Little Women (1978 film)
For other motion pictures of this title, see Little Women (disambiguation)
| Little Women | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Based on | Little Women by Louisa May Alcott |
| Written by | Suzanne Clauser |
| Directed by | David Lowell Rich |
| Starring |
Meredith Baxter Birney Susan Dey Ann Dusenberry Eve Plumb Dorothy McGuire Greer Garson Robert Young |
| Music by | Elmer Bernstein |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 2 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | David Victor |
| Cinematography | Joseph Biroc |
| Editor(s) |
Jim Benson Donald Douglas |
| Running time | 200 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Groverton Productions Universal Television |
| Distributor | NBC |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | October 2 – 3, 1978 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Little Women (1994 film) |
Little Women is a 1978 American television miniseries directed by David Lowell Rich and based on the classic 1868 novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott. The teleplay was written by Suzanne Clauser and is the first television adaptation of the Alcott classic, following four theatrical feature film versions released in 1917, 1918, 1933 and 1949. The cast includes Susan Dey, Meredith Baxter Birney, Ann Dusenberry, Eve Plumb, Dorothy McGuire, William Schallert, Greer Garson, Robert Young, Richard Gilliland and William Shatner.
The three-hour miniseries was produced by Universal Television and originally aired in two parts on NBC on October 2–3, 1978.
Plot
The miniseries chronicles the lives and loves of the four March sisters – Jo (Susan Dey), Meg (Meredith Baxter Birney), Amy (Ann Dusenberry) and Beth (Eve Plumb) – growing up in Concord, Massachusetts during the American Civil War. While their father leaves for battle, the sisters must rely on each other for strength in the face of tragedies both large and small.
Cast
The March Family
- Susan Dey as Josephine 'Jo' March
- Meredith Baxter Birney as Meg March
- Eve Plumb as Elizabeth 'Beth' March
- Ann Dusenberry as Amy March
- Dorothy McGuire as Marmee March
- William Schallert as Jonathan March
- Greer Garson as Aunt Kathryn March
The Laurence Family
- Robert Young as Grandpa James Laurence
- Richard Gilliland as Theodore 'Laurie' Laurence
Miscellaneous
- William Shatner as Professor Friedrich Bhaer
- Cliff Potts as John Brooke
- Virginia Gregg as Hannah
- Joyce Bulifant as Mrs. Kirke
- John de Lancie as Frank Vaughn
- Carlene Watkins as Sally Gardiner
Awards
Winner:
- 1979 – Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction for a Series
Nominations:
- 1979 – Emmy Award Outstanding Cinematography for a Series
Home media releases
Little Women was released on a 2-disc DVD in region 1 by Koch Vision on October 9, 2007. On August 14, 2012, Entertainment One (eOne) released the miniseries on a single disc DVD.[1]