A League of Their Own

A lot of husbands were in the war, so that part is kind of true. Would you rather play baseball or work in a factory?

OP, did you want Jon Lovitz to say, "Hey cowgirls, don't munch the rugs" instead of welcoming Geena Davis and her sister to the league by saying, "Hey cowgirls, don't eat the grass"?

The quote is "Hey cowgirls, see the grass? Don't eat it!"

I've always thought the same thing, OP. That league was probably rife with lesbian action, experimentation and drama. And there's no way that Kit was straight.

Even the girl who was the homeliest got all dolled up & decided to sing to her "man" at the dance...

It's been a while since I saw the movie, but I always thought it was implied that the Rosie O'Donnell character was a lez, since she had a "boyfriend" back who she really even like.

There were several players, like Geena Davis' sister for one, who didn't have a boyfriend at all, so use your imagination.

The sad fact is that back in the '40's absolutely NO ONE was out unless you wanted to be arrested or institutionalized. You were just living with your best friend or your "sister". So the fact that they portrayed none of the women as obviously lesbian is probably very realistic.

A League of Their Own was made over 20 years ago; there was no way lesbian characters would have been included in a feel-good crowd-pleasing mainstream Hollywood movie at that time. If this movie were made today it might be different, but not back then.

why can't you people watch a film and enjoy it instead of wondering what kind of lesbian or gay action went on? everything is about sex w/you folks huh? you just can't get away from that. just stick to porn fellas (male and female)

Hello, R8. Are you retarded or one of the thirty freaks who make up One Million Moms?

My dad dated a Rockford Peach back in the day. He did not say if she was a lesbian or not, and I neglected to ask.

I'll assume she was not.

They should have kept Debra Winger.

THRE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!

[quote] I always thought it was implied that the Rosie O'Donnell character was a lez, since she had a "boyfriend" back who she really even like.

Again, in English please.

From English to Japanese and back again, r13. Hope this helps.

"I since she "she really even like my boyfriend" always thought was Rosie O'Donnell character back, lesbian, implied."

God, no, R11! Besides being a major cunt, Winger wouldn't have been able to pull off the warmth and grace that Davis had. You could believe that Davis' Dottie was the Queen of Diamonds and "the best player in the league."

[quote]THRE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!

In the latest GREY'S ANATOMY episode, Geena Davis (who has been a guest-star all season) yelled at one of the regulars, Arizona, because she cried when they lost a baby in pediatrics. Davis' characters says to her, "There's no crying in medicine!" XD

Before the 70s homosexuality was a treatable mental illness, so it's unlikely any lesbians would be on teams.

They only employed normal healthy people.

I was a star of it! My best friend, ever so young Madonna was in it too.

r17, you sound dumb.

The book on which "Desert Hearts" was based (Desert of the Heart, by Jane Rule) talked about an interim wartime household set up by women (on of millions) while they waited for the men to return.

One of the women's baseball players died within the past year or so. Her NY Times obit made it clear that she never married

Debra Winger would have been great - she and Lori Petty look like sisters.

I still say she dropped the ball on purpose at the end.

At the very beginning of the film she tells her grandson to be sure and "let" his brother win every once in awhile.

I definitely think she dropped the ball on purpose, she wanted to let Kit be the hero.

And Gena Davis was perfectly cast as Dottie, She was so pretty, but very believable as a star baseball player. Fun movie.

Was it supposed to be ambiguous that she dropped the ball on purpose?

And they're both equally as crazy, R22!

She did drop the ball on purpose and it was fucked up to screw over an entire team just so your pathetic, little, sister can feel good about herself!

Lori Petty is obviously gay.

She's got a Leslie Gore thing going on.

I'm really surprised there wasn't more lez-lez in the film, although in those days it's unlikely that anyone would have been open about it.

Maybe there really were girls forming unofficial couples, the way Rosie and Madge did in the movie, living their lives together and paying lip service to heterosexuality. Gosh, isn't it terrible that there aren't any men our age left, and we have to dance with each other, it's just terrible.

Yet, even now so many people lie...

Because so many others ask too many questions...

Wasn't this a Penny Marshall film?

I think Winger would have been great and she certainly can play warm as she did in Terms et al. Davis, tho, was very good. Enjoyed seeing Lori again in the first episode of season 2 OITNB.

A league of butch lezzies

She didn't drop the ball on purpose.

Penny Marshall directed the film.

Winger was cast in the role of Dottie, but refused to work with Madonna, so she dropped out.

We ate pussy in the dugout.

Yep, Point Break is a bit like Top Gun isn't it?

Lesbians didn't exist until well after the great war. That's a fact. Look it up.

R35 Winger was pissed at MADONNA After Madonna stated in a 1991 Vanity Fair cover story that Winger was all wrong and lacked sex appeal in The Sheltering Sky

Winger was furious

R39 In her memoir MY MOTHER WAS NUTS, Penny Marshall said that Winger told her that by hiring Madonna she was making "an Elvis film." (Whatever the fuck that was supposed to mean.)

[quote]There’s lots of good stuff about Penny’s films. Debra Winger, she says, dropped out of playing the lead in “A League of their Own” because Marshall cast Madonna in the film. “You’re making an Elvis film!” Debra told her. Geena Davis took over the role and won the audience over.

Another factoid from Penny's book:

[quote]The ending of the film–in which Penny showed the real women baseball players–inspired Steven Spielberg to use Holocaust survivors at the end of “Schindler’s List.” He asked Penny’s permission. She was happy to give it since he was the one who turned her on to directing.

I'm of the camp that believes she dropped it on purpose. Perhaps she initially wanted to win -- which is why she returned for Game 7 and why she played hard against her sister and told Ellen Sue to pitch high -- but I think once she saw Kit rounding third (even though the third base coach was giving her the stop sign) she made the split-second decision to give it all to her sister, because had Rockford won, Kit would've been rightfully blamed for Racine's loss, since she took the risk to go home and there was no need for her to do that. The game was tied thanks to her triple, and even if the next batter struck out, they would've gone into extra innings until someone scored.

So if Kit had been called out, she would've been dropped from the team for losing them the title -- or even the league altogether, since no other team would want her for making a foolish decision. She'd have to return home to Oregon with her tail tucked between her legs and once again be second-best to Dottie, because then Dottie would be seen as the hero. The announcer even says after Dottie caught the ball in the dugout, thus making the penultimate out of the game: "There's not question who the star of this game has been!" So even up to the last out, Dottie was dominating the praise -- also remember, her double in the top of the 9th caused both Mae and Doris to score, giving Rockford the lead -- and had she held on to the ball and won the World Series, she would've been bigger than ever -- and Kit would be the pathetic loser who was sent home packing.

I think Dottie realized this, and as Kit came barreling toward her, she made the instant decision to give her also-ran sister the win. After all, Dottie was quitting the league after the game and returning home with her husband to start a family. She had no further use for it. But the league was everything to Kit. It allowed her to escape from home (where she was most unhappy), and the win finally gave her the chance to also escape from under her older sister's shadow. It made her a star in her own right, and in the context of the film gave her a place in baseball history since her actions won her team the first World Series of the AAGPBL. None of this would be possible if Dottie hadn't dropped the ball.

Furthermore, there was also foreshadowing to the climax. At the beginning of the movie, as R23 pointed out Old Dottie tells her oldest grandson to give his little brother a chance to shoot the basketball. But the most telling was when, during the season montage, a bigger player from Racine knocked over Dottie at home in a similar manner and she still held onto the ball.

So that's why I believe Dottie dropped the ball.

For those who might argue that Dottie wouldn't let her team down, well, her sister's happiness and well-being were more important to her, as evidenced in the fact that Dottie agreed to travel to Chicago for the tryouts so that Kit could have a shot at the league and when she asked to be traded to another team so that her presence wouldn't overshadow her sister. Also, in the touching scene between the sisters following the game, Dottie made it clear that she wouldn't miss the league but she would miss Kit. Like she said, baseball was just something she did, but her relationship with her sister was of utmost importance.

What's a lesbian?

Great analysis R42. I also think Dot understood the league needed drama and a hero. Recall the scene where she does the splits and catches the ball. Dot knows it's just as important to put on a show as it is to play the game. You need to pack the seats.

Dot was the star player (talent and lloks). By leaving the league she was screwing over everyone, the league, her teammates and of course her sister. Letting Kit win created a new hero figure. Kit was capable, as evidenced by her performance in the final game to be a really good player (she just needed to step outside of Dots shadow and build up her confidence). Letting Kit win created a team rivalry that would give fans a vested interest in one team winning over the other. So despite the loss, it was a smart move to make for the long term interest in her team.

I had to stop saying Hail Marys because Madonna finally had a hit movie.

New York Times obit for one of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Caneface, no mention of kids or a husband

There were no lesbians outside the prison system in 1940s.

Which A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN character are you?

[bold]'A League of Their Own' TV Series in the Works at Amazon[/bold]

[quote]Mozart in the Jungle's Will Graham and Broad City's Abbi Jacobson will co-write and executive produce what is being described less as a traditional reboot and more as a modern look at the story. The project is being envisioned as a half-hour comedy series.

[quote]Here's the official logline: "A League of Their Own is a half-hour comedy infusing the warmth, humor and DNA of the classic film, while taking a contemporary spin on the stories of the women surrounding the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The show will begin with the formation of the league in 1943 and follows the Rockford Peaches, season to season as they struggle to keep the team alive through close games, injuries, late night bar crawls, sexual awakenings, not crying and road trips across a rapidly changing United States. The series dives deeper into the issues facing the country while following a ragtag team of women figuring themselves out while fighting to realize their dreams of playing professional baseball."

Interesting, R42 and thanks. I’ve always loved this film. It had a great look and feel.

Abbi Jacobson is bi and she'll probably demand dyke or bi characters.

R50, R42 wrote his comment over 3 years ago.

I never liked Tom Hanks until this movie.

There were a enough lesbian actresses in the film...

There were a enough lesbian actresses in the film...

There were a enough lesbian actresses in the film...