There are some great female athletes out there of which, I am not one of them. I am like Frazier and/or Niles-unless sports has something to do with books, film or art, count me out. There are some good movies out there but I don't think there are many about female athletes. Check out Wandering Through The Shelves to see what everyone else has chosen. Here are my 3...
1. PAT AND MIKE-1952
Pat is an excellent athlete especially in golf and tennis but, whenever her fiancée is around, she loses it and almost becomes a chicken with her head cut off. Of course, her fiancée is a moron who wants her to just be a good little housefrau (blecchhh) but she refuses and hires a shady sports guy, Spencer Tracy, to help her achieve her goal. Tracy and Hepburn are already a well established team on and off screen and this little gem often goes unnoticed. I love this because she is a strong person in her own right despite the moron. Hepburn was actually quite an accomplished golfer and tennis player so that is her playing. I like to think this is somewhat based (very, very somewhat) on the legendary Babe Didrickson who could do just about any sport if she put her mind to it.
2. KANSAS CITY BOMBERS-1972
I have not seen this in eons but I plan to see this again one day because it's a hoot (not hooters). Raquel Welch was big news back in the late 60s and 70s and made some fairly decent films. This film is about the Roller Games that were popular back then and were often quite brutal...call it the Slap Shot on roller skates. She is a young mom(Jodie Foster plays her kid) who tries to make a living in the game and learning that her boyfriend/owner of the team she plays on is not really Mr. Nice Guy. I actually get a kick out of this flick.
3. SEE HOW SHE RUNS-1978
I remember being riveted by this TV movie, yes, TV but it is really good and Joanne Woodward won an Emmy for her role. Back then many great movies and miniseries were on regular TV which now...forget it. She plays a divorced, middle-aged mom who starts running and soon decides to get into the Boston marathon much to the smirks and negative comments from most people close to her. She never gives up which I think is what really resonated with me. The ending is excellent and I have seen it spoofed in other shows like The Simpsons. Well worth the watch.
Which films would you choose?
Hi, Birgit!
ReplyDelete"Shady sports guy" here! :) I am sitting with you in the balcony "At The Movies," dear friend!
I haven't watched any of these movies about athletic women. I admit to being one of those traditional cavemen who believe that women should be obscene and not heard. (Just kidding.) I enjoyed that unique vintage trailer for Pat And Mike presented as a stand-up address and voice-over by Aldo Ray. I liked his line: "Mr. Tracy, he's a mug, but a nice one." I haven't heard the word "mug" used in that context in recent decades, have you?
I grew up watching Roller Derby on TV. In the 50s, the featured team was The San Francisco Bay Area Bombers. In the late 60s it was The Philadelphia Warriors. Therefore, I don't know why I never watched Kansas City Bombers. Perhaps it is because I wasn't a huge fan of Raquel Welsh whom I consider overrated. It appears, however, that she was a good actress. I do like Jodie Foster.
I greatly admire Joanne Woodward's acting, and will need to look for See How She Runs.I'm sure Mrs. Shady would enjoy it that story, too.
I would pick and highly recommend the 2017 film Battle Of The Sexes starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell as tennis opponents Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
Then there's Hidden Figures. Ooops, sorry - those women were MATHletes. :)
Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend BB!
You big mug! I love that old fashioned term as well as the narrative style of the Pat & Mike film trailer. Raquel isn’t bad in this movie. It’s quite the bang up.i I wish more Joanne Woodward films hold pop up. I remember the match between Billie Jean and that idiot. Bobby Riggs was a celebrity when he was shooting his mouth off. He was in his glory at that time.
DeleteHow about A League of Their Own?
ReplyDeleteA League of the Own is perfect for this week. It is a great movie and I am always amazed at the split.
DeleteI haven't seen any of your picks this week. The only "older" film I could think of in this theme was A League of Our Own. The rest were all more recent films.
ReplyDeleteI feel so old...to me that is a newer film...lol
DeleteKansas City Bomber!!! Geez I haven't thought of that movie in years! The Roller Derby was such a fad when it came out, my grandmother and sister use to watch it together every Sunday, and the film was a good depiction of the sport. Raquel was looking to widen her image and this helped and it's always a kick to see Jodie Foster as a kid.
ReplyDeleteSee How She Runs is a very solid TV movie, something you could always count on if Joanne Woodward's name was attached. It's more of a character study about how the woman she portrays is changed by her passion for running than a straight sports flick but the journey is a good one.
We match!! I thought we might on Pat & Mike. It's not my favorite Tracy/Hepburn movie, that would be Desk Set, but a smart entertaining movie. There chemistry as always strengthens the picture.
Along with our match, funny that you mentioned Babe Didrikson Zaharias being an inspiration since she makes an appearance in the film and she factors into another of my choices, I picked one very obscure film with a rising star and another that is very female-centric.
Girls Can Play (1937)-Ambitious cub reporter Jimmy Jones (Charles Quigley) covering the sports beat meets Ann Casey (Julie Bishop) player on an all-girl softball team sponsored by local drugstore owner Foy Harris (John Gallaudet). Jones thinking he smells a story about women in competitive sports pursues Ann, there’s a story alright but it’s not the one he thinks. Using the team as a mask of respectability Harris runs a bootleg operation from the back of his store. With the girls out on the pitch and Jones digging for dirt team catcher Sue Collins (Rita Hayworth) learns too much and pays the price. Lower case Columbia B has a shadow of the future A League of Their Own, but nothing is done with the idea. It does provide a glimpse of future star Hayworth, still a brunette, working her way up before the studio transformed her into one of the premiere love goddesses of the Golden Era.
Hard, Fast and Beautiful (1951)-When teenager Florence Farley’s (Sally Forrest) skill as a tennis player begins to attract attention, her manipulative mother Milly (Claire Trevor-easily stealing the picture), pressures her to join the competitive women’s tennis circuit over the objections of Florence’s father Will (Kenneth Patterson). Florence's fame and success grow and so do her mother's ambition and chicanery. Look at the mid-century women’s sports world was both written (Martha Wilkerson) and directed (Ida Lupino) by a woman…the ONLY film directed by a woman in all 1951!
Pat and Mike (1952)-College athletic director Pat Pemberton (Katharine Hepburn) decides to enter some professional women’s golf matches to see how she’ll do. She excels until her domineering fiancé, Collier Weld (William Ching), turns up and distracts her. But before that happens sports manager Mike Conovan (Spencer Tracy) sees her talent and offers to train her, and she turns pro. After realizing that Pat stops trying when Collier is around, Mike works to keep them apart especially when he takes a shine to her himself. Written specifically for Hepburn by Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon because of the star’s athletic skill the film also features many of the top women athletes of the day including top golfers Betty Hicks, Helen Dettweiler and Babe Didrikson Zaharias.
Babe (1975)-Speaking of Zaharias, considered one of the greatest athletes of all time, this TV biopic follows her life (enacted by Susan Clark) from just before she won two gold medals in the 1932 track and field Olympics through her dabbling and excelling in baseball and basketball, her courtship and marriage to professional wrestler George Zaharias (football star Alex Karras), her decision to pursue golf, her ascension to the top of that game and finally being felled by cancer at age 45. Susan Clark (who won an Emmy for her performance) and Karras fell in love and married after the film remaining together until Karras’s death in 2012.
I had a feeling we would match with Pat and Mike which is our popular film for us ..um...older set:). Yeah, roller Derby just came into my head because it was big then and this movie came into my head. This is when Raquel was wanting to be taken seriously as an actress...ok. Yes, Babe was such a great athlete who died too young. I have not seen that movie about Babe but love that this is the film where those 2 met and fell in love. I haven’t seen the other 2 pics either but I would love to see that female driven movie.
DeleteI haven't seen any of these, but have been meaning to see Kansas City Bombers. I used to love watching roller derby back in the day when it came on TV. I haven't heard of that TV movie.
ReplyDeleteKansas City Bombers is one I want to revisit. The TV movie is such a good one about a regular woman who just wants to do the marathon.
DeleteI think I have one: "Personal Best" from 1982, starring Mariel Hemingway. She's a track star that's carrying on with her male coach and female teammate. After this movie, she played Dorothy Stratten in "Star 80," and had breast augmentation surgery for that part. Mary and I rented both once and had a night of "Mariel Hemingway, before and after."
ReplyDeleteRegular ta-tas or mega ta-tas...hahahahaaa. Good ole Mariel. I haven’t seen either of these.
DeleteHi Birgit, I've never heard of any of this weeks films, but I guess I wouldn't as I can't stand sport lol, hope al is well, Kate x
ReplyDeleteI am not much into sports either...I leave that to my brother
DeleteI've seen your #2 choice but not the other two. I can't recall many films I've seen in this category, but I know I've seen some. Let me think...
ReplyDeleteI recently saw I, Tonya about skater Tonya Harding. Loved that film!
A League of Their Own was a good one.
I seem to recall liking the women's soccer film Bend It Like Beckham which I watched with my girls back when they were kids playing soccer. I have that film on DVD so I probably should watch it again since it's been many years since I last watched it.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
You picked 3 great movies. I didn’t think I would like I, Tonya because I can’t stand Tonya Harding and her crying act at the Olympics pissed me off because it was all about her..obviously. The movie showed not only how crazy she is but where she gets it from...her a-hole mom. A League of the Own is a really good movie about the true story of women in baseball. My brother had a chance to meet some of them. I really like Bend It Like Beckham even though I have not seen it since it came out.
DeleteI couldn’t think of any until I read Arlee’s comment about Bend it like Beckham. Starred a very young (and very wooden) Keira Knightly.
ReplyDeleteYes, Keira was in it but I was more impressed with the other actress.
DeleteI've never seen 2 or 3, but I do like Pat and Mike. I've seen quite a few Hepburn/Tracy movies, and I do enjoy them as a team.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favs but I still haven’t seen all of their films they made together like Desk Set.
DeleteAnd once again, I'm not familiar with any of these:(
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger everyone thought I would make a good athlete because I'm tall. Ha. I am seriously uncoordinated:)
They probably thought you would be great in Volleyball or basketball. Unless there is a painting in a museum involving sports, I am not into it.
DeletePat and Mike is a good choice. Hepburn was very competitive and loved her sports. I've never seen your second choice, but I remember See How She Runs--an inspiring movie. My choices: 1. A League Of Their Own 2. Bend It Like Beckham 3. Million Dollar Baby
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
She was a great athlete in her own right which is why Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon wrote this for her. Love your picks even though Million Dollar Baby is not a fav of mine.
DeleteI've seen your first two choices. My first thoughts went to Sonia Henie and Esther Williams movies.
ReplyDeleteDo you know that I totally forgot about these 2 major athletes who became Hollywood stars. I, unfortunately, have yet to see some of their best films. The only one I have seen with Esther Williams is Take Me Out To The Ballgame.
DeleteI haven't seen any of these but I do want to check out Pat and Mike as it came up several times this week.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a good one and shows Hepburn’s athletic abilities.
DeleteThe world is learning but culture moves slowly.
ReplyDeleteHeart of the Game - So many of the best films of the 21st century are documentaries. This one's about girls' high school basketball. It's upsetting and occasionally infuriating but it is also ultimately inspiring.
The Cutting Edge - a surprising watchable figure skating love story
Bend It Like Beckham - top-notch
I have not heard of your first pick and I don’t know the second but I almost went with Ice Castles..a horrible movie. Bend It is a great movie. I get infuriated with Olympic Women’s volleyball...why? The men can be in loose shorts and a loose tank top but the women have to be in Little itsy bitsy bikinis with the heat beating down on them. WTF?
DeleteI forgot about Joanne Woodward, the movies she been in usual she does and excellent job.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe
Thank you and she has made good movies.
DeleteOh, there are some fantastic films about female athletes. One of my favorites is Girlfight, which I've watched over and over again. It's about a female boxer who has to fight for respect outside and inside the ring. (No surprise there.)
ReplyDeleteBend It Like Beckham is another favorite. A young British woman of India heritage fights to play the sport she loves over her parents' disapproval.
Beautiful Boxer is about a trans woman who competes in muay thai fights in her native Thailand in order to pay for her sexual reassignment surgery. It's a beautiful, heartbreaking film based on a true story.
I haven't heard of any of your picks. I don't get what the rules of Roller Derby is only that it does look rather violent, just a lot of pushing around.
ReplyDelete