Little Darlings
Encyclopedia
Little Darlings is a 1980
teen film
starring Tatum O'Neal
, Kristy McNichol
, Matt Dillon
and Armand Assante
, directed by Ronald F. Maxwell
.
The screenplay is written by Kimi Peck and Dalene Young. The original music score is composed by Charles Fox
. The film is marketed with the tagline "Don't let the title fool you," a reference to a scene in which Randy comments on Angel's name, to which Angel replies, "Don't let the name fool you."
The film was notable for having a contemporary pop soundtrack, with music by artists like Blondie
, Rickie Lee Jones
, Supertramp
and Iain Matthews
. The original video release (blue box VHS and laserdisc) kept the soundtrack intact. However, many songs in the film such as Supertramp's "School", John Lennon
's "Oh My Love" and The Bellamy Brothers' "Let Your Love Flow" were removed from the second round of home releases (VHS red box) due to licensing issues and replaced with sound-alikes. As of 2010, the film has not been released on DVD, but was briefly available for digital video rental on iTunes and Amazon with the original soundtrack. It has since been removed from both services. Lionsgate announced Little Darlings on DVD.
"...Little Darlings somehow does succeed in treating the awesome and scary subject of sexual initiation with some of the dignity it deserves." -- Roger Ebert
) or Angel (Kristy McNichol
). At the same time, the girls engage in typical teenage behavior, such as food fights and other activities.
The girls involved in the contest are opposites and rivals: cynical, suspicious and streetwise poor girl Angel Bright and romantic rich girl Ferris Whitney. Both girls discover that "it" is not what they thought it was.
Ferris thinks of love as romance and wine and flowers. She imagines herself swept off her feet by Gary, the camp counselor. When she lies about "making love" with him, the biological side manifests itself in others' reactions to what she said she did. She discovers that, at least in the context of a camp counselor having sex with a fifteen year-old, sex can be hurtful and its consequences ugly. Her attitude is now more grounded in reality; she has become more like street-wise Angel.
Angel approaches the same issue from the other side. She views winning the contest as a mechanical, purely biological function, "no big deal" as her mother has told her. But when she tries to do "it" with Randy (Matt Dillon
) in the boathouse, she becomes confused by feelings she did not know she had. She behaves very defensively, as if Randy is trying to force her to have sex. Randy, who could take it or leave it, is put off by her recalcitrance and leaves. She then must admit to herself that sex is not a mechanical function she can cynically turn on and off, but is something she deeply wants to do.
Angel reconnects with Randy later with a much improved attitude, one closer to Ferris'. This time she pays attention not to clothing removal procedures and condoms, but to her feelings for Randy. Then, as the novel describes it, "All her fear and resistance melted as they kissed, and soon she didn't know who was touching whom, only that it was wonderful and right and fine. The moon stared impenetrably through the window."
In the end, Ferris discovers that love involves sex (which is not always romantic), and Angel discovers that sex involves love, which deeply touches her and transforms her soul. They both grow up that summer.
, 50 miles east of Atlanta. The signs and props built for the film remain for visitors to see. The gas station men's room (condom) scene was filmed in downtown Rutledge, the town nearest the park. The meeting place for the buses at the beginning and ending were filmed in a parking lot near the offices of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and you can see the old Omni Coliseum
in the background including in the last scene of the movie. When Ferris is driven into town, they pass the Swan House
, indicating that her family lives in Buckhead
, a wealthy part of town to the north of the city.
1980 in film
- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
teen film
Teen film
Teen films is a film genre targeted at teenagers and young adults in which the plot is based upon the special interests of teenagers, such as coming of age, first love, rebellion, conflict with parents, teen angst, and alienation...
starring Tatum O'Neal
Tatum O'Neal
Tatum Beatrice O'Neal is an American actress best known for her film work as a child actress in the 1970s. She is the youngest to win a competitive Academy Award, at the age of 10, which she won for her performance as Addie Loggins in Paper Moon opposite her father Ryan O'Neal...
, Kristy McNichol
Kristy McNichol
Christina Ann "Kristy" McNichol is an American actress.McNichol is best known for her roles as Leticia “Buddy” Lawrence on the television drama series Family and as Barbara Weston on the sitcom Empty Nest. She is also the sister of former child actor Jimmy McNichol...
, Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
and Armand Assante
Armand Assante
-Personal life:Assante was born in New York City and raised in Cornwall, New York, the son of Katherine , a music teacher and poet, and Armand Anthony Assante, Sr., a painter and artist. His father was Italian and his mother was Irish, and was raised in a devoutly Roman Catholic family...
, directed by Ronald F. Maxwell
Ronald F. Maxwell
Ronald F. Maxwell is an independent film director and writer from Clifton, New Jersey. He is most famous for writing and directing the American Civil War epics Gettysburg, 1993 and Gods and Generals, 2003....
.
The screenplay is written by Kimi Peck and Dalene Young. The original music score is composed by Charles Fox
Charles Fox (composer)
Charles Ira Fox is an American composer for film and television. His most heard compositions are probably the "love themes" , and the dramatic theme music to ABC's Wide World of Sports and the original Monday Night Football.....
. The film is marketed with the tagline "Don't let the title fool you," a reference to a scene in which Randy comments on Angel's name, to which Angel replies, "Don't let the name fool you."
The film was notable for having a contemporary pop soundtrack, with music by artists like Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
, Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones is an American vocalist, musician, songwriter, and producer. Over the course of a three-decade career, Jones has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, blues, pop, soul, and jazz standards.-Childhood:...
, Supertramp
Supertramp
Supertramp are a British rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming to Supertramp in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock, they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock and art rock into their music...
and Iain Matthews
Iain Matthews
Iain Matthews is an English musician and songwriter. He was born Iain Matthew McDonald, in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. He was known in the 1960s first as Ian McDonald, then as the 1960s progressed, as Ian Matthews...
. The original video release (blue box VHS and laserdisc) kept the soundtrack intact. However, many songs in the film such as Supertramp's "School", John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's "Oh My Love" and The Bellamy Brothers' "Let Your Love Flow" were removed from the second round of home releases (VHS red box) due to licensing issues and replaced with sound-alikes. As of 2010, the film has not been released on DVD, but was briefly available for digital video rental on iTunes and Amazon with the original soundtrack. It has since been removed from both services. Lionsgate announced Little Darlings on DVD.
"...Little Darlings somehow does succeed in treating the awesome and scary subject of sexual initiation with some of the dignity it deserves." -- Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
Plot summary
The story is about a group of teenage girls from Atlanta who go to summer camp, two of whom make a bet as to which one will lose her virginity first. The two girls then choose "targets", or guys they want to be the ones they lose their virginity with. Unbeknownst to the adults, all the girls in camp bet money on the contest and divide into two "teams," each rooting for and egging on either Ferris (Tatum O'NealTatum O'Neal
Tatum Beatrice O'Neal is an American actress best known for her film work as a child actress in the 1970s. She is the youngest to win a competitive Academy Award, at the age of 10, which she won for her performance as Addie Loggins in Paper Moon opposite her father Ryan O'Neal...
) or Angel (Kristy McNichol
Kristy McNichol
Christina Ann "Kristy" McNichol is an American actress.McNichol is best known for her roles as Leticia “Buddy” Lawrence on the television drama series Family and as Barbara Weston on the sitcom Empty Nest. She is also the sister of former child actor Jimmy McNichol...
). At the same time, the girls engage in typical teenage behavior, such as food fights and other activities.
The girls involved in the contest are opposites and rivals: cynical, suspicious and streetwise poor girl Angel Bright and romantic rich girl Ferris Whitney. Both girls discover that "it" is not what they thought it was.
Ferris thinks of love as romance and wine and flowers. She imagines herself swept off her feet by Gary, the camp counselor. When she lies about "making love" with him, the biological side manifests itself in others' reactions to what she said she did. She discovers that, at least in the context of a camp counselor having sex with a fifteen year-old, sex can be hurtful and its consequences ugly. Her attitude is now more grounded in reality; she has become more like street-wise Angel.
Angel approaches the same issue from the other side. She views winning the contest as a mechanical, purely biological function, "no big deal" as her mother has told her. But when she tries to do "it" with Randy (Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
) in the boathouse, she becomes confused by feelings she did not know she had. She behaves very defensively, as if Randy is trying to force her to have sex. Randy, who could take it or leave it, is put off by her recalcitrance and leaves. She then must admit to herself that sex is not a mechanical function she can cynically turn on and off, but is something she deeply wants to do.
Angel reconnects with Randy later with a much improved attitude, one closer to Ferris'. This time she pays attention not to clothing removal procedures and condoms, but to her feelings for Randy. Then, as the novel describes it, "All her fear and resistance melted as they kissed, and soon she didn't know who was touching whom, only that it was wonderful and right and fine. The moon stared impenetrably through the window."
In the end, Ferris discovers that love involves sex (which is not always romantic), and Angel discovers that sex involves love, which deeply touches her and transforms her soul. They both grow up that summer.
Location filming
Little Darlings was filmed in Hard Labor Creek State ParkHard Labor Creek State Park
Hard Labor Creek State Park is a 5,804 acre Georgia state park located between Fairplay and Rutledge. The park is named after Hard Labor Creek, a small stream that cuts through the park. The creek's name comes either from slaves who once tilled the summer fields, or from Native Americans who...
, 50 miles east of Atlanta. The signs and props built for the film remain for visitors to see. The gas station men's room (condom) scene was filmed in downtown Rutledge, the town nearest the park. The meeting place for the buses at the beginning and ending were filmed in a parking lot near the offices of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and you can see the old Omni Coliseum
Omni Coliseum
The Omni Coliseum, usually called The Omni, from the Latin for "all," or "every," was an indoor arena, located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Completed in 1972, the arena seated 16,378, for basketball and 15,278, for ice hockey...
in the background including in the last scene of the movie. When Ferris is driven into town, they pass the Swan House
Atlanta History Center
The Atlanta History Center is a history museum located in the Buckhead district of Atlanta, Georgia. The Museum was founded in 1926, and currently consists of 12 exhibits. There are also historic gardens and houses located on the grounds, including the Swan House and Tullie Smith Farm...
, indicating that her family lives in Buckhead
Buckhead (Atlanta)
Buckhead is the uptown district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, comprising approximately the northern one-fifth of the city. Buckhead is a major commercial and financial center of the Southeast, and it is the third-largest business district in Atlanta, behind Downtown and Midtown...
, a wealthy part of town to the north of the city.
TV version
An alternate version of Little Darlings was made for TV which had all the sex-related scenes and dialogue removed, giving the impression that, instead of trying to lose their virginity, Angel and Ferris were merely trying to make a guy fall in love with them. The deleted scenes were replaced with leftover footage not seen in the film version, including a scene (featured in the original novel) in which Angel rescues Ferris from drowning in the lake. Some additional music was also used in this version.Awards and nominations
- Young Artist AwardYoung Artist AwardThe Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
s
- Nominee: Second Best Young Actress in a Major Motion Picture - Kristy McNichol
Main cast
- Tatum O'NealTatum O'NealTatum Beatrice O'Neal is an American actress best known for her film work as a child actress in the 1970s. She is the youngest to win a competitive Academy Award, at the age of 10, which she won for her performance as Addie Loggins in Paper Moon opposite her father Ryan O'Neal...
as Ferris Whitney - Kristy McNicholKristy McNicholChristina Ann "Kristy" McNichol is an American actress.McNichol is best known for her roles as Leticia “Buddy” Lawrence on the television drama series Family and as Barbara Weston on the sitcom Empty Nest. She is also the sister of former child actor Jimmy McNichol...
as Angel Bright - Armand AssanteArmand Assante-Personal life:Assante was born in New York City and raised in Cornwall, New York, the son of Katherine , a music teacher and poet, and Armand Anthony Assante, Sr., a painter and artist. His father was Italian and his mother was Irish, and was raised in a devoutly Roman Catholic family...
as Gary Callahan - Matt DillonMatt DillonMatthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
as Randy Adams - Margaret Blye as Ms. Bright
- Nicolas CosterNicolas CosterNicolas Coster is a British-born American actor, most known for his work in daytime drama and as a character actor on nighttime television series.-Biography:...
as Mr. Whitney - Krista ErricksonKrista ErricksonKrista Anne Errickson is an American actress, journalist, and documentary writer/producer who appeared in films and television productions in the 1980s and 1990s. As a teen actress, she is most recognized for her role as teen antagonist Cinder in the 1980 movie Little Darlings and the TV series...
as Cinder Carlson - Cynthia NixonCynthia NixonCynthia Ellen Nixon is an American actress, known for her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series Sex and the City . She has received two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Grammy Award....
as Sunshine Walker - Jenn Thompson as Penelope Schubert
- Abby Bluestone as Chubby
- Alexa KeninAlexa KeninAlexa Kenin was an American actress known for her supporting roles in several films released during the 1980s, including Pretty in Pink, Little Darlings, and Honkytonk Man.-Career:...
as Dana
External links
- Little Darlings, the novel—a more complete version of the story