The Steve's discuss the 1992 All-American classic, A League of Their Own, along with what's making them happy in pop culture today!
What's Making Us Happy?
Movie Discussion
And more!
Ending- Any music or audio clips were borrowed from the original source material.
The Steve's discuss the 1992 All-American classic, A League of Their Own, along with what's making them happy in pop culture today!
What's Making Us Happy?
Movie Discussion
And more!
Ending- Any music or audio clips were borrowed from the original source material.
Hello returning happys and new listeners. This is Steve Bennet-Martin, and this is
Stephen:Stephen Martin-Bennet. And
Steve:welcome to a lifetime of Happiness. The podcast where we take you on our journey through some of the movies, TV shows, and other bits of pop culture that are helping to keep us happy will hopefully bring a smile or two to your face along the
Stephen:way. And this July we'll be doing movies that make us feel good about America. And today we're going to out to the ball games as we celebrate the importance of women fighting back. With a league of
Steve:their own Lord knows we need both of those things right now. I love yes. But before we get into all of that, what's been making you happy.
Stephen:So one of the shows that I discovered during the pandemic was queen sugar, sugar bear queen sugar by Ava DevNet who is the director of that amazing film? The th. And it stars routine Wesley from true blood queen mama queen sugar. Okay. And it's so good. And season six is finally out on Hulu and so it was so good to catch up with all my favorite borderline family. And also nice to know that it's already been renewed for season.
Steve:excellent. I'm so
Stephen:happy for you. Thank you. What's been making you happy. My
Steve:darling. Well, as I mentioned, I've been getting ready for this game for quite some time on the Nintendo switch, fire emblem warriors, three hopes. Yes,
Stephen:that sounds very familiar to another
Steve:title, fire emblem, three houses. Yes. Which is a game I spent well over a hundred hours playing. And at this rate, I plan to match that with this game, cuz once again, there's three different routes. So once you beat it once in a 30 to 40 hour campaign, You could do it two more times with actually quite differing stories and everything. So, well, that's amazing. That's one thing that is like, really amazing about the way that they've worked. This game is just how much content there is. And I'm very excited to get into it all. I am right now playing through Al guards route, which if you don't know the games, it just sounds like mumbo jumbo, but it sure does. Having a blast. The only thing that's been able to tear my gaze away from my Nintendo switch for that, from that has been stranger things. Oh my
Stephen:goodness. So earlier this month, or actually earlier in June, we had stranger things season four, part one. Yes. And then this weekend they released the final two episodes that were. Like an hour and a half. Yeah. Well, one of'em was two hours, so like they were like movies, movie length. So we had two stranger thing movies this weekend. And it was
Steve:really, really good. It was really, really good. I am very excited for what's to come, but also just seeing these characters and everything, the first couple episodes of the season, I was like, where are they going with this? Yeah, I've learned to just trust them because it is just amazing season after season. And the only
Stephen:sad thing is that now I hear that we're not going to get anything newer until 20, 24. So like we're two years away, boo. Those
Steve:kids are gonna be all growing up by the time this is done, they start off like 12 or 13 and now they're gonna be. 50.
Stephen:Yeah. One of the highlights of the season for me was Sadie sink who played max Mayfield. Oh yeah. I thought she was just absolutely incredible. Yes. And then the other one was a new actor who came on and he was the head. Of their D and D crew, the hell fire club, the hell fire club. And his name was Eddie. And I can't think of the actor's name right now, but those two were the standout characters for me for season four. Yes.
Steve:So definitely check it out if you haven't yet. And with all this extra time, who knows, maybe we'll find ourselves rewatching the first few seasons before the new one
Stephen:starts. Well, I mean, with two years beforehand, I don't see why not. Yes.
Steve:But let's get into the movie of the week, which is a league of their own. One of the few movies that I saw before we met that surprised you that I actually saw it normally, normally you're like, how did you not see back to the future? How did you not see this movie? How did you not see that one? And then this one, I was like, oh, I've seen it before.
Stephen:And it, which is also interesting, cuz you don't like period pieces or sports ball. Yeah. And technically this is both.
Steve:Yes, but I know that I love it just because it it's like, I feel like it's an American classic at this point. It is. So the way that, like now I consider back to the future are classic. Like it's just something that I feel like everyone should watch at least once or multiple times. Yeah. Why do you
Stephen:love it? So it's funny. It's sweet. It's endearing. It's highly quotable. And I love Gina Davis. Mm-hmm I love Madonna. I love Lori Petty. I love Rosie O'Donnell. And penny Marshall does such a good job with this movie. It's just.
Steve:Spectacular. Yes. And if you ask Dr. Internet, it describes the movie as two sisters joining the first female professional baseball league and they struggle to help it succeed, amidst their growing rivalry. Eh, that, how would
Stephen:you do it? It's one of those things that like, if I tried to summarize it into one run on sentence, it would probably be much, much longer. But well, good
Steve:thing. We have a whole episode that we can get into it then too. Yeah.
Stephen:Now why do you enjoy it?
Steve:I would say just the, the women, like in the, the sisterhood almost that they form along the team has been great. Yep. I don't remember disliking Tom Hank's character as much as I did this go around, but we'll get into that. Yeah.
Stephen:But I also appreciate, like, I give like Tom Hanks is wonderful. He's an American treasure. I miss him doing fun movies. Mm-hmm And so like him doing this, like where he gets to be the comedic actor that he is, and it's so multifaceted and layered. I miss him doing stuff like this.
Steve:Yes. Well, this was back in 1992 when it was released and it's an American sports remedy that tells a fictionalized account of the real life, all American girls, professional baseball
Stephen:league. As I said, it's directed by penny Marshall. People might know her as Laverne from Laverne and Shirley. Yeah.
Steve:I never watched it, but I know of the name. And especially since she's one of the titular characters. Yes. It's stars, Tom Hanks, as we mentioned, Gina Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, Rosie Odonnell back when she was straight. John Levitz, David Stratham, Gary Marshall, and bill Pullman, who. By the way is still alive.
Stephen:No matter how many times I've tried to accidentally kill him off on this podcast.
Steve:Yes. And the movie had a budget of 40 million, which with a cast that big I'm surprised that it wasn't more. Yeah. And it was an astounding success with the box office of 132.4 million leading to its preservation in the us national film registry for being culturally and historically significant, which I agree. Like that's definitely what I feel like this movie does it captures a time really well. And it's timeless in its own, right. As well. So I would say that it definitely is culturally and historically
Stephen:significant. Absolutely. And one of the real life characters that this is based on mm-hmm all the way may morbido who Madonna plays her real life all the way may person just came out as a lesbian at like 95.
Steve:I hope that she gets the chance to act on it, cuz all people need love. And two
Stephen:So let's dive in in 1988, Dotty Henson attends the opening of the all American girls' professional baseball league exhibit at the baseball hall of fame. And she runs into many former teammates and friends. Prompting a FA flashback down to 1943. Yes.
Steve:And I asked myself this time around the ending flash forward, like I feel like is definitely needed. And under, like, I understand that, but part of me almost feels like this, like flash forward at the beginning of the movie is just to kind of introduce ourselves so that when we do flash forward, later on, we're familiar with it. It didn't seem like with the plot that it was needed. I think it could have easily just started. 1943.
Stephen:And see, I think at watching it this time, I definitely see where it was needed. Because we see that do Dotty is hesitant to go. Her husband recently died. She says something she's not passionate about. Just something she did. Her daughter tells her that she's lying to herself and she needs to get outta the house and forces her to. Dotty downplaying her love of the game. Mm-hmm is a through line of the entire movie. And so I think with the daughter calling her out on it, and whenever Dotty gets there, sees the people and has the whole like lifetime flash. I think it is one of those things that she finally has to come to terms with. So I think this flashback, so that later when we come back to present day, it all feels earned.
Steve:Yeah, it makes sense. I mean, I'm not gonna go around, chopping up the film or starting it at the flashback. I it's a few minutes that I can definitely endure, but it also is interesting because I mean, she clearly. Good at the game, but sh as you mentioned, she spent the entire movie saying that it's not something she's passionate about, no matter how many people's lives, like what she did changed. Right. Impacted can you relate to making a huge difference for someone else when doing something that was what you would consider? No big deal.
Stephen:So I thought about that for a second and I was like, I don't think so. And then I remembered hearing from like when Facebook started becoming a big thing. I started hearing from a bunch of people from high school and college and, you know, with thanks for helping with this and that, and then how it made such a big difference in their lives. And in my mind it was just something I did because that's what you do. Mm-hmm And so that kind of stuck out at me as like, I don't think some of us realize. things that we do just because that's who we are, have such a large impact on other people.
Steve:Yeah. I agree. I know. Fresh outta college, I worked for the Institute of reading development and it was just a job that I took, cuz I ha I was planning on going to pursue education at that time. It was summers with a little bit of fall, so it would've worked out well. If I was going back to school for my masters, but I very much like took it as just a job, you know, out of all the subjects that I liked in school, I liked, you know, reading and English and all that the best. But I, I approached it as just like something that I'm doing. And it was only like, even like years and years later, probably about like eight years later, I had a student of mine like reach out saying like, you let my like passion for reading. Like I'm going into like, you know, be a reading, teach like an English teacher now, like, because of you. because like you learned, you taught me how to make it fun and that like books are like, aren't always just like old stuffy history books. Like it could be new and exciting cuz I remember the student like giving recommendations, but it was just at the time, you know, I enjoyed the job the same way she enjoys the game mm-hmm but I wasn't setting out to say like, I'm gonna do this so that I can make the children of the word literate. it just so happened. That's kind of what I did for a little bit.
Stephen:Look at you walking children in
Steve:nature. I know. And nowadays I would drown them in the pot.
Stephen:well, back to 1943, when world war II threatens to shut down major league baseball, Chicago Cubs, owner, Walter Harvey, who it's kind of a takeoff on like Hershey. Yeah. Because Harvey bars are the chocolate bars in this universe. He persuades his fellow owners to ban women's league. IRA Lowenstein is put in charge scout. Ernie Kaino attends an industrial league softball game in Oregon and likes what he sees in Dotty. The catcher for a local dairy Dotty though, is happy with her life while waiting for her husband, Bob, to return for the more her sister kit, however, is desperate to get away and make something of he. Kaino is unimpressed by kits batting that day and refuses to evaluate her pitching, but agrees to take her along. If she can change Dotty's mind. And through the power of the younger sibling, Dotty agrees to go for her sister's sake. Yes.
Steve:It also was kind of creepy. Whend started like grabbing her arm and well, he, and I understand what he was doing. He was like, wow, you're strong. You got a good throwing
Stephen:arm originally. It was a thing. You know, it's okay. Kid pat her on the, and then he is like, well, crap. I feel muscle
Steve:there. I know it just, if I just did that to a random person, without the context, it'd be really creepy. Yeah. But for something that she claims not to be passionate about, Dotty is quite good. I mean, do you feel like there's anything that you're like naturally good at, even though you would never pursue it or follow it?
Stephen:Or so when I was growing up. I took piano lessons. Mm-hmm mom and dad made us and I loved my piano teacher. So very much, he was amazing if I could've just hung out with him instead of taking piano lessons. Mm-hmm that would've been the best. He, he and his wife were phenomenal. People. I hated playing the piano. I was actually quite good. I didn't want to practice if I had actually practiced mm-hmm I would've been excellent. Yeah. And the same thing is kind of like, I had a natural ability for golf, but because I never let it bother me because I could, I didn't care. Yeah. Where other people like they'd be playing and they'd get in their head and stuff. And I just didn't care again. If I had applied myself, I could have been great but. No. So those are two things that I guess I had a natural talent for, and I didn't like either one of them. So it's things that I just didn't pursue. What about you?
Steve:No, I mean, I luck out, I guess, that most of the things that I'm passionate about or like that I, that I'm not like. Things that I'm good at. I tend to be passionate about, but flipping it in reverse, I'm very passionate about Pokemon. Although I don't consider myself good at it because I don't do like the competitive place stuff. If someone was like, I'm a Pokemon master and I challenge you to a Pokemon, Battl like the competitive online battling where it's all about min maxing, your IVs and EVs and all of that. just isn't for me, I'm not very good at it, so I just enjoy it casually, but I'm very passionate about it. And
Stephen:I would say if Pokemon were actually about those online battles, like that's, what if that's what Pokemon was? There's not a chance in hell you would've ever gotten me to play it because that's another one of those things and I'm like, Ew, that's all for the post game. Yeah. I'm just, no, thank you. So. Kit is quite jealous of Dotty. As we see so many times to the point that she even turns walking into a competition. Did you ever have any jealousy or competitions with. Your brother.
Steve:I mean, we had, we were competitive for sure. I mean, we were two young boys that constantly wanted to outdo one another. I typically one being the older brother, I would say that I wasn't really jealous of anything that he could do that I couldn't do as well, like hit here. But we, I definitely was like jealous of the way that, because he was the younger brother. He often got like babied a little bit more than me. In hindsight as I've grown, like I realized that he didn't get baby as much as I probably make it out to be, but he definitely like is treated as, as the, the baby of the family. Yeah. What about you?
Stephen:So Barry was eight years or is eight years older than me. Mm-hmm so there wasn't a lot that we could legitimately compete in at like the similar time. But I do remember how beloved he was. Teachers and things in school. And so I like, I wanted to be valedictorian like hardcore. Yeah. And so while I wanted to get the 4.0 and everything on my own, it didn't hurt to do better than him in classes where we have the same teachers.
Steve:Yeah. And and speaking of sibling rivalries or cooperating on the other hand, have you ever been persuaded into something you were resistant to do for his sake?
Stephen:I don't know if it was for his sake so much as like he convinced me that I had to play basketball in junior high. Mm-hmm another thing that I had zero desire to do. I just, I don't like team sports. I, I just, it's not my
Steve:thing. Me either.
Stephen:What, like, did you ever do anything just for Mickey's sake? Nope. I
Steve:was the selfish little brat.
Stephen:now like the interaction between Dotty and kit is really great where Dotty, like while she is over coaching. her sister mm-hmm and she's like lay off those high ones. I like the high ones. Mule nag, nag. Yeah. Like they do a really good job that even though they show that there is this deep rivalry, mm-hmm there is a deep love, but but you can definitely see that the younger sister kit. sometimes can't get past the mentality of the rivalry. Yep. And we see that later, which we'll get to. Yeah. And on the way
Steve:to Chicago, the trio stop in Colorado to take a look at another potential player, Marla hooch, she's the best hitter dot he's ever seen. She can bat left and right when I can even bat left, when I was a lefty, I just kept on getting pegged by the ball by the little shits that I was playing with. And even though she's so amazing cappuccino won't take her because he finds. Traditionally unattractive. Yep. Hearing that dot and kit refused to go without her and cap. Dino finally
Stephen:agrees. One of my favorite parts of this is the love that Marla's dad has for her. It's so deep and so pure. So he's a widower and he raised his daughter like a boy and nurtured her natural baseball talent. And in turn, Marla has taken care of her father, making sure he eats right. And she helps with the family business. And it's this chance of her being able to make something of herself that he is pushing so hard for. And just to think it could be stopped because of her looks and of all the storylines. This is one that I was like, that would still happen in 2022. People would tell her that she's not attractive enough to do something.
Steve:Yeah. I mean, have you ever been discriminated against, due to a poor first impression? I know it couldn't be looks cuz you're just beautiful.
Stephen:Thank you, darling. I don't know, like there are definitely things that I for sure think so
Steve:where, you
Stephen:know, there's jobs that I've gone out for that I was, I feel More than qualified enough. Mm-hmm and like, when I met with the hiring person, I was, I could just get a feeling of like, oh, I don't think you like the gays. And I've never been one to not be me. Yeah. Even in an interview,
Steve:like, yeah. And I'm sure it's happened with my sexuality too, but I also remember when I was working. My first senior living job and I met the owner and he looked at me and within like five seconds decided whether it was that I was gay, but the, the excuse to use is that I was too young to rent a building and just like totally gave me like rapid fire questions that were like hard to know, and like set me up for failure and was like, get that kid out of the building.
Stephen:I remember that, that like you and what was so. Like you were holding that building together at that point. Yeah. And for him to come in and do that, like it had to be
Steve:something, it was definitely a, a first impression of some sort. Yeah. But dotting kit traveled to Harvey field in Chicago for the tryout. They meet taxi dancer may all the way more Beto and her best friend bouncer, Doris Murphy,
Stephen:soft spoken rightfielder Evelyn Gardner. Illiterate left fielder, Shirley Baker
Steve:pitcher short stop and former miss Georgia beauty queen Ellen Sue got Lander left field and relief pitcher, Betty spaghetti horn, second
Stephen:baseman Marla, ho that we met earlier. First base person, Helen Haley and superstitious Alice ski Gaspers
Steve:from Canada. Yes, they and five others are selected to form the Rockford peach. Well, 48 others make up the racing bells, Kenosha, comets, and south bend blue Sox.
Stephen:That's a lot of actresses in a short time. Some standouts for me are obviously rosy and Madonna mm-hmm Especially when they're trying to come off tough and everything. And Rosie said like, some of you all will have to go throws the ball right at Dotty who catches it in her bare hand. And then Rosie's like, okay. Some of them will have to go. Yes. And then I also loved whenever Shirley was seeing, trying to see if she was on the list and it was can't read and we didn't know what it was. Helen figured it out. It goes up and says, sweetie, can you read? And she goes, no. And then she asks her name and she helps her find her name and brings her over. And it's those type of situations where you're. That's why women are better than men yes. What about you? What stuck out for you with some of the initial things?
Steve:I mean, they clearly set it up so that like, you know, the sisters in the mean too, and then RO Rosie and Madonna are the, the, you know, the third and fourth, so to speak in terms of top billing. Right. But even though she had very few lines for whatever reason, this time around at least Ellen Sue, like just, she stuck
Stephen:out at me too. She
Steve:stuck out. Yeah. I. you know, especially like with the way that they were talking about like masculinity and femininity, I'm like, that's exactly who they want in the league. Mm-hmm like, she's like the Barbie of the team, but like, in a way that's like awesome. Like, and
Stephen:so Rosie used to tell great, like when she had the Rosie O'Donnell show mm-hmm and she, and Madonna became best friends from this movie. Yeah. And she had Madonna on and penny Marshall was on. She told the story a couple. About how a lot of A-list Hollywood females came to try out for this. And one of the things that was said before you come try out, you have to be able to play ball. Yeah. Were not going to teach you. Yeah. And like that, some of the people that showed up that were A-list. In 92 that couldn't throw a ball. And it's
Steve:amazing that Madonna and like, I mean, it makes sense for Rosie cuz I mean softball and the lesbian stereotype, but Madonna I'm surprised that like that was her doing all of her own stunts quote unquote, like that
Stephen:that's awesome. Like Gina Davis, she almost made the Olympic archery team mm-hmm and I'm like, I love Gina Davis and but so. One of the things you also see is people including the media and these like moralistic 60 year old women. Yeah. Are all concerned over the masculinization of the women with displays like baseball and it's, you know, they're trying to. You see it back in the forties and it kind of makes more sense, but you still see it today with people being shoehorned into things that they can and can't do because of their gender. Did you have anything that has come up with you?
Steve:For sure. I mean, I was shoehorned into doing sports when I had zero interest. When my parents were like, well, you have to play sports. And so I. Okay. Like, and then like all the sports that I wanted to play were like, not manly enough or Butch enough. I, I would've been like fine being like a little, like, I'll go to dance class. I'll go to the gymnastics I wanted to do. I remember my parents, like, no, those are for girls. You have to do what's for boys. Go throw a ball and all, and it didn't work out. And
Stephen:I even see as an adult where people are like, well, you're a guy you need to do this, this and this. And I even see it at work with certain things that I'm like, oh, this is expected of me because I'm a man. N not because of my position, because. If there was a woman in my position, she would not be doing that. Yeah. I've,
Steve:I've seen that for sure. Especially when I was in the communities and they treated me as basically a backup maintenance person, even though I know the last thing about being handy, if they were like, oh, you could set up for your own events and like, meanwhile, like a woman, like, or a female, like joins the position afterwards. And she's like, no, my maintenance guy set everything up for me. And I'm like, well, that's interesting. Cuz he told me to go do it myself. Now, now as much as they're worried about the masculinization of these women quickly, we learned that that's not what the baseball team has
Stephen:planned. No, because it's gracefully and grandly. They are quickly feminized with impractical uniforms that have a skirt, which like, and we see later in the movie and they call it dirt in the skirt. Whenever you slide. Well, if you're sliding head first, it's not gonna be as bad, but your knees and stuff are still gonna be screwed up because they're not allowed to wear knee pads or anything like that. But if you slide feet first into the base with a skirt and no pants and everything, you're gonna take off layers of skin.
Steve:Well, you've gotta be perfect to do that. Or else you can't play ball. Yeah.
Stephen:And there's no smoking, no drinking, no men. And they had to go into Classes where they could learn how to be a lady.
Steve:Yeah. And I had a question with that. Yeah. I mean, I know that like, there is still some version of these, like how to be a lady classes today, but I, you don't hear about them or see them as often. I mean, did this eventually, or is it fading out or do you think it's just, is done in different forms today?
Stephen:Well, so I would say it's probably different forms because you reremember, like, there were things where, oh, so, and so got sent off to finishing school. Like you used to hear, but I also remember whenever my brother was getting married to his first wife in the nineties, people were big on making sure that she was follow along, along with these etiquette books when it came to things for the wedding. And even that I'm like you have to have these rules and things. And if you don't follow these rules, people are going to look down on you. Mm-hmm and. I mean, weddings are a whole other thing, but yeah, I still think, I mean, obviously the patriarchy still sucks and, you know, fuck the patriarchy, but yeah, like I definitely think there situations where that still happens. I don't think you're well, we, we. Slightly off topic, miscon, congeniality. Mm-hmm like we saw that they had to go through that kind of stuff, that kind of stuff. And,
Steve:oh, such a good movie. We need to do that movie. We do
Stephen:need to do, maybe we'll have like a Sandra Bullock September or something. Okay.
Steve:Well we can hope but yes. The people in the stands of the first game laugh at them when they come in the field. I mean, one guy went so far as to like get up on the dugout, mocking them, saying girls can't play ball and is like being an ass hat. Yeah. I'm just. I, then I remember they only had like five TV channels back then or something. So no wonder why he was so bored that three, I remember, or I understand why he'd be so bored that this was his form of entertainment. Yeah. But it just shows that trolls have always existed. Yeah.
Stephen:But the best part is Ellen Sue gets a ball, throws. It hits him hard in the chess and knocks him down and that shut him up. And that was another thing. Because I had forgotten that it was Ellen Sue mm-hmm that did it. And I think it's important for her character being the former miss Georgia. Yeah. To have done that. Just to break the stereotype.
Steve:Yeah. Yeah. Now the peaches are managed by former star Cubs, Slugger, Jimmy Dugin, a cynical asshole. He treats the whole thing as a joke and is abrasive towards the players. The team travels with Evelyn spoiled Brady's son Stillwell. Who's almost as bad as Jimmy. And tightly wound team chaperone, miss Cuthbert, who is awesome. And wizard of Oz. Yeah. So
Stephen:she wakes Jimmy up on the bus at one point. And she, he is drunk and grabs her and kisses her and starts freaking out after he realizes who it was. And he goes, by the way, I love you on the wizard of Oz. Yes. Because she looks just like the wicked witch.
Steve:Yes. Now, Jimmy is definitely a drunk in the throes of active addiction, leaving Doty to step up and make the teams line up and kind of step in as captain. Interesting like thought for you, especially is, do you think she's doing him any favors and picking up the slack?
Stephen:Sometimes things just have to get done and you have to do it. Yes.
Steve:I, I, I don't think that she was doing it for him as much as she was for the team. Yep.
Stephen:and I think that's exactly what it is. Is. I think that given enough time Rosie or Madonna might have even stepped up and made the lineup that first time. But of all of them, Dotty is the one that is most controlled. She's not the most motherly that's going to be. Helen, who, you know, was the first one to help Shirley. Yes. But Dotty is the most. Parental figure type of thing when it comes to this, where I'm the one in control. I'm the leader.
Steve:Yes. Yeah. And he even goes so far as to make poor Evelyn cry. Despite there being no crying in baseball, then rightfully gets kicked outta the game after he calls the umpire or penis with a
Stephen:hat on. Yeah. So I have to do this thing scene because seen, because it's one of the best quotes from any movie, I'll allow it. Evelyn, could you come here? You got a second. Which team do you play for? Well, I was wondering why you would throw home when we got a two run lead. You let the time run, get on second place and we lost the lead because of you start using your head. That's the lump that's three feet above your ass. Are you crying? Are you crying? Are you crying? There's no crying. There's no crying in baseball. Roger Hornsby was my manager and he called me a talking pile of pig shit. And that was when my parents drove all the way down from Michigan to see me play. And did I cry? No. And do you know why? Because there's no crying in baseball. There's no crying in baseball, no
Steve:crying. wow, baby. You almost made me cry there.
Stephen:I just love like, anytime I think of him in this movie, mm-hmm I think of when he first showed up and Madonna was timing his pee. Yeah. And was finally like that's some good pee in. And I also think of there's no crying in baseball.
Steve:Yes. Later on at a game with a life magazine photographer in the stands, Lowenstein begs the players. So do something spectacular. As the league isn't attracting enough attention, Dotty obliges, catching a popup ball behind home plate while doing a split. The rest resulting photograph makes the magazine cover. And she's now the queen of diamonds, a publicity campaign draws more players to the ball games, but the owners remain unconvinced. Now isn't it annoying getting threatened to be disbanded when you're new in an area and doing your best?
Stephen:I mean, yeah, obviously, especially like. If you are number one and recognized as number one, and then someone comes in with some bullshit reasons. And then all of a sudden they say, you know, we might have to just get rid of you and you're like, wait a minute, but I'm number one.
Steve:Yeah. Ger. I, I feel that right now. meanwhile, it may
Stephen:says what if during the game, my uniform pops open. And my bosom falls out to which Doris says, do you think there are any men in this country who haven't seen you Boso? Well,
Steve:knowing who she really is, I would say no
Stephen:especially since I believe this was after the sex book came
Steve:out. Yeah. Now the teammates bond, we see Marla marrying a man named Nelson, who she had met at a Roadhouse outing after Seren dating him with it, had to be, you. And would that ultimately results in her leaving the team? Meanwhile, may teach a shortly read using erotic
Stephen:stories. Mill key. What, What BR
Steve:bras? Yes. And Evelyn writes a team song, but yeah, the, the, especially with Shirley learning, how to read that reminds me, my mom always read her erotic novels in the bathroom while she was doing her business And, but when I was like really young, I, and I was just an, a voracious reader, I was reading everything. I can get my hands on one time. I forgot one of my like goosebumps or Animorphs books when I was in there. And so I started reading hers and again, I was. What are sub till briefs and then, and then until I had my next growth spur, my mom had moved them from the top or the toilet to the, to the cabinet above. So it was out of my reach. So I couldn't read them anymore. but it was always like, A pirate and like, you know, a, a wench, a wench, or, you know, a cowboy with like a native American princess. It was like those types of trashy love novels. And I remember just like getting really stuck on subtle breasts.
Stephen:So there was Harla couldn't romance, novels, mm-hmm and they used to have commercials during my mom's soaps. And I remember she got so upset with one of the commercials because the woman goes when you're in the mood for a good read Harla Quinn romance. And I remember mom going, you know what they're saying? They're saying when you're in the mood for a good screw I just laughed so
Steve:hard. It still makes, yeah, you can see that. Before we move on, do you wanna sing the team
Stephen:song? I do. Battle up, hear that call. The time has come for one and all to play ball. We are the members of. The all American league, we come from cities near and far. We've got Canadians, Irish ones in SWES we're all for one war. One for all. We're all American. I
Steve:love that song. Yes. Now, as DAS made the face of the Lee kit becomes more and more resentful and their sibling rivalry intenses, especially after she's pulled from the mound and gets into a fight with Doris resulting in kit being traded to the racing bells. Now,
Stephen:what is your favorite friendship in the movie? I
Steve:would say that for whatever reason, it was like seeing. Madonna teach the illiterate girl, how to read was like really touching this time around. But I also, you know, her and Rosie's like friendship. You could tell just goes back years, Uhhuh that? They're more like sisters right from the get go. What about you? One
Stephen:of my favorite scenes, they were riding the bus and it was the same bus ride where may was teaching Shirley and kit and Doris and Betty were up front and they were talking about. Doris's boyfriend. And Doris said, you know, he doesn't have a job and he treats me like crap and she they're looking at them. Why are you with him? And she goes, well, a girl like me can't really get a guy because, you know, whenever you're like us and you know, you're good at sports and they like guys make you feel. Like, there's something wrong about you. And she goes, but seeing all of us here, it makes me realize that we're all good. And we're all. Okay. And I think this even goes back to representation matters.
Steve:Yes, it certainly does. And what are your thoughts on the, the friendship that starts to develop between Dotty and Jimmy?
Stephen:I love it because. I feel that Dotty needs another adult mm-hmm where I know some of the other women are married and things, but it just feels like she's on a higher level. Yeah. And once she gets Jimmy to start drinking Cola instead of alcohol, yeah. They can actually start having real conversations. And I think that they're very good for each
Steve:other. yeah. Now, as we mentioned, you know, no matter how well that they're doing Harvey deems them, not worthy for returning next season, because if the war's over, why bother the men will be back, but Iris still believes in them. And why do you think men's sports continue to significantly outshine women's teams in sports even today?
Stephen:And that is definitely something that's crazy. Like if you look at USA, men's soccer versus women's soccer. Mm. Women's soccer has won the world cup. They've won gold medals in the Olympics and they get paid a fraction of what the men do. And it doesn't seem fair. And like, even if you look at the NBA and the w N B a, where. Is it, I mean, I honestly believe it's misogyny. Mm-hmm, the patriarchy and everything like that because they don't consider the women to be real athletes. Women athletes should be doing things like tennis, figure skating, you know? Well, like even in these volleyball where we can watch you in a bikini where it's crap that even like the swimsuits and. That the women have to wear in beach volleyball instead of something that would cut, keep them covered. Yeah. Up and, or the outfits that they have to wear in tennis that, you know, you're supposed to have a skirt on, which seems to be misogynistic as well. And it's just utter
Steve:shit. I agree.
Stephen:And like in IRA makes a comment that it's gonna be the same thing for the. In the factories, when the men return, we ask them all to be rosy the Riveter, but now we wanna send them back to the kitchen's job. Well done. Get back where you belong.
Steve:I know, to which Harvey replies like, well, what do you th what would the happen? Would the men do it? Yeah. Are the men
Stephen:supposed to go back to the kitchen and your leg? if they want to. Yeah.
Steve:Like, I'll go back to the kitchen. If you wanna bring home the bacon, babe, I'll cook it up. now, how do you feel about kit switching sides? I know that wasn't like necessarily her choice, but do you feel like this is a chance for her to grow and find herself? Or was this a mistake?
Stephen:Like we know that this wasn't what Dotty intended Dotty said, trade me. Mm-hmm because Dotty's the. Never see if she's on, she'll
Steve:be fine.
Stephen:Exactly. And she didn't want to take kit away from her friends. Mm-hmm that she had made here. But in the end, I do think it's the best thing for kit. And she says right to Dotty's face it's like, if you're here, then I'm not here. Why you gotta be so good. Like, she's never going to be able to like when they're together, mm-hmm, she's never gonna be able to get out of that rivalry mentality.
Steve:Yep, exactly. Now the peaches end the season with the league's best record qualifying them for the world series. The war department shows up with the telegram about the death of one of their husbands. Dotty is sure it's for her, but it's Betty's husband who was killed in action. The Pacific theater. The Braves won. Meanwhile, Dotty is beside herself with grief and worry, knowing that it could have been her, but then receives a surprise when her husband Bob shows up having been wounded and discharged from the army. Never been so thankful for an injury. Yeah. now Jimmy discovers that Dotty's going home with Bob, unable to persuade her, to play in the world series. He tells her she'll regret the decision. And
Stephen:when she says, oh, it's just too hard. And he goes, it's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, then everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.
Steve:I mean, do you agree with him or do you feel like she was making the best decision for herself at that
Stephen:time? No, she was running away. He was correct. I agree. She was running away from a variety of things. One of them being the situation with kit, the other, the fear that she had lost her husband. And so she was just going to latch on to that and be like, if we just go home, then everything can go back to normal. And me being alone and scared doesn't ever have to have actually happened.
Steve:Mm. Yep. Now the peaches face the bells in the world series, which goes the full seven games. LATI rejoins the peaches for the seventh game. While kid is the starting pitcher for the bells. While the bells are leading by a run in the top of the ninth Dotty drives in the go ahead, run. And one of the innings, Evelyn misses the cutoff man again, but this time Jimmy keeps us cool and tells her to please work on that before next season, which is nice. It's growth, growth.
Stephen:Yes, Kit is distraught and falling apart in the dog out and Dotty sees this kit gets a second chance when she comes up to bat with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and Dotty tells Ellen Sue to pitch high, fast balls. She can't hit him. Can't stay away from. But kit does get a hit and ignoring the third base coach's signal to stop. Because again, this time Evelyn hit the cutoff man. Yeah. Cutoff man threw at home. Dotty has the ball waiting for her kit charges right at her. And as long, like you can knock the person over, but as long as they hold onto the ball, you're out. And so she plows right into Dotty. They both fall over. This time. Unlike earlier in the movie, Dotty's hand opens and the ball rolls out, kit is safe and she, and the bells win the world series and the sellout crowd and IRA convince Harvey to give I Lowenstein the support and to keep the league running. and after the game, the sisters reconcile finally, before Dotty leaves
Steve:to hit off with Bob. Yeah. And I mean, it still is debated by this day, by the people behind the scenes, by the actresses involved. Did Dotty drop the ball on purpose? Yes.
Stephen:100%. It, if she had like, she was willing to win. And let Ellen Sue strike her out and she was gonna be okay with that. But when she was presented the opportunity to allow her sister to be the star, I think she let go. And no, I would not have, yeah, same. They can get over it.
Steve:Yeah. Now, by the end of the movie, Jimmy seems to have sobered up and believe in the team. What do you think happened to him afterwards besides dying? I
Stephen:think that he probably had. A long career managing one of the girls teams and probably got to the point where he started saving his money. And I believe maybe owned one of the women's teams before he passed away.
Steve:Yeah, we can hope now, do you have any other happily ever after that you imagine for the players?
Stephen:So I would love if may found a guy. Yeah. That just. Treated her, right? Like the way Marla found Nelson, somebody that saw exactly who she was in her heart and soul. And I love that Doris had two men coming after her. Yeah. And, you know, and we get to see some of the other things as we get the flash forward, the flash forward, but like my favorite one yeah. Is. Shirley became a doctor. Yeah. Illiterate. Shirley became a doctor. Yes. That's like, that's even better than a happily ever after that I could have come up with what about you? Yeah, I would
Steve:say that that's probably like a, a highlight for sure. Before we get to the flash forward though, we also get another one of those layoff, the high ones. I like the high ones mule nag before the sister separate. And I know that that made your heart happy. It
Stephen:does because I like. The symmetry of it all. Yes. And in the present day, one of the historians says that Dotty was the best one that ever played. And Dotty's fears that she wouldn't be remembered are unfounded because Doris and may recognize her right away. And it's a warm reunion with everybody. Like when she sees Ellen Sue. Who married a plastic surgeon and looks just the same, but with gray hair and then runs into Marla who has had a long happy life with Nelson. And we meet Dr. Shirley Baker and it's really, really good. And it finally, like, I think it's in those scenes, especially when she sees Mar. and Marla is so happy and has lived a full, happy life. And she knows also that if it weren't for her Marla would not have had that life because she put her foot down. Yeah. Marla had that life. And as we talked about in the beginning, those things where we don't see us making a big difference, because we're just doing what's. she gave Marla this life that Marla never would've had the opportunity to have had. And I think that starts to really get to her. They go to the baseball hall of fame, where they have the big exhibit. Mr. Lowenstein is there and Doris says, you know, you should cut the ribbon cuz you kept the league going for all those years. Mm-hmm we run into Stillwell angel all growing up. We found out Evelyn is dead. We see a picture of Jimmy Dugin that he's passed away as well.
Steve:Yep. But then the surviving peaches, seeing Evelyn's team song imposed for a photo while during the closing credits, they played baseball at double day
Stephen:field and it was the the, the people playing. Are the all American girls pro baseball league women. Yeah. And I think that that's fantastic. And then of course, one of my favorite things, like I've always loved this song, but I also love that it was used here is Madonna's this used to be my playground playing over the credits.
Steve:Yes. And so what was your favorite part of the entire movie?
Stephen:Oh, my favorite part of the entire movie. Oh my goodness. It's Gina Davis, for sure. And there's so many parts I love when she stands up for Marla and different things, but I also think it's just the badass catching the ball with her bare hand. Not flinching. Yeah. Like. I don't know, it just shows that power and that always resonated with me for some reason.
Steve:Yeah. And I also love, like, I would say probably one of my favorite parts was when Marlo was singing her song to the guy and. So into it and she wasn't very good. No, and I think that, that was part of the thing, but it just goes to show that when you find that true love, when you find that love that, like, even if, like when I do things that are, you know, someone wouldn't consider graceful or, or a adorable or grandly that you still like love every second of it, I do. It just goes to show just how, how sweet love can be. Oh,
Stephen:Marla is definitely. One of my top characters in this movie. And though her arc is super fast because she's gone from the movie pretty early. Yeah. It's still so good. and when she's on the stage, like you said, she's like, I'm singing for Nelson ain't I baby, you sure are like, He's so enamored, like even when she was singing and he reached his hands out, like, yeah. Oh, to just touch the grayness that's up there. It, it melts your heart.
Steve:It certainly does. You know what also melts my heart, our listeners. Yes. And we would love to hear what you thought of this episode. You can do that by reaching out to us via email, happy life, pod, Gmail dot.
Stephen:Or you can get in touch with us on all the socials, whether that is Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok at happy life
Steve:pod. And until next time everyone stay happy.