Little Women (1978 film)

For other motion pictures of this title, see Little Women (disambiguation)

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 fifth film adaptation of the Alcott classic, the previous four having been released theatrically 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 and John de Lancie playing Frank.

The three-hour miniseries was produced by Universal Television and originally aired in two parts on NBC on October 2–3, 1978. A brief series followed in 1979, airing from February 8-March 8, 1979. Eve Plumb was among the miniseries cast members who returned (although her character Beth had died in the miniseries, as she had in the original book), playing a cousin of the family called Lissa.

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.

The March Family (miniseries)

 * 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 March Family (regular series)

 * Jessica Harper as Josephine 'Jo' March
 * Susan Walden as Meg March
 * Ann Dusenberry as Amy March Laurence
 * Dorothy McGuire as Marmee March
 * William Schallert as Jonathan March
 * Mildred Natwick as Aunt Kathryn March

The Laurence Family

 * Robert Young as Grandpa James Laurence
 * Richard Gilliland as Theodore 'Laurie' Laurence

Miscellaneous (miniseries)

 * 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

Miscellaneous (regular series)

 * David Ackroyd as Professor Friedrich Bhaer
 * Cliff Potts as John Brooke
 * Virginia Gregg as Hannah
 * Eve Plumb as Melissa Jane "Lissa" Driscoll

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.