'No crying in baseball': Vancouver's Kelly McCormack takes on famous line in reboot
Nobody can fill the shoes of Hollywood star Tom Hanks, of that actress Kelly McCormack is certain.
Yet on the new TV series “A League of Their Own,” the Vancouver native was assigned a task nearly as stressful as emulating Hanks: saying one of his most iconic catchphrases.
“There's no crying in baseball!”
The five words are wailed by Hanks in the 1992 sports comedy, as he plays alcoholic manager Jimmy Duggan who belittles his ragtag team of female baseball players all the way to the World Series.
In Amazon's substantially reimagined episodic remake, which debuts Friday on Prime Video, McCormack's character says the exact same words in a different context. Her version is a factual mic drop of sorts, with her character - a Rockford Peaches shortstop from Moose Jaw, Sask. - blurting out the statement before storming away from her team.
“I was thrilled and excited - and then I was immediately terrified,” McCormack said of learning she would recite the famous quote.
“My strategy was just to say it; not try to delve into any sort of homage to Tom Hanks.”
McCormack is still nervous about how her performance will be received. Ahead of the show's release, she says she's asked the few people who've seen the episode whether they think her delivery works.
The tweak is one of many curveballs in a reboot that tosses out the playbook of the original movie.
While both the film and TV series are based on the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), the TV version of “A League of Their Own” heads in a different direction by disposing some prominent characters, introducing new ones, and playing out over an eight-episode arc that mainly unfolds off the field.
The extra runtime allows co-creator and lead actress Abbi Jacobson, formerly of “Broad City,” to explore narratives about race and gender identity in the 1940s, while lending more screen time to a queer culture that existed in the shadows of the women's baseball team.
Historical accounts have detailed romantic relationships between some players that were kept hidden.
The women's baseball teams faced strict rules on presentation. They couldn't be seen wearing trousers and weren't allowed to smoke. The league lived by the motto, “Play like a man, look like a lady.”
During a recent panel at the Tribeca Film Festival, Maybelle Blair, a pitcher for the AAGPBL's Peoria Redwings, spoke about her experiences before coming out as a lesbian for what she said was “basically the first time.” She's 95 years old.
“A League of Their Own” balances the verve and humour of the original film while it wrestles with themes of prejudice and the pressures of conforming.
“Every time we were reading the scripts, it was sort of a shock to go: `Wow, we're actually doing this,”' McCormack said.
“When I watch the series, my first reaction is I have never seen something like this before.”
Beyond owning Hanks' famous line, McCormack plays a supporting role as Jess McCready, a fictional shortstop who migrated south of the border from Moose Jaw to, as the actress puts it, play baseball, smoke cigarettes and hit on women.
The character was written before McCormack was cast, but she said the writers allowed her to fine-tune the specifics.
The actress drew on research about the Prairies to deepen her understanding of who a “rural farm boy” of the time might be.
When talking about the character, McCormack uses various pronouns, eventually concluding that Jess probably wouldn't be focused on how their identity took form in words.
“I was excited to play someone whose vocation and passion superseded any other type of self-identity,” McCormack said.
“Ultimately, Jess identifies as a ballplayer.”
Some viewers may find “A League of Their Own” plays too liberally with the original film, but McCormack said there wasn't a moment where she second-guessed what the creators were doing.
“What I thought was, there still isn't an all-American professional girls baseball league; there still isn't a professional place for women to play baseball. So heaven forbid, we give these women a little more airtime,” she said.
“Whatever the film started, we just took the baton and kept running with it.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
New charges for Ont. woman who previously admitted to defrauding doulas
The Brantford, Ont. woman who was previously sentenced to house arrest after admitting to deceiving doulas has been charged again in connection to a new victim.