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. Competitive sisters Dottie Hinson and Kit Keller spar with each other, scout Ernie Capadino and grumpy has-been coach Jimmy Dugan on their way to fame.
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Credits: TheMovieDb.
Film Cast:
- Jimmy Dugan: Tom Hanks
- Dottie Hinson (C): Geena Davis
- Kit Keller (P): Lori Petty
- Mae Mordabito (CF): Madonna
- Doris Murphy (3B): Rosie O’Donnell
- Marla Hooch (2B): Megan Cavanagh
- Betty Horn (LF/P): Tracy Reiner
- Evelyn Gardner (RF): Bitty Schram
- Shirley Baker (LF): Ann Cusack
- Helen Haley (1B): Anne Ramsay
- Ellen Sue Gotlander (SS/P): Freddie Simpson
- Alice Gaspers (LF/C): Renée Coleman
- ‘Beans’ Babbitt (SS): Robin Knight
- Marbleann Wilkenson (2B): Patti Pelton
- Beverly Dixon (OF): Kelli Simpkins
- Neezer Dalton (OF): Neezer Tarleton
- Connie Calhoun (OF): Connie Pounds-Taylor
- ‘Mumbles’ Brockman (OF): Kathleen Marshall
- Vivian Ernst (2B): Sharon Szmidt
- Miss Cuthbert: Pauline Brailsford
- Ira Lowenstein: David Strathairn
- Walter Harvey: Garry Marshall
- Ernie Capadino: Jon Lovitz
- Bob Hinson: Bill Pullman
- Stilwell: Justin Scheller
- Dave Hooch: Eddie Jones
- Nelson: Alan Wilder
- Empathetic Umpire: Michael Haley
- Racine Coach Charlie: Don S. Davis
- Racine Pitcher: Janet Jones
- Racine Catcher: Brenda Ferrari
- Racine 1B: Téa Leoni
- Maida Gillespie: Laurel Cronin
- Doctor: Wantland L. Sandel Jr.
- Heckler: Joe Krowka
- Newsreel Announcer: Harry Shearer
- Margaret: Blaire Baron
- Jeffrey: Ryan Howell
- Bobby: Brian Boru Gleeson
- Vacuum Salesman: David Franks
- Dollbody Kid: Ryan Olsen
- Charm School Instructor: Ellie Weingardt
- Charm School Assistant: Larissa Collins
- Doris’ Fan #1: Douglas Blakeslee
- Doris’ Fan #2: Joey Slotnick
- Autograph Kid #1: Brian Flannery
- Autograph Kid #2: Stephen Feagley
- Ma Keller: Rae Allen
- Mitch Swaley: Gregory Sporleder
- Mae’s Guy in Bar: Eddie Mekka
- Kit’s Guy in Bar: Stephen Mailer
- Ticket Scalper: Raymond L. Chapman
- Opera Singer: Joette Hodgen
- Older Dottie: Lynn Cartwright
- Older Kit: Kathleen Butler
- Older Mae: Eunice Anderson
- Older Doris: Vera Johnson
- Older Marla: Patricia Wilson
- Older Stilwell: Mark Holton
- Older Shirley: Barbara Erwin
- Older Betty: Betty Miller
- Older Ellen Sue: Eugenia McLin
- Older Helen: Barbara Pilavin
- Older Ira: Marvin Einhorn
- Older Alice: Shirley Burkovich
- Lady in Bleachers: Dolores ‘Pickles’ Dries
- Additional Player: Shelly Adlard
- Additional Player: Vickie Buse
- Additional Player: K.C. Carr
- Additional Player: Julie Croteau
- Additional Player: Tonya Gilles Koch
- Additional Player: Kirsten Gretick
- Additional Player: Stacey Gustaferro
- Additional Player: Lisa Handirk
- Additional Player: Cheryl Jones
- Additional Player: Shelly Niemeyer
- Additional Player: Sally Rutherford
- Additional Player: Lita Schmitt
- Additional Player: Amanda Walker
- Additional Player: Brenda Watson
- Baseball Fan with Boy (uncredited): Clint Calvert
- Baseball Owner (uncredited): Del Close
- Charm School Assistant (uncredited): Sarah Cosgrove-Gaumond
- Soldier (uncredited): Cris Cunningham
- Photographer (uncredited): Doug Decker
- Model (uncredited): Andrea Helene
- Ray Foster (uncredited): Gary Houston
- Radio Sportscaster (uncredited): David L. Lander
- Racine Pitcher (uncredited): Kindra Marra
- Ballplayer (uncredited): Megan McCarthy
- Mr. Murphy (uncredited): Ed Quinn
- Enthusiastic Fan (uncredited): Phil Russell
- Umpire (uncredited): Keith Schrader
- Loudmouth from Lukash (uncredited): Ray Toler
- Background Extra (uncredited): Robin Wyatt
Film Crew:
- Original Music Composer: Hans Zimmer
- Casting: Amanda Mackey
- Casting: Ellen Lewis
- Producer: Robert Greenhut
- Director of Photography: Miroslav Ondříček
- Editor: George Bowers
- Art Direction: Tim Galvin
- Executive Producer: Penny Marshall
- Screenplay: Lowell Ganz
- Screenplay: Babaloo Mandel
- Set Decoration: George DeTitta Jr.
- Co-Producer: Joseph Hartwick
- Editor: Adam Bernardi
- Costume Design: Cynthia Flynt
- Producer: Elliot Abbott
- Production Design: Bill Groom
- Co-Producer: Ronnie D. Clemmer
- Associate Producer: Amy Lemisch
- Co-Producer: Bill Pace
- Writer: Kim Wilson
- Writer: Kelly Candaele
Movie Reviews:
- John Chard: The Drunk and The Babes!
It’s 1943 and Baseball in the states has been decimated by all the men being called up to join the services. Enter the ladies who themselves help to kick start a womens league to keep the Baseball fires burning.
The first thing any prospective first time viewer of this piece should note, is that it’s not actually a film about Baseball. It’s about friendships, challenges and differing off shoots to the complications of war, it just so happens that it’s the game of Baseball that brings it all together!
Directed by Penny Marshall (Big), screenplay by Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel (City Slickers/Parenthood) and featuring Tom Hanks (wonderful as drunken coach Dugan) as the leading male, it’s no surprise that “A League Of Their Own” booms with sentiment and no little amount of comedy. It is to me a very rewarding picture, the sort that wants you to chuckle along with it whilst noting the need for human interaction during a troubled time.
The lady actors do great impressions of bona fide athletes, asked to parade in short skirts and entertain the watching public, these gals, led by the always engaging Geena Davis, deliver a sparky picture that never veers into maudlin territory. There are of course some sombre moments, but they are placed nicely by Marshall in the context of the films’ events, never trite, they serve more as tender vignettes to run alongside the frivolity on offer.
Ultimately “A League Of Their Own” has achieved its aims come the final credits, its not taxing and its not purporting to be an intelligent look at a period in history. It’s asking us the viewers to feel heartened by what we just watched, and just maybe to give those girls back in the 1940s a piece of our respect, job done. 7/10