1992’s Your own competition is a fun and moving classic from the sports film. The film is set during the early days of America’s involvement in World War II, when the country was struggling and in need of some entertainment. In an effort to replace the absent Major League-baseball, a women’s league was formed.
The story focuses on one of the teams in this new league, made up of a colorful group of female athletes who want to make their mark on sports history. Directed by Penny Marshall and with a cast that includes Geena Davis, Tom Hanks and Madonna, the film remains a beloved comedy to this day.
Updated Feb 17, 2022 by Lynn Gibbs: It’s been 30 years since A League of Their Own was released and it’s still considered one of the greatest sports movies of all time. The film sheds light on what life was like in America during World War II and how women had as much talent and passion for baseball as the men.
With Geena Davis as catcher Dottie Hinson and Tom Hanks as Coach Jimmy Dugan, the film had humor, drama and spunk. Viewers soon wondered if Its own competition was a true story and it unleashed hidden things they didn’t know about the movie.
An important body double
Anne Ramsay played first baseman, Helen Haley. Helen was a rather serious character and was a great ball player. Funnily enough, Helen had a double corpse that no one noticed. Julie Croteau came in for Helen and was an important person that fans didn’t recognize.
According to AP NewsJulie Croteau was the first woman to play men’s baseball in the NCAA. Because of her natural ability, she volunteered to replace Anne. Although they were both left-handed, Julie had to wear a wig to look like Anne from behind.
Check out Mae’s dance partner
When the women at a local bar let off steam as a team, Mae—a natural flirt who knew the effect she had on men—couldn’t help but dance the night away with some suitors on the dance floor. However, there was one man in particular with whom she danced the most.
If Penny Marshall fans grew up watching her show Laverne & Shirleywould they recognize that the dancer was Eddie Mecca – a former character on Laverne & Shirley and one of Laverne’s boyfriends. Another Easter egg is that his character in Laverne & Shirley was a dance teacher.
You’re killing me, Alice!
As the Peaches leave the locker room for a game, Jimmy yells, “You’re killing me, Alice! You’ll kill me!” Alice and the other women rush out of the locker room as an annoyed Jimmy followed them.
What some fans didn’t understand was that this line was paraphrased from one of the most famous quotes in sports history, said coach Lou Saban. The former Denver Bronco coach said, “They’re killing me, Whitey, they’re killing me,” which is still routinely said today in regards to sports.
The True Story of Dottie Kamenshek
The incredible story behind this film is inspiring, fascinating and immensely entertaining. It’s also one of those stories that is too good even for Hollywood to make up, as it’s based on real life events and even real people.
During World War II, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball team was formed to provide sports entertainment during this time. Something fans didn’t know Your own competition is that the main character of Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) is based on a real member of the competition, Dottie Kamenshek. When Kamenshek died in 2010, former teammate and friend, Pepper Paire Davis, said, “She was one of the few ball players in our league to hit .300, which is the same as hitting .400 in the majors,” according to Game Day News.
Real injuries
The actors who played the baseball players in the movie worked hard to look like they were real athletes. And they had the scars to prove it. Filming the game sequences caused many of the girls to get a lot of rough which was added to the movie. The hated stereotype of “women can’t play baseball” was shattered after seeing the women in this film.
When the audience sees the players comparing their different injuries, no makeup is added, according to Collider† Those are the real scrapes and bruises they got during filming. Also, three of the actors suffered concussions learning the sliding technique, according to Backlash.
The players had to go to beauty school
One of the most interesting aspects of the film is how the players worked to be taken seriously as athletes while being treated as models. The financiers behind the project go to a ridiculous amount of effort to appeal to the public, including instructing the players to go to “charm and beauty school” to become “real ladies.”
Bizarre as this may seem, this was one of the more accurate sports films because attending a beauty school was something the real athletes of this competition were forced to do, according to the shelves† They were all sent to the Helena Rubinstein Beauty Salon, where they received a makeover and attended classes that taught proper etiquette, hygiene, and dress code.
Jon Lovitz was as funny on set as he was
One of the most entertaining characters in the film is Ernie Capadino, played by Saturday Night Live alumni Jon Lovitz. Ernie is a scout responsible for tracking down some of the hidden talents that could fill this new women’s league. He is also a rude, vulgar and hilarious man.
Originally, the part was much larger, and not purely comical like in the final version. However, after the test audience reacted so well to the character’s one-liners, it was decided to scrap the rest to focus on the jokes. Lovitz improvised many of his lines, and Lori Petty shared: Vulture that she had to bite her tongue during these scenes not to laugh.
Tom Hanks made £30 for the role
While the film is largely made up of a female cast, its biggest star is Tom Hanks, who plays former Major League player Jimmy Dugan. Dugan becomes the coach of the Rockford Peaches, the main team followed in the film.
Hanks was initially unsure about the role because he didn’t think he was old enough. However, Penny Marshall convinced him that Jimmy is not a “has-been” because he is too old, but rather because of an injury. To convincingly play a washed-up athlete, Cheat sheet noted that Hanks gained 30 pounds, which he attributed to eating a lot of Dairy Queen.
Popularity of the competition
Like most sports movies, there’s an underdog element to this story, which makes it all the more entertaining. After the league is formed, the teams struggle to attract fans because people just don’t seem interested in watching women play baseball. The players start using gimmicks and tricks to attract more fans until they finally become a hit.
In reality, the female league was popular from the start and fans were more than happy to come to the games, according to the league’s website. Part of this is due to the league having visited many Midwestern cities without their own major league teams.
Older characters and voiceovers
The film was booked by an older version of Dottie who is getting ready for the unveiling of the women’s league exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame. There she also reunited with her sister Kit, with whom she played in the league. These may have been fictional baseball players for the team photo, but real players who played in the AAGPBL were also present as background characters.
Age-appropriate actors were used to play the older version of these characters. However, their voices were dubbed by Geena Davis and Lori Petty. The LA Times noted that if viewers listen closely, it’s pretty obvious that it’s the younger actors speaking these last lines.
True legends are in the movie
The film is not only an entertaining sports film, but also a wonderful tribute to these pioneering athletes whose amazing stories may have remained unknown to many people. Your own competition also finds some direct ways to honor the real-life legends who inspired the film.
During one scene, a woman in the stands makes a comment that Dottie is an exceptional player. She thinks this woman is the real Dottie Collins IMDb profile. Also, if fans see the older Hall of Fame inductees playing baseball during the credits – these are many of the real members of the league.
A deleted romance
Penny Marshall had to fight against a lot of resistance to make this film, with some studio executives not wanting to give her the job, ironically, because she was a woman. She also got her fair share of studio endorsements, particularly regarding the relationship between Dottie (Geena Davis) and Jimmy (Tom Hanks), noted Hidden remote control.
The studio wanted them to get together at the end, but Marshall felt that a romance would distract from baseball, which was the real focus of the story. Also, the studio felt that Dottie should help Jimmy stop his heavy drinking, so Marshall compromised by letting her give him a soda in one scene.
Playing with a ball
While the film is a light comedy and takes liberties with the real story, Penny Marshall strived for authenticity as much as possible with her actors. To achieve this, New edits said she insisted that any actor cast as an athlete in the film should know how to play ball. There was nothing unrealistic about this movie.
She held auditions that doubled as tryouts where the actors showed their real baseball skills. To capture real moments during the game sequences, Marshall had the actors play unscripted innings and just let the camera roll.
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