The Little Foxes (1941)

The ruthless, moneyed Hubbard clan lives in, and poisons, their part of the deep South at the turn of the 20th century.

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Lillian Hellman (stage play), Lillian Hellman (screen play),

Stars:

Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, Teresa Wright

Nominated for 9 Oscars. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bette Davis	...	Regina Giddens
Herbert Marshall	...	Horace Giddens
Teresa Wright	...	Alexandra Giddens
Richard Carlson	...	David Hewitt
Dan Duryea	...	Leo Hubbard
Patricia Collinge	...	Birdie Hubbard
Charles Dingle	...	Ben Hubbard
Carl Benton Reid	...	Oscar Hubbard
Jessica Grayson	...	Addie (as Jessie Grayson)
John Marriott	...	Cal
Russell Hicks	...	William Marshall
Lucien Littlefield	...	Manders
Virginia Brissac	...	Mrs. Hewitt
Terry Nibert	...	Julia
Henry 'Hot Shot' Thomas	...	Harold

Storyline

The ruthless, moneyed Hubbard clan lives in, and poisons, their part of the deep South at the turn of the 20th century. Regina Giddons née Hubbard has her daughter under her thumb. Mrs. Giddons is estranged from her husband, who is convalescing in Baltimore and suffers from a terminal illness. But she needs him home, and will manipulate her daughter to help bring him back. She has a sneaky business deal that she's cooking up with her two elder brothers, Oscar and Ben. Oscar has a flighty, unhappy wife and a dishonest worm of a son. Will the daughter have to marry this contemptible cousin? Who will she grow up to be - her mother or her aunt? Or can she escape the fate of both?

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Plot Keywords:

money | business | chicago illinois | shaving | small town | 

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Taglines:

...the film version of the stage hit, as the ruthless beauty whose ambition spelt the doom of three men

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 December 1941 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

La vipère

Filming Locations:

Belle Helene Plantation, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min 116 min (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Four members of the original Broadway cast repeated their roles in the film: Dan Duryea, Charles Dingle, Carl Benton Reid, and Patricia Collinge.

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Goofs

In the final scene, just before Alexandra leaves Regina, in the shot when Regina climbs the stairs, and asks Zan if she would "like to sleep in her room tonight", we see a chair in the background (which earlier in the scene, Regina had sat in). The chair seat is empty. Two shots later, when Alexandra collects her hat and coat to leave, they have suddenly appeared on the chair.

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Quotes

Ben Hubbard: [to Regina] That's cynical. But, cynicism is an unpleasant way of telling the truth.

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Connections

Featured in The 59th Annual Academy Awards (1987)

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Soundtracks

"Never Too Weary to Pray"
(1941) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Meredith Willson
Sung off-screen by an unidentified group during the opening and closing credits

User Reviews

NOBODY'S AS GOOD AS BETTE WHEN SHE'S BAD!

Bette is an absolute knockout in this adaptation of Lilliam Hellman's play about greed and corruption in the old south, at the turn of the century. Bette plays Regina Giddens, the formidable matriarch of a powerful southern clan, who will stop at nothing in order to secure wealth and social status. Director William Wyler and cinematographer Gregg Toland succeeded in creating a visually exciting film instead of just a filmed stage play. Nominated for ten Academy Awards, this is an unforgettable and still timeless film. A must!