After the success of Penny Marshall's 1988 film Big starring Tom Hanks, the director and actor joined forces again in 1992 for one of the most empowering movies of all time: A League of Their Own.
Before diving into the directorial world and making a name for herself as a serious moviemaker, Penny was famous as one half of the hilarious sitcom Laverne & Shirley.
Inspired by her own love of baseball and learning about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from a documentary on PBS, Penny set out to tell the story of the first women to suit up on the baseball field during World War II.
Even if you aren't a particularly sporty person, you can't help but get swept up in the emotional flick, which has Tom playing the grumpy team manager and Geena Davis as the powerhouse dealing with sibling rivalry.
Of course, there are plenty fascinating tidbits of things that happened behind the scenes.
Take a look below, and let us know if we missed your favorite fact about A League of Their Own.
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[H/T: IFC]
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1. Geena Didn't Have Much Baseball Training
After being cast as a last-minute replacement for Debra Winger, Geena wasn't able to benefit from the same months of baseball training the rest of the crew were given leading up to filming.
That said, she was a fast learner and was regularly besting her co-stars within just a few weeks of production.
2. The Cast Entertained Unpaid Extras
They had to pack the stadium for the World Series scenes with volunteer actors who didn't receive payment. Tom Hanks stepped up to give them a puppet show, and Rosie O'Donnell performed stand-up sets.
Other members of the cast goofed around for them by lip-syncing to some of cast mate Madonna's hit tunes when she wouldn't perform them herself.
3. Lori Petty Had To Slow Herself Down
Lori portrayed younger sister Kit as constantly feeling the weight of being in the shadow of Geena's character, Dottie. She even ran slower than Geena, though in reality, Lori was a much faster runner.
4. Their Bruises Weren't Applied With Makeup
Each and every bruise and scratch were actual injuries the female cast endured while performing in the film.
5. Geena Used A Stunt Double For Her Sliding Splits
Although she was capable of doing the impressive pose seen in the film, Geena couldn't slide into it as dramatically as needed, so a stunt double was used just for that portion of the scene.
6. A Real Rockford Peach Makes A Cameo
When the team plays in Cooperstown, a woman in the bleachers calls Dottie "the best player in the league."
That woman is none other than Dolores "Pickles" Dries, a former pitcher for the Rockford Peaches from 1952 to '54.
7. Penny Kept Things In The Family
She not only cast her daughter, Tracy Reiner, in the memorable role of Betty "Spaghetti" Horn, she also had her brother Garry fill in as Walter Harvey when Penny couldn't afford her first choice, Christopher Walken.
Garry's daughter, Kathleen Marshall, was also cast as outfielder "Mumbles" Brockman.
8. Rosie And Lori Were The Best Players
Lori played on a boys' little league team as a young girl — and was the only girl on the team.
Both she and Rosie had no trouble knocking balls all the way into the fences while practicing in between takes.
9. Lori Out-Pitched Most Major Leaguers
Throughout filming, Lori pitched so frequently for takes that she has thrown the ball more times than most real-life pitchers throw in an entire season. Imagine how sore her arm must have been by the time they wrapped!
10. There's More Than One Laverne & Shirley Cameo
David Lander, who became popular on the series as Squiggy, is perhaps the most noticeable alumnus to show up in the film. He plays an energetic game announcer, but he's not the only former cast mate Penny slipped in.
She also cast Eddie Mekka, the actor who played Shirley's on-again-off-again boyfriend Carmine on the TV series, as the soldier who spends an evening dancing with Madonna's character, Mae.
11. Madonna Was Miserable On Set
She confessed her unhappiness in a letter to a friend, photographer Steven Meisel:
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.
12. They Filmed Through A Cow Giving Birth
While Jon Lovitz' character is at the farm to recruit Dottie and Kit, the actor was so into the scene that he never even noticed one of the mama cows giving birth to her calf off-screen.
The real-life farmers named the calf after Penny.
13. It Was Originally Over Four Hours Long
Penny relented to edits to make it a much more modest length, but you can find all of the deleted scenes on the special-edition DVD and Blu-ray releases.
Scenes include Kit having a pitching battle with men at the bar the girls sneak out to, and Dottie discussing her drawn-out courtship with soldier husband Bob.
Did we miss any of your favorite facts from the iconic film? Let us know below, and be sure to SHARE with your friends!
