LITTLE WOMEN, adapted from Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, tells the tale of four sisters as they face deprivation and the absence of their father during the Civil War years, through their maturation into accomplished young women. This 1949 version’s cast includes Mary Astor as gentle mother Marmee, Janet Leigh as responsible Meg, June Allyson as tomboy Jo, Elizabeth Taylor as artistic Amy, and Margaret O'Brien as shy Beth. True to the novel, each girl is portrayed as an individual with flaws and strengths. Protagonist Jo dreams of becoming a writer and traveling the world. Her evolution from a fiesty girl who wants to run away to fight alongside her father in the war, to the reluctant love interest of next door neighbor Laurie (Peter Lawford) to a published author who can selflessly celebrate her sisters' choices, is the narrative anchor of the story.