It has been nearly 28 years since the film A League of Their Own premiered in theaters. The 1992 film based on the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) earned more than $130 million during its inaugural weekend and is set to return to theaters this April.
While many sports fans are anticipating the film’s rerelease, few local residents are looking forward to it as much as Connie Pounds-Taylor who plans to view the film with her two grown children, as well as extended family in Louisville.
“I’m excited that I get to see it with my kids and my friends on the big screen and get to make it a big party,” Pounds-Taylor said. “That was a different time in life. I’ve got a whole new group of friends. It’s going to be really neat to see it.”
An Apollo High School graduate and lifelong softball player, Pounds-Taylor was one of several local women from the tri-state area that answered the call for extras during the shooting of the film. A ballplayer and outfielder at heart, Pounds-Taylor was excited at the idea of being in the background on a ball diamond, but not necessarily on the big screen.
“We heard it (the movie) was coming to town and they were having tryouts in Evansville, so I just went on a whim,” Pounds-Taylor said, adding that she hoped to just be able to tell others she just tried out. “Some were wearing makeup and were going for a movie, I knew I could play ball, so I just put my hair in a ponytail.”
Much to her surprise, Pounds-Taylor was originally selected to play centerfield for the Racine Belles, the Rockford Peaches’ opponents in the film. Before long, she was informed that her role had been changed to one of the bench players for the Rockford Peaches.
“I called home and told my parents I went from playing centerfield to being on the bench for the Rockford Peaches,” Pounds-Taylor said. “They said, ‘You did not go there to play baseball — it’s a movie.’”
For such a competitive ballplayer, her initial reaction was one of disappointment. But Pounds-Taylor soon discovered that the Rockford Peaches were the team the movie was based on, giving her more screen time.
She spent the next three to four months filming various scenes with actresses Geena Davis, Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell, as well as taking direction from director Penny Marshall and actor Tom Hanks.
“I could not say that one of them treated me ugly or less than — I never felt like I was looked down on,” Pounds-Taylor said. “I felt like I was one of them.”
While her parts were minimal and she is not heard speaking in the film, Pounds-Taylor is shown in several scenes, with the most prominent being the “praying scene,” where she recalls her face taking up the majority of the screen. Her name is also featured in the credits as playing the part of Connie Calhoun.
“It was an exciting time in my life and I’m so glad I got the experience,” Pounds-Taylor said.
A League of Their Own will be showing at Owensboro Cinema Grill located at 2700 Calumet Trace on at 7 p.m. April 29.
