What you have to realize right away about this version of The Little Foxes is that it's a filmed play. This Hallmark Hall of Fame production will tell you (in that classic television announcer's voice) that the studio is devoted to bringing stage productions to those can't travel to New York City. Many live television productions are simply live television performances, adapted to the small screen. This isn't one of them. This is an exact reproduction of the play, but the audience has an up close and personal view. The actors do not alter themselves and "tone it down". If you're alright with that, or if you just love hunting down obscure performances, feel free to check it out.
I didn't find it that enjoyable, although I appreciated seeing the stage acting close up. I've never seen Greer Garson play a villain before, and I just couldn't wrap my mind around her as the cruel Southern matriarch who tells her invalid husband she wishes he were dead. Franchot Tone, who did a lot of stage work, played the invalid husband. Honestly, I don't understand why any actor wants that role. For Herbert Marshall, in the 1941 film adaptation, it might have killed his career. Franchot, an elegant presence, was reduced to a cough, wheelchair, and weak energy. It's just a bad idea for his fans to see him like this, which was the main reason I didn't like it.
