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A League Of Their Own Poster

A League Of Their Own

Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Kids/Family
In Theaters:
3.5
When World War II threatens to shut down Major League Baseball, candy manufacturing magnate Walter Harvey (Garry Marshall) decides to create a women's league to make money. Ira Lowenstein (David Strathairn) is put in charge of public relations and scout Ernie Capadino (Jon Lovitz) is sent out to recruit players. Capadino likes what he sees in catcher Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis). She's a terrific hitter and, almost as important, "a doll" and likely to attract male fans. He offers her a tryout, but the married woman is content where she is, working in a dairy and on the family farm in Oregon while her husband is away at war. He's less impressed with her younger sister, pitcher Kit Keller (Lori Petty), who loves the game passionately but appears to be less talented. He finally lets her come along when she persuades Dottie to give it a try for her sake. Along the way to the tryouts, he also checks out Marla Hooch (Megan Cavanagh), a great switch-hitting slugger. However, the blunt-speaking scout finds her too homely and rejects her. Dottie and Kit refuse to continue on without her and Ernie reluctantly gives in. When the trio arrive at the tryouts in Chicago, they meet Doris Murphy (Rosie O'Donnell) and Mae Mordabito (Madonna), two tough-talking Brooklynites. They are assigned with 14 others to form the Rockford Peaches; 48 other prospects are chosen for the Racine Belles, Kenosha Comets, or South Bend Blue Sox. The Peaches are managed by drunkard former baseball great Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks). Jimmy initially treats the whole thing as a joke, leaving the managerial duties to Dottie. However, he takes over when he clashes with Dottie over whether or not to let their best hitter swing away. A decision which proves him to be a smarter manager than he has shown. Meanwhile, the players have to attend mandatory etiquette classes to maintain a "lady-like" image, even though they are also required to wear very short (by 1940s standards) skirts as part of their uniforms. The league attracts little interest at first. In one memorable scene, Lowenstein tells the Peaches that things aren't going so well and that the owners are having second thoughts about keeping the league going beyond the 1943 season. With a Life magazine photographer in attendance, he asks them to do something spectacular. Dottie obliges when a ball is popped up behind home plate, catching it while doing a split. The resulting photograph makes the cover of the magazine. Jimmy is (predictably) disgusted, while the opposing manager and catcher are stunned. More and more people show up and the league becomes a success. The sibling rivalry between Dottie and Kit becomes more intense as the season progresses: Kit has a massive inferiority complex because Dottie is a better player, a better hitter, and more beautiful. After Kit gets upset when Dottie has Jimmy pull her for a relief pitcher, Dottie tells Lowenstein she is thinking of quitting. Lowenstein, who had been publicizing the photogenic Dottie as the "Queen of Diamonds", has Kit traded to Racine. An enraged Kit blames her sister for getting her traded. The two meet again in the championship game of the AAGPBL World Series. In the top of the ninth inning, Kit pitches to Dottie, and Dottie hits a line drive over her head, scoring two runs for Rockford. Kit comes up to bat with her team trailing in the bottom of the inning. Although Dottie gives the pitcher advice on Kit's weakness for chasing high fastballs, Kit hits the ball into the outfield and rounds the bases, ignoring a stop signal from the third base coach. Dottie catches the ball and blocks home plate, but Kit runs into her hard. She drops the ball (it is unclear whether she does so intentionally or not) and Kit scores the winning run. Dottie quits baseball to be with her husband Bob (Bill Pullman), who has returned from the war, but she and Kit reconcile before she leaves. Many years later, the two sisters, who haven't seen each other in a while, and many of their Peaches teammates are reunited at the opening of a women's section in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Many of the older women shown in the final scenes were actual players of the AAGPBL.
Screenplay: Kim Wilson , Kelly Candaele , Lowell Ganz , Babaloo Mandel
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
DVD Release: 2002-06-04 00:00:00.0
Tagline: To achieve the incredible you have to attempt the impossible.
Synopsis
When World War II threatens to shut down Major League Baseball, candy manufacturing magnate Walter Harvey (Garry Marshall) decides to create a women's league to make money. Ira Lowenstein (David Strathairn) is put in charge of public relations and scout Ernie Capadino (Jon Lovitz) is sent out to recruit players. Capadino likes what he sees in catcher Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis). She's a terrific hitter and, almost as important, "a doll" and likely to attract male fans. He offers her a tryout, but the married woman is content where she is, working in a dairy and on the family farm in Oregon while her husband is away at war. He's less impressed with her younger sister, pitcher Kit Keller (Lori Petty), who loves the game passionately but appears to be less talented. He finally lets her come along when she persuades Dottie to give it a try for her sake. Along the way to the tryouts, he also checks out Marla Hooch (Megan Cavanagh), a great switch-hitting slugger. However, the blunt-speaking scout finds her too homely and rejects her. Dottie and Kit refuse to continue on without her and Ernie reluctantly gives in. When the trio arrive at the tryouts in Chicago, they meet Doris Murphy (Rosie O'Donnell) and Mae Mordabito (Madonna), two tough-talking Brooklynites. They are assigned with 14 others to form the Rockford Peaches; 48 other prospects are chosen for the Racine Belles, Kenosha Comets, or South Bend Blue Sox. The Peaches are managed by drunkard former baseball great Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks). Jimmy initially treats the whole thing as a joke, leaving the managerial duties to Dottie. However, he takes over when he clashes with Dottie over whether or not to let their best hitter swing away. A decision which proves him to be a smarter manager than he has shown. Meanwhile, the players have to attend mandatory etiquette classes to maintain a "lady-like" image, even though they are also required to wear very short (by 1940s standards) skirts as part of their uniforms. The league attracts little interest at first. In one memorable scene, Lowenstein tells the Peaches that things aren't going so well and that the owners are having second thoughts about keeping the league going beyond the 1943 season. With a Life magazine photographer in attendance, he asks them to do something spectacular. Dottie obliges when a ball is popped up behind home plate, catching it while doing a split. The resulting photograph makes the cover of the magazine. Jimmy is (predictably) disgusted, while the opposing manager and catcher are stunned. More and more people show up and the league becomes a success. The sibling rivalry between Dottie and Kit becomes more intense as the season progresses: Kit has a massive inferiority complex because Dottie is a better player, a better hitter, and more beautiful. After Kit gets upset when Dottie has Jimmy pull her for a relief pitcher, Dottie tells Lowenstein she is thinking of quitting. Lowenstein, who had been publicizing the photogenic Dottie as the "Queen of Diamonds", has Kit traded to Racine. An enraged Kit blames her sister for getting her traded. The two meet again in the championship game of the AAGPBL World Series. In the top of the ninth inning, Kit pitches to Dottie, and Dottie hits a line drive over her head, scoring two runs for Rockford. Kit comes up to bat with her team trailing in the bottom of the inning. Although Dottie gives the pitcher advice on Kit's weakness for chasing high fastballs, Kit hits the ball into the outfield and rounds the bases, ignoring a stop signal from the third base coach. Dottie catches the ball and blocks home plate, but Kit runs into her hard. She drops the ball (it is unclear whether she does so intentionally or not) and Kit scores the winning run. Dottie quits baseball to be with her husband Bob (Bill Pullman), who has returned from the war, but she and Kit reconcile before she leaves. Many years later, the two sisters, who haven't seen each other in a while, and many of their Peaches teammates are reunited at the opening of a women's section in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Many of the older women shown in the final scenes were actual players of the AAGPBL.
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