Video profiles Mary ‘Bonnie’ Baker, one of 64 Canadian women to play in All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
Historica Canada is bringing the story of Regina’s Mary “Bonnie” Baker to the big screen in an all-new Heritage Minute filmed in Ogema, Sask.
Filming took place on June 8-9 with community members filling in as extras and the town providing the venues and accommodations.
“Maybe the best and most accommodating location I have ever worked in, in over 30 years of doing film,” said executive producer Brent Kawchuk. “The entire town came out and rallied. The spirit and welcoming attitude, we had everything. People were willing to pitch in.”
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Kawchuk said everything came together perfectly for the project, which is now in post-production and is expected to be complete in October.
Baker was one of 64 Canadian women to play in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), as a catcher and utility infielder for nine seasons between 1943 and 1952. Her speed earned her 506 stolen bases, and she was regarded as the premier defensive catcher in the league.
She was also described as a “feisty character on the diamond and vivacious personality off of it,” according to Tom Hawthorn and the Canadian Encyclopedia.
Script writer Joleen Ballendine said it wasn’t as challenging as one would think to replicate such a personality.
“I think her history kind of speaks for itself,” said Ballendine. “The audacity of somebody, especially in her era, to take up space in that way, I think paints a pretty clear picture without having to do much.”
Baker asserted herself as a premier ball player in the AAGPBL, but continued to push boundaries, becoming the first female manager and first player-manager in league history. Then, in 1964, Bonnie was hired as sports director of CKRM radio as Canada’s first woman sportscaster.
“Women in sport are underdogs, period. So anytime we see them excel, we should all be celebrating them, and making it clear this is something that’s not going away,” said Ballendine.
Kawchuk said Baker’s story was chosen for the Heritage Minute because it is a rallying point for Canadians and Canadian women.
“She was a strong role model and pioneer, somebody that created space for women. I know for Anita (Ayres), the director, that was important for her and Jolene,” he said. “I had just about an entire female team on the front end working on this.”
Baker was a model for the character Dottie Hinson played by Geena Davis in the Hollywood’s 1992 film A League of Their Own, which also featured Madonna and Tom Hanks.
Ballendine loved the movie, to which she regularly quoted lines in the writers’ rooms.
“From the first time I watched that movie, I remember being a child and feeling like, ‘this is so outrageous how these women had to keep proving themselves.’ And nothing has really changed since in terms of women’s sports,” said Ballendine.
Baker had her own moment on the big screen, appearing in What’s My Line? in 1952, a popular show in which celebrity guests ask questions to find the occupation of the “mystery guest.”
The segment Baker appeared in was also replicated in the Heritage Minute. Between the baseball field and the studio, only two sets were used to capture the story.
Ogema’s grandstand looking over the baseball field is dedicated and named after Ogema’s own AAGPBL player Arleene (Johnson) Noga, who also appears in the short film.
Michelle Mylett, known for playing Katy on the show Letterkenny, portrayed Baker.
Kawchuk figured she was a good fit.
“She was amazing — the right crossover of feisty and sporty, and very put together as a woman.”
As far as replicating the time period and being historically accurate, Kawchuk said it came down to the movements of the players, clothing and other small details like having a block of ice in the dugout rather than a bucket.
Historica Canada took care of the fact-checking, and Ogema took care of the rest.
“We had a vintage baseball diamond with covered bleachers, a studio where we could build a game show set and a working period train, all right there. I don’t know where on Earth we would ever find something like that. It just fit our story so well and elevated it. We’re so excited about this project,” Kawchuk said.
“It’s really exciting because you feel like you’re in it. You’re not just going to a location where something is faked…. This was a ball diamond where this happened. We weren’t trying to work one, it was really the real thing.”
