History Trivia / LittleWomen

* ActorInspiredElement: Beth became the youngest sister to accommodate Margaret O'Brien.
* DawsonCasting: June Allyson was ''thirty-one'' playing Jo at fifteen. Creator/ElizabethTaylor was about sixteen as Amy and Creator/JanetLeigh was twenty-one as Meg. Margaret O'Brien by contrast was just ''eleven'' playing thirteen-year-old Beth.

* PropRecycling: Beth carries around a basket that is actually the same one Dorothy had carried in ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''. Margaret O'Brien had starred alongside Creator/JudyGarland in ''Film/MeetMeInStLouis'', and both films were produced by Mervyn [=LeRoy=].

* ThoseTwoActors: Mary Astor as Marmee and Leon Ames as Mr. March who starred in several movies together, most notably ''Film/MeetMeInStLouis'' where Margret O'Brien, who plays Beth in this movie, also played one of their daughters.
** This was the third time in three years that June Allyson and Peter Lawford had starred opposite each other after 1946's ''Two Sisters from Boston'' and 1947's ''Good News''.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The film was to be produced by David O Selznick - starring Creator/JenniferJones as Jo, Bambi Linn as Beth, Rhonda Fleming as Meg, Diana Lynn as Amy, John Dall as Laurie, Anne Revere as Marmee, Charles Coburn as Mr Lawrence and Constance Collier as Aunt March. Selznick decided he couldn't tackle such a big production so soon after ''Duel In The Sun'' -- and Mervyn [=LeRoy=] directed instead. Elizabeth Patterson (Hannah) would have been part of Selznick's version too.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The film was to be produced by David O Selznick - starring Creator/JenniferJones as Jo, Bambi Lynn as Beth, Rhonda Fleming as Meg, Diana Lynn as Amy, John Dall as Laurie, Anne Revere as Marmee, Charles Coburn as Mr Lawrence and Constance Collier as Aunt March. Selznick decided he couldn't tackle such a big production so soon after ''Duel In The Sun'' -- and Mervyn [=LeRoy=] directed instead. Elizabeth Patterson (Hannah) would have been part of Selznick's version too.

* AbilityOverAppearance: Noted under AdaptationalAttractiveness. Jo in the book is frequently compared to a colt and she describes herself as "ugly and awkward". In the 1994 film she's played by the very petite and absolutely lovely Creator/WinonaRyder -- who captures Jo's spunkiness and spirit perfectly.
* BillingDisplacement: Creator/GabrielByrne and Samantha Mathis get top billing over Creator/ChristianBale and Creator/KirstenDunst, despite not appearing until well over an hour into the film.
* CaliforniaDoubling: The movie was shot in Canada and London due to the low budget.
* DawsonCasting:
** Averted with Creator/KirstenDunst, who was twelve at the time of filming, matching Amy's age pre-TimeSkip.
** Played Straight with nearly everyone else. Creator/ClaireDanes was only a couple of years older than Beth (fifteen playing thirteen) and Creator/WinonaRyder was twenty-two playing fifteen-year-old Jo. Creator/TriniAlvarado was twenty-seven playing sixteen-year-old Meg and Samantha Mathis, who played Amy after the TimeSkip, was twenty-four playing Amy at sixteen.
* FakeAmerican: The British Christian Bale as Laurie, and Matthew Walker as Robert March. Canadians John Neville and Janne Mortil as Mr Lawrence and Sally Moffat respectively.
* FakeIrish: The Irish maid Hannah is played by Canadian actress Florence Patterson.
* FakeNationality: Irish actor Creator/GabrielByrne plays the German Professor Bhaer.
* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/WinonaRyder tended to play moody EmoTeen roles or else InnocenceLost characters at that point in her career. The SpiritedYoungLady like Jo is a little different. Indeed Gillian Armstrong was reluctant at casting her before meeting her in person.
--> "I needed to be sure in my heart that she could be Jo, because most of her earlier work, she played characters that were more introverted or frail. But when I met Winona, I could see that she would be a wonderful Jo — that she had an incredible passion and hadn’t been given the chance to play a woman that was that strong and alive and funny."
* RealitySubtext: The look on Beth's face as she's given the Hummels' sick baby is because Claire Danes was about to burst into tears at the sound of the screaming child.
* SavedFromDevelopmentHell: It took this version of ''Little Women'' twelve years to get made, as most studios didn't want to go near a film with four female leads. Even Gillian Armstrong turned down the offer to direct several times, as she found the material too similar to her film ''My Brilliant Career''.
* SleeperHit: As noted below, Columbia didn't think the film would be that notable, and certainly didn't expect it to gross nearly three times its budget - as well as netting three Oscar nominations.
* StuntCasting: Winona Ryder being cast as Jo was a condition of Columbia agreeing to consider the project.
* ThoseTwoActors: Christian Bale and Samantha Mathis both star in ''Film/AmericanPsycho''.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Creator/ChristinaRicci, Creator/NataliePortman, and Creator/ThoraBirch auditioned for young!Amy.
** Creator/AliciaSilverstone auditioned for Beth, but was thought to be too old.
** Creator/OliviaHussey lobbied hard for the role of Marmee, but was turned down because of her thick English accent.
** Creator/ReeseWitherspoon was Armstrong's first choice for Amy, back when the production was considering casting one actress for both time periods.
** Creator/HughGrant was the leading choice for Professor Bhaer, Denise De'Novi admitting that "we all had a huge crush on Hugh". But he was considered too young and confident. John Turturro really lobbied for the role too, but WordOfGod is that they wanted someone deeper and more poetic - so Gabriel Byrne got it.
** The film originally had a much lower budget because executives were worried about it falling into the GirlShowGhetto. Gillian Armstrong showed them a rough cut, which moved them so much, they gave her more money for re-shoots and extra music.
** The film was not considered marketable, due to how female-focused the story was, and it was referred to as a "needle in the eye picture". One studio exec suggested a SettingUpdate to the 90s to make it more commercial - in this version, the March sisters would be unhappy about not having a car for Christmas.
* WriterRevolt: Producer Denise De'Novi personally hated the idea of one actress playing Amy as a child and adult, finding it "weird". This then became the only one of the Hollywood adaptations to have two actresses play Amy in the two halves.

* {{Fanon}}: It is a common fan belief that Amy's name is short for Amelia. It isn't short for anything, and in fact the two names are entirely unrelated.

** Played Straight with nearly everyone else. Creator/ClaireDanes was only a couple of years older than Beth (fifteen playing thirteen) and Creator/WinonaRyder was twenty-two playing fifteen-year-old Jo. Trini Alvarado was twenty-seven playing sixteen-year-old Meg and Samantha Mathis, who played Amy after the TimeSkip, was twenty-four playing Amy at sixteen.

* DawsonCasting: June Allyson was ''thirty-one'' playing Jo at fifteen. Creator/ElizabethTaylor was about sixteen as Amy and Creator/JanetLeigh was twenty-one as Meg. Margaret O'Brien by contrast was just ''eleven''.

* LifeImitatesArt: Elizabeth Alcott (Beth's real life counterpart) died before Anna (Meg's real life counterpart) married. Years after the second part of Little Women was published, May (Amy's real life counterpart) married the man who had comforted her when Abba Alcott died, just as Amy married Laurie, who had comforted her after Beth March died.

%%** Chapter 3 of ''Jo's Boys'', ''Jo's Last Scrape''
* {{Fanon}}: It is a common fan belief that Amy's name is short for Amelia. It isn't short for anything.

* LifeImitatesArt: Elizabeth Alcott died before Anna (Meg's real life counterpart) married. Years after the second part of Little Women was published, May (Amy's real life counterpart) married the man who had comforted her when Abba Alcott died, just as Amy married Laurie who had comforted her after Beth March died.

* FandomNod: Chapter 3 of ''Jo's Boys'', ''Jo's Last Scrape'', as well as Laurie's proposal in ''Little Women'' when he tells Jo "Everyone expects it!"
* {{Fanon}}: Amy's name being short for Amelia. It isn't short for anything.

* AllStarCast: Creator/SaoirseRonan, Creator/EmmaWatson, Creator/FlorencePugh, Creator/TimotheeChalamet, Creator/LauraDern, and Creator/MerylStreep.
* FakeAmerican: Irish Creator/SaoirseRonan[[note]]Who was born in New York but raised in Ireland, and has dual Irish and American citizenship[[/note]] as Jo; Brits Creator/EmmaWatson, Creator/FlorencePugh and Creator/JamesNorton as Meg, Amy and John Brooke; and Australian Eliza Scanlen as Beth.
* FakeNationality: French Louis Garrel as the German Friedrich Bhaer.
* PlayingAgainstType:
** Mildly for Emma Watson. Best known for being slightly tomboyish and NotLikeOtherGirls heroines (as in closer to Jo), she plays the more traditionally feminine sister Meg.
** Florence Pugh likewise plays the ProperLady Amy in a radical departure from her PerkyGoth character in ''Film/FightingWithMyFamily''.
* ProductionPosse: Creator/SaoirseRonan, Timothée Chalamet, and Tracy Letts previously starred in Gerwig's ''Film/LadyBird''.
** CastingGag: And moreover, just like in that film, Laura Dern play's Saoirse Ronan's character's mother.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Creator/EmmaStone was originally cast as Meg, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with promoting ''Film/TheFavourite''. She was replaced with Creator/EmmaWatson.
** Greta Gerwig was originally just hired to write the script. But when ''Film/LadyBird'' became a success, they asked her to direct as well. Creator/SarahPolley had been approached about both, but it never got beyond discussion.

* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/WinonaRyder tended to play moody EmoTeen roles or else InnocenceLost characters at that point in her career. The SpiritedYoungLady like Jo is a little different.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/EmmaStone was originally cast as Meg, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with promoting ''Film/TheFavourite''. She was replaced with Creator/EmmaWatson.

!!The 1933 film:
* ActorInspiredElement: Creator/KatharineHepburn had the costume designer copy a dress her grandmother wore for one of Jo's costumes.
* DawsonCasting: Applies to all the March sisters. Katharine Hepburn was 26 as the 15-year-old Jo, Frances Dee was 23 as the 16-year-old Meg, Joan Bennett was ''23'' as the 12-year-old Amy. Jean Parker was a little better, as she was 18 playing the 13-year-old Beth. Douglas Montgomery was also in his mid-20s playing the teenage Laurie.
* HideYourPregnancy: Joan Bennett was pregnant playing the very young Amy. She hid it from most of the producers, and the costume designer had to keep making alterations as filming went on.
* TheOtherMarty: Louise Closser Hale filmed some scenes as Aunt March, but passed away in the middle of filming. Edna May Oliver took over.
* StarMakingRole: Although Katharine Hepburn already had an Oscar for ''Morning Glory'', it was the whopping success of this that marked her as an A-list star. Her performance here also won over many detractors who hadn't liked her previous work.

* ProductionPosse: Creator/SaoirseRonan and Timothée Chalamet previously co-starred in Gerwig's ''Film/LadyBird''.

* ProductionPosse: Creator/SaoirseRonan and Timothée Chalamet previously co-starred in ''Film/LadyBird''.

** This was the third time in three years that June Allyson and Peter Lawford had starred opposite each other after 1946's ''Two Sister's from Boston'' and 1947's ''Good News''.

** Averted with Kirsten Dunst, who was twelve at the time of filming, matching Amy's age pre-TimeSkip.

* PlayingAgainstType: Winona Ryder tended to play moody EmoTeen roles or else InnocenceLost characters at that point in her career. The SpiritedYoungLady like Jo is a little different.

* AllStarCast: Creator/SaoirseRonan, Creator/EmmaWatson, Florence Pugh, Creator/TimotheeChalamet, Creator/LauraDern, and Creator/MerylStreep.
* FakeAmerican: Irish Saoirse Ronan[[note]]Who was born in New York but raised in Ireland, and has dual Irish and American citizenship[[/note]] as Jo; Brits Emma Watson, Florence Pugh and James Norton as Meg, Amy and John Brooke; and Australian Eliza Scanlen as Beth.

* ProductionPosse: Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet previously co-starred in ''Film/LadyBird''.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/EmmaStone was originally cast as Meg, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with promoting ''Film/TheFavourite''. She was replaced with Emma Watson.

* FakeAmerican: Brits Angela Lansbury, Emily Watson and Julian Morris as Aunt March, Marmee and John Brooke respectively. Also Irish actor Michael Gambon as Mr Laurence. Additionally a few of the extras are played by Irish actors.

* ActorAllusion: Beth carries around a basket that is actually the same one Dorothy had carried in ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''. Margaret O'Brien had starred alongside Judy Garland in ''Film/MeetMeInStLouis'', and both films were produced by Mervyn [=LeRoy=].

* PlayingGertrude: Creator/MaryAstor, who plays Marmee, was only eleven years older than June Allyson.

* TheRemake: This one used much of the same script and music as the 1933 version, and was essentially a Technicolor remake of it. There are some differences such as Beth being the youngest sister however.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The film was to be produced by David O Selznick - starring Jennifer Jones as Jo, Bambi Lynn as Beth, Rhonda Fleming as Meg, Diana Lynn as Amy, John Dall as Laurie, Anne Revere as Marmee, Charles Coburn as Mr Lawrence and Constance Collier as Aunt March. Selznick decided he couldn't tackle such a big production so soon after ''Duel In The Sun'' -- and Mervyn [=LeRoy=] directed instead. Elizabeth Patterson (Hannah) would have been part of Selznick's version too.

* AbilityOverAppearance: Noted under AdaptationalAttractiveness. Jo in the book is frequently compared to a colt and she describes herself as "ugly and awkward". In the 1994 film she's played by the very petite and absolutely lovely Winona Ryder -- who captures Jo's spunkiness and spirit perfectly.
* AndStarring: Creator/SusanSarandon is credited this way.
* BillingDisplacement: Gabriel Byrne and Samantha Mathis get top billing over Creator/ChristianBale and Creator/KirstenDunst, despite not appearing until well over an hour into the film.

* FakeNationality: Irish actor Gabriel Byrne plays the German Professor Bhaer.

** Olivia Hussey lobbied hard for the role of Marmee, but was turned down because of her thick English accent.