beauty school: A lot of night games.

***

Ernie: I don't want you, I want her. The one who hit the ball. You can climb back under the cow. 

***

Ernie: I hate when they get attached to me like that.

***

Mae: Okay, some of them are goin' home.

***

Jimmy: Anyone ever tell you, you look like a penis with that little hat on? 

ETA:

Jimmy: [under his breath] This is bullshit and you can all kiss my ass. That's right. You can kiss my big hairy ass. 

***

Nothing's better than "There's no crying in baseball." Probably the best line in the film. 

Ellen Sue admitting that she married a plastic surgeon was a cute moment.

Another line I love but isn't funny. When Helen (?) tells Dottie that she's a doctor and she says it in a way as if she still can't quite believe it after all of these years. Very sweet moment. 

Edited June 9, 2017 by Avaleigh

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Avaleigh said:

Nothing's better than "There's no crying in baseball."

Even more than that, I like what is essentially the follow-up to it -- when she misses again, and instead of going apeshit and making her cry this time, he tells her he'd like her to work on it for next season.  All the non-verbal stuff as he just barely reins himself in, face red and shaking, hands fluttering, etc. and she's standing there cringing and repeating, "I know" - and then the smile that breaks out across her face when he pulls himself together and just calmly tells her to work on it.

[kiddo82]

Take me home, momma, and put me to bed.  I have seen enough to know I have seen too much.

[DkNNy79]

One of my favorite movies.  I thought the ensemble cast was great.  Could not stand Kit at all.

Personally I always thought that Dottie dropped the ball intentionally.    She was just too good of a player to get beat on a play like that.  Plus she had been run down earlier in the movie by a girl twice Kit's size and managed to hang on.

[Bastet]

No matter how many times I watch this movie - and that's a lot of times - I never fail to get choked up when Marla and her dad say good-bye in the train station.  She starts worrying that she shouldn't go, because who will help him, and he tells her, "Nothing's ever going to happen here.  You have to go where things are happening."

[festivus]

I love Marla and her dad. 

This movie is one of my favorites. It's just so damn funny and no matter how many times I see it I still laugh just the same. Right now I'm sitting here cracking up thinking about the scene when they made the news-clip showing the players and they had Marla Hooch way off in the field. I feel really bad for thinking that is funny but it is. I actually think Marla is cute as a button. 

[VCRTracking]

Penny Marshall was on Live with Kelly and Michael once to promote her memoirs and talked about how Spielberg asked her if he could use the idea of her movie's epilogue showing the characters in the modern day for Schindler's List and she was like "Sure. I don't own nothin'" Also in her book she says Debra Winger was first offered the lead role but turned it down after she found out Madonna was going to be in the movie "You're making an Elvis movie!" she told Marshall.

[Jediknight]

21 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

I've got more:

Helen: Has anyone seen my new red hat?

Oh piss on your hat.

Edited June 9, 2017 by Jediknight

[Ms Blue Jay]

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

No matter how many times I watch this movie - and that's a lot of times - I never fail to get choked up when Marla and her dad say good-bye in the train station.  She starts worrying that she shouldn't go, because who will help him, and he tells her, "Nothing's ever going to happen here.  You have to go where things are happening."

Ugh, you brought tears to my eyes!

I guess there's crying in this thread....

Edited June 9, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[Avaleigh]

6 hours ago, DkNNy79 said:

One of my favorite movies.  I thought the ensemble cast was great.  Could not stand Kit at all.

Personally I always thought that Dottie dropped the ball intentionally.    She was just too good of a player to get beat on a play like that.  Plus she had been run down earlier in the movie by a girl twice Kit's size and managed to hang on.

She just lets go. She had the ball. It's like she opens her hand and just lets it fall out of her hand as opposed to struggling and fighting for the moment. Her hand looks so lifeless. It seems like there are more hints to suggest that she did it on purpose. I think the resistance mostly comes from people not liking the idea of Dottie letting her team down as opposed to there not being evidence in the film that supports the idea that Dottie let Kit have this win. It bothers me too that Dottie would let her team down like that but within the context of the story not only do I think her actions are understandable, but I think they're forgivable even if it isn't what I would have done had I been in the character's position. 

I also think that the idwa of her dropping the ball on purpose makes the story more complex. 

****

This movie has a lot of sweet moments. Marla and her father, Marla's father's plea to Ernie and the way he delivers the line "She loves to play." Marla's shy smile when Ellen Sue throws the ball at the asshole who's heckling them and how the moment makes everyone feel more relaxed. Doris telling the other girls that she doesn't feel weird anymore about playing. "There's a lot of us. I think we're all alright." The girls praying and Doris praying for a triple or even a double hit and Jimmy telling them that praying doesn't help only to make the sign of the cross just in case. Mae being excited that Marla got a letter from Nelson. Dottie making sure that the other girls don't get caught and making sure that Marla isn't left behind. Jimmy reminding Mr. Harvey what he did as a player during the world series and Harvey acknowledging that Jimmy's past success is the reason he's still willing to give him a job in spite of everything. Everyone being so excited to see Dottie after all those years. The final shot being of the two sisters. Damn, guys, just typing that last one got me teary eyed over here. Kit annoyed the crap out of me but damn it if I'm not fighting back rivers of tears everytime I see that pic of her and Dottie. 

14 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Ugh, you brought tears to my eyes!

I guess there's crying in this thread....

It's ridiculous how many scenes in this movie can guarantee floods of tears from me. Betty learning about George's death gets me every time. Doris's tears and Jimmy's surprising sensitivity. One of the girls running to get Miss Cuthbert because she really is a help to the girls at the end of the day. 

One of the women making sure that Lowenstein gets to cut the ribbon and the swell of music when we get to enter the exhibition. 

Another one that gets me is seeing that Jimmy died in 1987. 

Dottie making a point to tell Stillwell what a nice lady his mother was. 

Hearing "This Used to Be My Playground" as we see flashes of scenes and pics from the movie. 

[andromeda331]

I loved how Dottie and Kit refused to when Ernie didn't want to bring Marla along.

[Jediknight]

3 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

Mae being excited that Marla got a letter from Nelson.

Mae had quite a few of them.  Some others, were her and the other girls helping Marla come out of her shell, and helping Shirley learn how to read.

[VCRTracking]

6 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

13 hours ago, DkNNy79 said:

One of my favorite movies.  I thought the ensemble cast was great.  Could not stand Kit at all.

Personally I always thought that Dottie dropped the ball intentionally.    She was just too good of a player to get beat on a play like that.  Plus she had been run down earlier in the movie by a girl twice Kit's size and managed to hang on.

She just lets go. She had the ball. It's like she opens her hand and just lets it fall out of her hand as opposed to struggling and fighting for the moment. Her hand looks so lifeless. It seems like there are more hints to suggest that she did it on purpose. I think the resistance mostly comes from people not liking the idea of Dottie letting her team down as opposed to there not being evidence in the film that supports the idea that Dottie let Kit have this win. It bothers me too that Dottie would let her team down like that but within the context of the story not only do I think her actions are understandable, but I think they're forgivable even if it isn't what I would have done had I been in the character's position. 

Watched that ending again and I don't think Dottie let the ball go on purpose. If she did they would have had a scene with Jimmy or Kit asking whether she did or not. My opinion is her hand hit the ground so hard she let go of the ball. If she really intentionally did there would be a scene with Jimmy asking her and she'd have a look that indicated she did. They wouldn't have left in ambiguous.

The problem with the way they handled Kit is we hear her talk about how their parents favored Dottie but we never see it. For all we know she could have been exaggerating. It's like on the Family Stone thread. We sympathize with Meredith because we witness her being treated like garbage by Everett's family instead of hearing her complain about it afterwards.

Edited June 10, 2017 by VCRTracking

[Browncoat]

4 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

They wouldn't have left in ambiguous.

I think they left it ambiguous on purpose.  We didn't need a scene explaining everything to us.  It was a hit hard enough to make someone drop the ball, and Jimmy knew Dottie was an excellent player -- he wouldn't question the drop.  And Kit wanted the win badly enough to make the hard hit and thus not question the drop.  But it's ambiguous enough for us to question it. 

[TigerLynx]

12 hours ago, Jediknight said:

Mae had quite a few of them.  Some others, were her and the other girls helping Marla come out of her shell, and helping Shirley learn how to read.

I was worried from the first scene of Dottie/Kit/Marla and Mae/Doris that the girls were not going to get along.  I'm so glad they didn't go that route, and instead showed them bonding while still being different, and disagreeing about some things.

[SlovakPrincess]

I viewed the "drop the ball scene" as either Kit being particularly fierce and competitive that day or Dottie subconsciously being weaker than her usual game because she felt conflicted about beating her little sister.

  I don't think Dottie would have ever purposely thrown the game to help Kit ... but she was maybe reflexively softer in that moment against Kit, if that makes sense. 

Anyway, Kit was just such a whiny brat to me, even though I am also the younger sister of two girls and I do understand the insecurity and need to prove yourself and chafing against a big sister who protects (or sometimes overprotects) you.  But Kit's behavior -- especially in front of an entire team of women -- was like that of a 12 year old, not an 18 or 19 year old (or whatever her age was).

[Katy M]

I can believe that Dottie may have subconsciously dropped the ball on purpose.  But, I can't believe that she consciously dropped it on purpose.  And, IMO, Dottie dropping the ball on purpose is more an insult to Kit's character than to Dottie's.  Kit wasn't as good as Dottie. She knew she wasn't as good as Dottie. But, she worked hard and she wanted nothing more to beat her sister.  As a younger sister with an older sister who does pretty much everything perfectly, I've always related more to Kit.  Yes, I admit she was way too whiny.  But, she had some legitimate issues and feelings.

[TigerLynx]

Dottie not trying as hard against Kit as she would have another player makes more sense to me than Dottie knowingly letting her team lose.

Who won wasn't as important to me as the women themselves were.  At a time when women were told you are only allowed to do this, to think this, to be a certain way, or there is something wrong with you, these women who came from different places, and wanted different things, said there is nothing wrong with us playing ball, it doesn't make us less than.

[Dee]

22 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

Dottie making a point to tell Stillwell what a nice lady his mother was. 

Jimmy nailing Stillwell with a baseball mitt cracks me up. Every time.

[Popples]

On 5/31/2017 at 11:23 PM, slf said:

Also cut: Dottie and Bob dated for five years and only got married the night he was drafted, Jimmy and Dottie were drawn to one another and even kissed (the original reason she requested to be transferred to another team),  and during one game Dottie barrels into a pregnant Marla on second base (that's why she's crying when Bob shows up, because of guilt).

Now that finally makes sense on why Marla left after she got married and told the team she would see them next season. She was my favorite character and it always annoyed me that she didn't get to play in the World Series.

My favorite part is her drunk at the club: "NO! I'm singing to Nelson! Ain't I baby?"

[slf]

12 hours ago, TigerLynx said:

I was worried from the first scene of Dottie/Kit/Marla and Mae/Doris that the girls were not going to get along.  I'm so glad they didn't go that route, and instead showed them bonding while still being different, and disagreeing about some things.

One thing I'm conflicted about is that it Doris was originally written more like Mae and they changed it after casting Rosie. On the one hand, I like that the two women are opposites but still the best of friends (and when Doris is telling the others how they met and she says. "She was one of the dancers, I was the bouncer" I laugh every time). On the other hand...what's that saying, that they changed it? Plenty of plain women worked in dance halls and several of the plainer women in the movie get love interests so why act like Rosie couldn't play a former dance hall girl? I wonder if Rosie was bothered by that or if she was okay with it.

Loved when Miss Cuthbert was getting sick and Jimmy's actually being sweet and trying to take care of her while the befuddled doctor exclaims, "In the 43 years I've practiced medicine, I never saw a woman throw up that much!" And Jimmy comes back with, "Maybe that's how she entertains herself, doc."

On 6/8/2017 at 9:19 PM, Bastet said:

Even more than that, I like what is essentially the follow-up to it -- when she misses again, and instead of going apeshit and making her cry this time, he tells her he'd like her to work on it for next season.  All the non-verbal stuff as he just barely reins himself in, face red and shaking, hands fluttering, etc. and she's standing there cringing and repeating, "I know" - and then the smile that breaks out across her face when he pulls himself together and just calmly tells her to work on it.

Jimmy vibrating with barely controlled rage is one of the funniest moments in the whole movie.

[bijoux]

This discussion made me look up the movie on Youtube and rewatch it. I don't have that much to add, except that I enjoyed what a champion Ira was for the women. He even traded in his straw hat for a ball cap for the final game of the series. I found that so sweet. It was only right that he was the one to cut the tape.

Avoid the clap, Jimmy Dugan.

[Popples]

1 hour ago, bijoux said:

Avoid the clap, Jimmy Dugan.

That's good advice!

[LilWharveyGal]

14 hours ago, slf said:

Loved when Miss Cuthbert was getting sick and Jimmy's actually being sweet and trying to take care of her while the befuddled doctor exclaims, "In the 43 years I've practiced medicine, I never saw a woman throw up that much!" And Jimmy comes back with, "Maybe that's how she entertains herself, doc."

"No, I wouldn't wear those shoes again, Miss Cuthbert..."

[Inquisitionist]

On ‎6‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 1:45 AM, voiceover said:

 Geena Davis was a perfect choice (as was Tom Hanks); Madonna was...meh (if you want to see her greatest-and-it-ain't-even-close performance, rent Desperately Seeking Susan).  And it should've been Debra Winger, not Lori Petty, as the sister.  Winger would've made you love Kit, despite the shit attitude.

 

On ‎6‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 4:52 PM, slf said:

Cosigned. Debra Winger really had a knack for making me appreciate difficult characters. She looks more like she could be Davis' sister, too. 

 

On ‎6‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 5:21 PM, voiceover said:

And IIRC, Winger was offered the role but turned it down.  A missed oppo.

Like Winona Ryder backing out of Godfather lll.

Winger was the original casting choice for Dottie, not Kit.  When Winger left the production, reportedly in protest of Madonna, she was replaced by Geena Davis, who had to get up to speed, baseball-wise, very quickly.  Winger is actually a year older than Davis.  Couldn't pass as her younger sister, IMO. 

 

For all this film's flaws (and there are many), its delightful moments (and there are many) have made me watch and enjoy it over and over. 

[ClareWalks]

The makeover ladies were pretty funny re: Marla. "What do you suggest?" "A lot of night games." (I think Marla turned out quite lovely! Just needed a woman's touch, haha)

[amaranta]

Quote

There's no crying in baseball.

When things get rough and life is beating me up, I say this to myself.  Out loud and everything.  This year has been tough: my dog passed unexpectedly (Seizures out of nowhere caused brain damage and they couldn't bring her back - up until the moment they struck she was a happy, healthy girl.  Until she wasn't.) and then a couple of months later we lost my stepdad.  You know how you have little moments of quiet, like putting away the dishes or sorting laundry - that's when shit hits you out of the blue, ambushes you just when you think you've moved on.  I take a deep breath, say the line and go on about my day.

I love this movie.  I don't rank it when I think of sports films, because I think it's about so much more than baseball and sports. (And I'm a die hard, born in Baltimore Orioles fan.)  It also likely wouldn't make any of my top 20 lists, just in general. But still it's a damn good movie about a special place and time, when some really cool and different people came together and made a family. And a bit of history along the way.

I've just caught up on the thread and as to the question did she drop it on purpose?  Hell if I know.  I've never been able to decide.

ETA: Oh, regarding Jack and the door - it was a weight and balance thing.  When he started to climb on, they began to swamp and the door dipped under the water.  They both would have frozen.  And that's one movie where seeing it once was definitely enough. :-)

ETAA:  Changed my mind for now, maybe later.

Edited June 16, 2017 by amaranta

[TigerLynx]

On ‎6‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 4:46 PM, ClareWalks said:

The makeover ladies were pretty funny re: Marla. "What do you suggest?" "A lot of night games." (I think Marla turned out quite lovely! Just needed a woman's touch, haha)

I agree Marla was attractive, and I thought the actress who played Marla was a really good sport to let them fug her up and to put up with all the negative comments about her looks.  I loved the reunion when Dottie saw Marla again, and Marla was all happy and confident.  She was still married to Nelson, Nelson was retired, and their son had taken over running the business.

I never thought this was just a sports movie.  It was about so much more than that.

I can't see Debra Winger as Dottie.  Geena Davis just is Dottie to me.

[Dejana]

A League of Their Own was released 25 years ago today! Here are a couple of pieces about it: Esquire on What Makes A League of Their Own One of the Best Baseball Movies Ever Made and from The Ringer, why ‘A League of Their Own’ Is an All-Time Great Sports Film. The latter is more of an oral history of its making and legacy, with Laurie Petty and Kelly Candaele (a writer whose mother and aunt inspired Dottie and Kit) weighing in on the "Dottie drops the ball" debate:

 

Quote

Many of art’s finest works revolve around lasting ambiguity: Did someone kill Tony Soprano? Is this an old lady or a young lass? Are Beatles songs really just hidden vehicles for Satanic creeds? Did Dottie Hinson purposely drop the ball as Kit jump-slid into home plate during Game 7 of the Women’s World Series so her kid sister could finally have the glory?

“I knew you were going to ask me that,” says Petty, because it’s what everyone always wants to know; the internet is filled with painstaking did-she-or-didn’t-she analyses that delve into Dottie’s mind-set; her level of fitness and rustiness following her decision to bail on the team with Dull Bob at the start of the playoffs, only to have a change of heart in Yellowstone; her “high fastballs: she can’t hit ’em, she can’t lay off ’em” advice to the pitcher, who needs only one more out for the championship; her ball protection (or lack thereof); and her maybe-foreshadowing comments at the start of the film to her grandsons (“Now remember, no matter what you brother does, he’s littler than you are. Give him a chance to shoot,” she says to the older one; to the younger, she hisses: “Kill him!”). “They’re insane,” Petty says of the forensic sleuths who talk endlessly about all of this. “I kicked her ass!”

Candaele, when asked if his mother and aunt were like Dottie and Kit, explains that they played outfield and infield, not pitcher and catcher, and “to some extent” had a sibling rivalry, but that “my mom would never have dropped the ball, ever. I always tell people that. People say, oh, she did it on purpose, isn’t that nice and sweet, she let her sister win. No one would do that! The betrayal of your own teammates, not to mention the betrayal of your own integrity … you ask yourself, would I betray my teammates like that, in a World Series game, so my bratty sister could win? I mean, it makes no sense. It absolutely makes no sense. Psychologically it makes no sense. Morally it makes no sense. It’s condescending. If you knock someone over and knock the ball out, that’s baseball.”

Edited July 2, 2017 by Dejana

[Bastet]

7 hours ago, Dejana said:

an oral history of its making and legacy, with Laurie Petty and Kelly Candaele (a writer whose mother inspired Dottie and Kit) weighing in on the "Dottie drops the ball" debate

I'll have to go back and read it in full later, but from your excerpt, I think I love Kelly Candaele.  He had me at "bratty sister," but I love his entire "hell, no, you don't fuck over your team or give up your own integrity" response.

Oops; should have read more closely to correctly identify Candaele; thanks scarrynikki12.

Edited July 2, 2017 by Bastet

[scarynikki12]

Kelly Candaele is a man but I agree with the love for his comments.