Minnesota Twins
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TwinkieTown Movie Night: A League of Their Own
Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/book-club/50242/twinkietown-movie-night-a-league-of-their-own
From the fine folks at the American Film Institute.
Hey, last week we had Thelma, this week we have Louise? Or is it the other way around? I’m not sure…
But I know this is on Pluto! Here’s the Pluto link.
Based (sort of) on the true story of the Rockford Peaches, part of a women’s league that played during WWII when many of the men were overseas. With Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Jon Lovitz, Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell, Lori Petty, Bill Pullman, and David Strathairn. Written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel (Splash); directed by Penny Marshall (Big).
Somehow, I’ve never seen this one, despite how much I like much of the cast — I think I avoided it because Madonna was in it. (For those who don’t remember, Madonna was kinda the Lady Gaga of her day, although much less creative and much more popular.)
We’ve had some writing on women’s softball/baseball on TwinkieTown before, though! This one’s about the 40s/50s league in general. It doesn’t have an author’s name, so it’s probably written by somebody who sued the company for back pay (and won).
And this one’s a favorite of mine, by Colossus of Rhode. It’s specifically about the Minneapolis Millerettes, and Rhode actually got in touch with one of their former players!
Here’s a solid history post by Morgan Leigh Davies at Bustle. And here’s another good one by Christina De Nicola at MLB.com. It details how a short documentary that aired on PBS what was got the filmmakers interested in this story in the first place. The documentary is right here:
Per the AFI site I swiped the top image from, the documentary’s producers worked up a story idea for this movie, and their “mother and aunt were actual players in the league.” Comedy experts Ganz and Mandel wrote the screenplay. Various names attached to the cast included Jim Belushi, Laura Dern, Darryl Hannah, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Brooke Shields and Debra Winger; Winger trained for three months with some of the Chicago Cubs! But she dropped out when Madonna got involved; she hated the idea of it being like “an Elvis film.” (So, she had the same concerns I did!)
Winger got paid anyways, and Davis took over the part. The final cast did some training with an assistant coach at USC. You can read more about the production details on Wiki.
Here’s your link again for tonight, and here’s the upcoming schedule. I had to scratch Major League, for now, because it disappeared from the free streamers; I’m sure it will return.
December 12: Damn Yankees (1955)
A long-suffering Senators fan gets an offer to magically turn into a star player and save the team; but, when you make a bargain with Mr. Applegate, the devil’s in the details. Free on Pluto.
December 19: 12 Angry Men (1957)
It’s on Internet Archive, and baseball plays a part in the plot, or wanting to finish in time for a game does. I mean, justice SHOULD matter more, but priorities are priorities.
December 26: Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
I figure, it’s Christmas, so why not a Christmas movie? Specifically, a Christmas movie where people bash zombies with baseball bats! Free on Tubi.
January 5: Eight Men Out (1988)
Yep, they cheated for gambling money, but the way Charles Comiskey treats them, you’ll kinda understand why. Free on Pluto and Tubi.
I’ve got some ideas for future ones if we do this more, and all movie suggestions are absolutely welcome & wanted! (We’ve already got two, and will be getting to those soon!)
But, until then, pop your popcorn, and let’s start the show at 7:30!
Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/book-club/50242/twinkietown-movie-night-a-league-of-their-own