Little Women (Studio One Presents)

A rarely-seen live television adaptation of the classic Louisa May Alcott novel starring well-known film and TV actors.
9.8K ratings
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List Price: $8.98
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Format:  DVD-R
item number:  7F3S3
Made-on-Demand
Also released as:
Little Women for $21.80

DVD-R Details

  • Run Time: 1 hours, 55 minutes
  • Video: Black & White
  • Encoding: Region 0 (Worldwide)
  • Released: January 12, 2021
  • Originally Released: 1950
  • Label: Alpha Video

Performers, Cast and Crew:

Starring , , &
Directed by

Entertainment Reviews:

Fresh71%

TOMATOMETER
Total Count: 7

Upright83%

AUDIENCE SCORE
User Ratings: 9,795
The tender story, with its frank and unashamed assault on the emotions, still has its effective moments at times when the sentiment doesn't grow a little too thick. Full Review
Variety
Mar 31, 2009
Rating: 2.5/4 -- This version is a well-handled retelling of the classic Louisa May Alcott tale. Full Review
TV Guide
Mar 23, 2011
Rating: 2.5/5 -- If anything, it has hauled back much too briskly on the strings of the heart and has strained a few muscles in the process. Its consequent agony shows. Full Review
New York Times
Mar 25, 2006
Rating: 2/5 -- The film never survives its horrifically cheesy tone. [Full Review in Spanish] Full Review
Fotogramas
Nov 19, 2019
A shade less ambitious than its 1933 predecessor (which starred Katharine Hepburn and Joan Bennett), it still jerks tears with easy efficiency. Full Review
TIME Magazine
Mar 23, 2011

Description by OLDIES.com:

Studio One began as a CBS radio drama in the 1940s, moving to television in 1948. It became the longest running hour-long dramatic anthology in television history, lasting a full decade. Known for innovative production techniques, Studio One pushed the limits of live programming and became one of the most popular shows of its day. Over the 1950 holiday season, it presented a unique two-part adaptation of the famous novel Little Women. Louisa May Alcott's classic coming-of-age story, about four sisters who are forced to grow up after their father goes off to fight in the Civil War, had been filmed several times before for the big screen going back to the silent era. The most recent movie version, directed by Mervyn Le Roy and starring Elizabeth Taylor and Janet Leigh, had premiered less than a year earlier. While this first television adaptation of the much-loved novel lacks the budget and finesse of those major studio pictures, it more than makes up for it in its fidelity to the source material, taking scenes and dialogue straight from Alcott's book that otherwise would be rewritten by Hollywood screenwriters.

Studio One was filmed live in New York, pulling many of its performers from Broadway productions of the day. Many of them were young actors who would go on to long careers in film and television, or were established stage veterans who also appeared on the big screen. The two-part adaptation of Little Women was no exception. Jo March is played by a young Nancy Marchand, making her television debut. In her mature years she became a four-time Emmy Award winner for her portrayal of publisher Margaret Pynchon on the dramatic series Lou Grant (1977-1982). Marchand is probably best known today for playing Tony Soprano's mother Livia on The Sopranos (1999-2007) for which she won a Golden Globe. Kent Smith, who plays her love interest Professor Bhaer, was the leading man in the classic horror film Cat People (1942), and its sequel, The Curse of the Cat People (1944). Conrad Bain, also making his first television appearance, would go on to much success first on the Bea Arthur sitcom Maude (1972-1978) and then as Mr. Drummond on Diff'rent Strokes (1978-1986). Una O'Connor will be instantly recognizable to horror movie fans for her hysterical roles in the James Whale classics The Invisible Man (1933) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Both parts of this Studio One adaptation of Little Women are directed by Lela Swift, a pioneering female filmmaker who directed close to 600 episodes of Dark Shadows (1966-1971).

Note: Due to the rarity of these early kinescope recordings, some picture and sound anomalies exist.

This product is made-on-demand by the manufacturer using DVD-R recordable media. Almost all DVD players can play DVD-Rs (except for some older models made before 2000) - please consult your owner's manual for formats compatible with your player. These DVD-Rs may not play on all computers or DVD player/recorders. To address this, the manufacturer recommends viewing this product on a DVD player that does not have recording capability.
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Product Info

  • Sales Rank: 14,711
  • UPC: 089218838995
  • Shipping Weight: 0.25/lbs (approx)
  • International Shipping: 1 item

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