Louisa May Alcott (1950)

waiting great strides in the middle of the team century but one Arthur emerged out distancing all the others in popularity a woman louisa may alcott the second of four daughters was born in 1832 her mother abimael card had come from an erratic New England family while her father amos bronson alcott with an idealistic and unsuccessful teacher always searching for a utopia bronson alcott finally brought his family to an experiment in cooperative living what's the matter I should like your undivided attention for just a moment it has always been my theory that children should have a voice in the decisions concerning that so the issue what are you we must decide whether I well whether I can best serve our ideals by separating from your mother and yourselves and going over to the shaker community well the you and your mother should I accept your Uncle Sam Mays invitation and go to live in Lexington we must decide this the Olcott stayed together and moved to concrete in their new home called hillside the week agooo the young womanhood with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau as your unofficial teachers when she was 15 Louise opened a school in the hillside bond a bond that often saw use as a theater this had much joy these past years with the performances of the young Elka true I can't make up my mind mr. Emerson whether I should be a great actress or a great writer but you sure it will be great oh happy how are you feeling lately Lizzie fine thank you sir and many thanks for the lovely flowers you say they were so bright don't mention it my dear I stole them all those God what I'm sure is love went with them too you will excuse this won't you mr. Emerson we must help mama with supper come with me and Bobby nobody does in love he'll either be Mae is he referring to the way you used to serenade me in German I suppose so to have had the admiration of a fine actress is quite wonderful not only an actress but a writer of plays and stories and judging from the reports of my children a very fine teacher to boot by the way I read the flower fables you wrote for my little Ellen they're charming my dear charming thank you I think I borrowed quite a bit from the fairy tales mr. Thoreau used to tell about conquered nature ah Louisa the man who marries you will be most port I have too many responsibilities to give a thought to any man what do you mean mr. Emerson it's up to me to take care of the Alcott's I know I'm always talking in the clouds about writing about travelling but but unless I do these things the Alcott's will always be poor and well pathetic that's us the pathetic family do you intend to change that all by yourself who else among us can father's so impractical and Mama deserves a rest Anna will make some out of fine why Lizzie is all strong and a little heavy spoil it wants to be an artiste but they all need help and the star blue stop wait what do you need I need work the next year found Alisa in Boston turning her hand to anything that would pay bills a servant girl a seamstress and teacher but she never forgot her riding and when she was only 20 the rival painters appeared in print and three years later her first book flower fables was published however her spirits were dampened when in 1858 fell dizzy Alcott fell fatally ill from the after-effects of scarlet fever when suddenly I walked past a poster of The Saturday Evening Gazette and lo and behold there it was Bertha a new tale by the author of the rival prima donnas will appear and that was it who what's the name of the new house we bought here in Concord Orchard have oh if I could see it I could live in it but you will dear remember we stay together and I take care of Oh I'm weary new it's been so hard watching sitting here taking care of me got bigger things to do you're gonna write a great book but stop living what else I'd like to do but to take care of you I need you so Anna will be married soon and I'm practically nothing but an old maid go get the others piece I want to upset over Lizzy's death and unhappy about her sister Anna's marriage to John Pratt Louisa went to Boston where she lived alone she can you to write until tired of a solitary existence she returned to orchard house where she began her first serious novel moves of the year was 1862 and the nation flamed into war the War Between the States the time had come for bronson alcott as he himself said to send his only son to war the reefs of Ahlan teared as a nurse and went to Washington where she served in a military hospital don't go yet look I know the surgeon asks you to tell me something and I know you're a strong girl miss Alcott but when the time comes to tell me I'm I'm gonna die don't flinch at it tell it to me quick so we can write some letters to my folks you promise me I promise John you're a brave girl miss out cocky don't know how brave John I'd sooner face trifles at point-blank range then face them any strange man remember miss Alcott no flinching on my family how is very Luiza very brave yes most of them are you really should write about them I do every week I send a letter home sign nurse periwinkle telling all about men like John Surrey until all of Miss nightingales rules are broken in caring for nurse louisa may alcott thus trickle of typhoid and pneumonia while serving the wounded her father brought her home to Orchard House where she rewrote her periwinkle letters into a book of hospital sketches this was the turning point in her career mood was published and adopting the pseudonym am Barnard who is to continue to sell blood and thunder stories like plots and counter plot and a marble woman then suddenly one of Louise's dreamed the dream of travel came true as companion to an invalid she sailed for Europe there she met a Polish Jew that is hospice Nevsky 12 years younger than herself sometimes I think the whole world has made sick or invalid just so people like you can try to make it well again as you cannot help even not care about I'll be going home soon to those who need my help the most I don't she'll never see you again I'll keep in touch and someday I'll put you in a book okay tell me sweet laddie but you wish there to be more there you see anything else would be absurd shall we go from the moment the rest of Luisa returned to Concord she worried constantly about the family finances and worked yourself ill again in a struggle to gain security so miles still wants a story for girls daddy yes well that's what he said Louise a book about girls it's a story for girls so difficult Louisa it isn't that a B mainly call me Abby all right May but what do I know about girls I like I understand boy is better but we need money my dear but what girl do I know there happen to be four girls you know quite well including their family as well as you know yourself well who are they for goodness sake you always used to calls in pathetic the pathetic family cool and happy Lizzie and lo you're becoming brighter all the time let's hope we plan to do something about it well the Weiser what answer for Thomas now tell him tell him yes papa he shall have his girl's book pathetic family oh yes indeed miss de Nile you will really mean that how can you tell him it denial I considered a great honor to be one of the first to read this book it's beautiful beyond description thank you - I didn't depend on my own hard-bitten bachelors judgment you're the tenth young lady I've shown this book to each one is more breathless and her praise than the last what do you like about it oh I don't know the March family seems so real particularly going Meg Amy Oh in that dear dear Beth admire me and I fell in love with Laurie myself hey Charlie you talk as if they're real people oh they are my last question would you buy it I'd get a copy for you keep my friend that settles it you'll excuse me I want to avoid this denial what does miss Alcott call it at first something about pathetic family but at her last words she was the titled Little Women Little Women copies of little woman's bet across the country on the first transcontinental train and the characters of Joe Maggie's Beth and Amy portraits of the four Alcott girls and the characters Lauren whose charm could only have been that of the polish Maddy were born to survive here it is Louisa I think this explains better than I could what Little Women is done to people I pulled from little women of course there's truth in it Joe that's the secret humor and people's make it alive and you have found your style at last all men for that Thomas our Louisa has found herself yes other new work promises to bring a fortune to my firm as well as yourself Louisa what are your plans I intend to sail for Europe Thomas with me I want her to have an opportunity to become a fine artist now that orchard house has a furnace may can have her culture in her career I only wish that Louisa could have her help yes Louisa what does I've been hearing about all these doctors an author must have some extravagance mine is illness our Louisa works too hard Europe will be good for me but may on her way that will be good too but the trip to the continent established me in her art studies Louise's vacation was spoiled by the tragic news that Anna's husband John Pratt leaving may in Europe Luiza returned home to pay the bill nurse the sick and protect your own in order to help her now destitute sister and nephews she wrote little men which resumed the fog of the March family she then wrote a series of domestic novels which aided reform measures such as woman suffrage in jack-and-jill which she wrote after May's marriage to earners nirakar in Europe she championed temperance in Co education she came more and more to the ideals of her father who in his old age were suddenly being martyred and honoured yes life seemed settled for Louisa to Emerson it's good to see you Louisa all right so proud of Popeye and you very proud you always used to say Louisa your father might have talked to Plato now I think almost the whole country agrees with you I can't tell you how you didn't come here to talk about the new school what is it I received a cablegram from Ernest America I was asked to give it to him my child I wish I could prepare you up I am prepared she died with the baby the little girl lives named after you may wanted you to care for her dead my dad what is happening to our family mr. Ramos so little of it is left [Music] at the end of Joe's boys anyway that's right Lulu and with Joe's boys the curtain falls forever on the March family the last of the secret I like Lulu's library better that's because you're vain like your mother aunt Irene how is grandpa feeling not very well dear not since mr. Emerson died pinky weed how are you feeling not very well do you mean what would happen if you weren't around to take care of me what right then it would be your turn my turn after all what's your name Louisa May and we Louisa Mays can take care of ourselves right right anyway what why did you write this funny story for me you know what I mean jolly well Lulu I've had lots of troubles in my time sorry jolly tales but that little girls like you prefer a happy story I know because I was a little girl once myself louisa may alcott died at the age of 55 when she died she did not know that her father had gone just before she had taken care of him and the rest of her family as long as they needed her and perhaps that was all she had ever wanted and as long as there is a single home and a single child read of Holmes and child louisa may alcott and her pathetic family will hold their place in humanity's heart [Music]