A Brand New League of Their Own
Updated: Aug 11, 2020
With the announcement of a brand new TV series version of "A League of Their Own," I can't help but reminisce about the time I got to costume-design the first TV series of the same name.
In Chapter 25 of my book, Stars in Their Underwear, I write:
A League of Their Own. The movie had been a colossal hit only one year before, garnering two Golden Globe nominations. The TV series, based on the film, is also be produced and directed by Penny Marshall, and it's the hottest ticket in town for the fall season. Every actor and actress of note in Hollywood wants to be cast in the roles played by Madonna and Geena Davis, and every designer wants to do the costumes. I am lucky enough to be interviewed and hired by Penny herself!
We have several actors returning from the film. Garry Marshall. Pauline Brailsford and Jon Lovitz reprise their roles, and Tom Hanks is to direct one of the episodes.
We also have Megan Cavanaugh from the original film, as well as Penny's daughter Tracy Nelson, and playing Geena Davis's role is Carey Lowell, who has been a Bond girl in License to Kill. Wendy Makkena is cast in the Madonna role and is one of many strong personalities.
We start filming with an entire week on location in Pomona, California, (about an hour east of Los Angeles) using a baseball field that still has a period feel. Penny directs all the baseball scenes that we will need for the entire series of six episodes, with four different teams of 12 players. Our wardrobe trailer is packed! I can reuse all the baseball uniforms from the film, which is a big help. The poor girls, though, still very eager to please Penny, have scrapes and bruises on their legs, hips, and arms, from trying to execute the slides into base with some degree of conviction. Penny wants them to look like real sportswomen with energy and grit, not some delicate actresses from Hollywood!
Now I can look forward to seeing the incredible true story of female sportswomen stepping into the limelight, told by a new generation of film-makers, and played by a young generation of actresses. I can't wait!