''Little Men'' is a 1934 American feature film based on

Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known as the author of the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Little Men'' (1871) and '' Jo's Boys'' (1886). Raised in ...

's 1871 novel '' Little Men'', starring Ralph Morgan and

Erin O'Brien-Moore Erin O'Brien-Moore (born Annette O'Brien-Moore, May 2, 1902 – May 3, 1979) was an American actress. She created the role of Rose in the original Broadway production of Elmer Rice's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, '' Street Scene'' (1929), and wa ...

, directed by Phil Rosen, and was released by

Mascot Pictures Mascot Pictures Corporation was an American film company of the 1920s and 1930s best known for producing and distributing film serials and B-westerns. Mascot was formed in 1927 by film producer Nat Levine. In 1936 it merged with several other ...

. Alcott wrote ''Little Men'' in response to her prior novel, ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Alcott wrote the book, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, at the request of her publisher. The story follows the live ...

'', hoping to achieve the same level of success. It is a sequel to Little Women (1933 film)

Plot

The former Jo March (O'Brien-Moore), now married to Prof. Bhaer (Morgan), opens a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of " room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exte ...

for wayward boys. One day, a boy by the name of Nat Blake arrives at the house and is taken in by the Bhaers. Nat is soft-spoken, compassionate, respectful, and bright. He is picked on by the kids at first but soon fits right in. One day while riding back from a birthday party, Nat sees one of his homeless friends, Dan. He invites Dan back to the house, assuming that the Bhaers can take him in as they did himself. Although Professor Bhaer is hesitant due to the fact that Dan is older than all of the other boys in the house, Jo refuses to let Dan continue to live on the streets and insists that he stay. Dan, unlike Nat, is rude, arrogant, careless, and selfish. He quickly earns a bad name for himself by lying, getting into fights, smoking, and starting fires. The boys in the house begin to resent Dan, but the Bhaers keep giving him second chances, knowing that deep down he has a good heart. One day, a dollar gets stolen from a boy named Tommy. Even though Dan is the trouble maker, everyone thinks it’s Nat, because he lied in the past about another incident. Some of the boys try to bully Nat into confessing, and Dan acts as Nat’s bodyguard due to their close friendship. In order to prevent Nat from further pestering, Dan goes to the streets to sell newspapers and get Tommy’s dollar back. When Dan tries to return the money anonymously, he is caught and thought to be the thief. Professor Bhaur sends Dan to a much stricter alternative orphanage. Dan ends up escaping shortly after arriving and goes missing. Meanwhile at Plumfield, a boy, Dick, gets extremely sick and dies. The orphanage comes together in mourning and a note is left by a boy named Jack saying that he stole Tommy’s dollar and he’s never coming back. Realizing that he made a mistake, Professor Bhaer tries to bring Dan back, but he is nowhere to be found. The boys realize how much they miss Dan, and how he made their lives fun and exciting. After a couple of weeks, Dan returns to Plumfield and everyone is united and happy once again.

Response

The film received slight criticism due to high expectations from Alcott's prior novel, ''Little Women''. Although the film was considered by some to be a sequel to ''Little Women'', it didn't contain the same message about the domesticity of women and their roles in society, and therefore did not have as big of an impact. While most critics deemed '' Little Men'' as a wholesome depiction of childhood that appealed to all audiences with its moments of sympathy, drama, and humor, some disagreed. ''The Motion Picture Reviews'' written by ''The Women's University Club'' called it less interesting and less important than ''Little Women''. The film was also praised for its child actors.

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

called it the biggest cast of juvenile actors assembled in a feature which included names like

Frankie Darro Frankie Darro (born Frank Johnson, Jr.; December 22, 1917 – December 25, 1976) was an American actor and later in his career a stuntman. He began his career as a child actor in silent films, progressed to lead roles and co-starring roles ...

Junior Durkin Trent "Junior" Durkin (July 2, 1915 – May 4, 1935) was an American stage and film actor. Career Trent Bernard Durkin was born in New York City in 1915. He began his acting career in theater as a child. Durkin first appeared in films in 1930, p ...

, and David Durand.

Cast

* Ralph Morgan as Prof. Bhaer *

as Jo March Bhaer *

as Franz *

Cora Sue Collins Cora Susan Collins (born April 19, 1927) is an American former child actress who appeared in numerous films during the Golden Years of Hollywood. Early life and career Cora Susan Collins was born on April 19, 1927, in Beckley, West Virginia. S ...

as Daisy *

Phyllis Fraser Phyllis Cerf Wagner (born Helen Brown Nichols; April 13, 1916 – November 24, 2006), also known as Phyllis Fraser, was an American socialite, writer, publisher, and actress. She was a co-founder of Beginner Books. Early life Fraser was born H ...

as Mary Anne *

as Dan * David Durand as Nat Blake * Dickie Moore as Demi *Tad Alexander as Jack *

Buster Phelps Buster Phelps (November 5, 1926 – January 10, 1983) was an American actor. Phelps debuted on film when he was a child. When the mother of another child had booked two simultaneous film sessions for that youngster, she contacted Phelps' mothe ...

as Dick *Ronnie Cosby as Rob Bhaer *Tommy Bupp as Tommy Bangs *Bobby Cox as Stuffy * Dickie Jones as Dolly *

Richard Quine Richard Quine (November 12, 1920June 10, 1989) was an American director, actor, and singer. He began acting as a child in radio, vaudeville, and stage productions before being signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in his early twenties. When his acting ...

as Ned *Donald Buck as Billy *Eddie Dale Heiden as Teddy Bhaer *

George Ernest George Ernest (born George Ruud Hjorth; November 20, 1921 – June 25, 2009) was an American actor and Office of Strategic Services (OSS) combat photographer/cameraman during World War II. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1930 a ...

as Emil *

Irving Bacon Irving Bacon (born Irving Von Peters; September 6, 1893 – February 5, 1965) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 500 films. Early years Bacon was the son of entertainers Millar Bacon and Myrtle Vane. He was born in St. Jos ...

as Silas (uncredited) *

Hattie McDaniel Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893October 26, 1952) was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. For her role as Mammy in ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, ...

as Asia (uncredited) *

Gustav von Seyffertitz Gustav von Seyffertitz (4 August 1862 – 25 December 1943) was a German film actor and director. He settled in the United States. He was born in Haimhausen, Bavaria, and died in Los Angeles, California, aged 81. Biography Gustav von Seyffertit ...

as Schoolmaster Page (uncredited)

References

External links

* {{Little Women 1934 films American drama films American black-and-white films Films set in boarding schools Films based on American novels 1934 drama films Films produced by Nat Levine Films based on works by Louisa May Alcott Works based on Little Women Little Men Films directed by Phil Rosen 1930s English-language films 1930s American films