A League of Their Own

One of my favorite movies for 1940's style is A League of Their Own. The movie stars Geena Davis, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, etc. If you haven't seen it, you have to check it out. While the men were away at war, the women were recruited to play baseball. It is super funny and Tom Hanks is the coach. Here's some trivia about the film:

--Debra Winger was originally going to appear in the film, but backed out when Madonna was signed. Winger also had suffered a back injury that forced her off the film.

--Tom Hanks gained 30 pounds in preparation for his role. He attributed the weight he gained to a nearby Dairy Queen.

--The more mature Dottie and Kit are played by Lynn Cartwright and Kathleen Butler, but their voices are dubbed by Geena Davis and Lori Petty.

--The characters at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and seen playing as the credits roll, are real original players from the league portrayed in the film.

--The Peaches played at Beyer Stadium in Rockford, Illinois. No place in Rockford could be used for filming because of Beyer Stadium's state of disrepair. It was eventually condemned; all that remains is the original archway and a sign about the Peaches.

--Director 'Marshall, Penny' cast her daughter Tracy Reiner as Betty Spaghetti and her brother Garry Marshall as Walter Harvey.

--Actresses auditioning for the film had to prove they could play baseball. All the actresses cast in the film apart, except Davis, did their own baseball stunts. None of the performers wanted stunt doubles.

--Madonna co-wrote the theme song for the film "This Used To Be My Playground" for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

--Geena Davis joined the production as a late replacement for Debra Winger, days before filming was due to start. Davis's character was supposed to be one of the greatest female baseball players in America, and the cast had been doing baseball training for months. Within weeks, Davis had mastered the game, and was regularly beating all her co-stars.

--During filming of the World Series games, stars took turns entertaining the unpaid extras. Tom Hanks did puppet shows over the dugout, Rosie O'Donnell did stand-up comedy; and various actors pretended to be Madonna and sang her songs after the singer balked at performing for the fans.

--According to a handwritten letter she wrote to photographer Steven Meisel, Madonna was miserable. "I cannot suffer any more than I have in the past month, learning how to play baseball with a bunch of girls (yuk) in Chicago (double yuk). I have a tan, I'm dirty all day, and I hardly ever wear make up. Penny Marshall, Lavern (sic), Geena Davis is a Barbie Doll, and when God decided where the beautiful men were going to live in the world, he did not choose Chicago. I have made a few friends but they are athletes, not actresses. They have nothing on the house of extravaganza. I wish I could come to N.Y."

--The storyline was inspired by the career of baseball legend Dottie Collins. During WWII, Collins played for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and pitched 17 shutouts during her six-year career.

check out the photos of the real team included as well!