A League of Their Own is one of my all time favorite movies. It had humor, baseball, love and Lori Petty!
Very near the end of the movie, in a big scene, Petty's character Kit slides into home plate in as Dottie, her sister the catcher (Geena Davis), drops the ball. There has been a debate raging ever since.
Did Dottie drop the ball on purpose to let Kit have this one? Did Kit's aggressive play cause Dottie to drop the ball? I actually like the mystery. I think it adds to the mystique of the movie.
I always felt that Kit caused Dottie to lose the ball. I think the story was going in the direction that Kit was becoming the better player and Dottie was heading towards retirement and family life.
At a Hollywood Celebrities Show, I had the chance to ask Petty for her thoughts. While she admits it was never clearly declared, she feels Dottie did not drop the ball intentionally. They were too competitive to do that. She also feels it was a bit of the torch being passed as Kit would continue playing, while Dottie settled down. I think Petty enjoys the debate, too.
The interesting part of the debate is that both actresses would probably say the same thing. Even their characters would say the same thing. The only ones who might say different would be the writers and producers.
Petty's performance is one of the underrated gems in the movie. As the spunky little sister, she was an interesting counterpoint to the veteran star. Their conflict throughout the movie was poignant and the play at the plate was the perfect climax.
After that big scene, the final scene is many years after that as the ladies are part of an exhibit at the Hall of Fame. It is emotional and moving and once again, the sisters play a big part.
I just loved this movie start to finish. I think I expressed my opinion to Petty without coming off as a big goof, but I might have crossed that line. She was very gracious and seemed appreciative of my praise.
ALoTO is only one of many great projects for Petty. More recently, she is probably better known for being on Orange Is The New Black.
Lori Petty and me in Rosemont, IL-Spring 2015.
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