The Little Foxes

- Good morning.

- Morning, Mose.

Get out from under there!

I told you once.

How many times I got to tell you?

You come back here again...

Good morning.

Get!

Good morning, Harold.

Morning, Miss Zan. What does

your papa write from Baltimore?

- He writes that he feels better.

- That's good.

Write him my greetings and tell him

don't worry about the brass.

I'm keeping his name fine and clean.

Thanks, I will.

Those crabs will make

fine eating, Addie.

They better. We got high-tone company

for dinner tonight.

- Bye, Miss Zan.

- Good-bye, Harold.

Hello. You're out early.

- We've been to buy crabs.

- We're having gumbo tonight.

Gonna give Mr. Marshall of Chicago

a real Southern dinner.

How's your mama, Mr. David?

She's fine, thank you.

Zan, she says your petticoats

are ready to be fitted.

She said you're getting older and I

shouldn't say "petticoats" to you...

I should say "underskirts,"

or else keep still.

You shouldn't be saying "petticoats"

to me, but you know all about them.

Leo says you know almost as much

as he does.

I wouldn't take your cousin Leo's word

for anything. Nobody else does.

You don't like Leo, do you?

You don't like anybody in my family.

Yes, I do.

There's one person

I'm mighty fond of.

- Yes?

- Mr. David.

It's your papa.

Don't laugh at him.

He's beneath notice.

I'll take you on a picnic Sunday,

if you bring your own lunch.

Whoa!

Good morning, darling.

Good morning, Aunt Birdie.

Is your headache better?

- Yes, it's all gone.

- Good morning.

I'm going to stop a minute.

You drive the horse in.

Your mama will be waiting

to have breakfast with you, baby.

- She ain't nobody to keep waiting.

- All right.

Guess where we drove this morning.

To Lionnet.

Darling, was it beautiful?

Of course it was.

It was always beautiful

this time of year.

I've learned the Schubert for tonight.

I can play everything except the middle.

Couldn't we skip the middle?

Maybe Mr. Marshall wouldn't notice.

We couldn't. I'll come down and play it

through for you. You wait now.

Your mama says that Mr. Marshall's

a very educated, cultured gentleman.

I'm sure he'd notice.

Now, watch.

Two and one,

and two and one.

- Hey, there!

- Ow.

Good morning, Uncle Ben.

I've been awaken by many things,

but never by a concert.

Is this the new musical hour?

Good morning, Ben. I didn't realize.

I'm so sorry.

Aunt Birdie is showing me how to play

a piece for Mr. Marshall tonight.

I can't complain then.

- Alexandra, your breakfast is ready.

- Yes, Mama.

All of you, stop that vulgar

shouting out of windows.

- Morning, Regina.

- Really, Ben.

You look very silly

in your nightgown.

- You shouldn't show yourself.

- That's why I never got married.

I'll dress and come over for breakfast

with you and Alexandra.

Don't. I hate conversation

before I've had something hot.

What does your papa say?

"I still miss you, Zannie, more than

I can say. But you're not to worry.

I'm not lonesome, and everybody

at the hospital has been very kind. "

He addresses the letters to me

to make me think I'm grown up...

the way he used to

when I was little.

You don't have to explain to me.

Cal, get out that special bottle

of old port for this evening.

- Yes, ma'am.

- The one I've been saving.

That Mr. Marshall must be

a mighty honored guest.

- The grits is cold. Take it back.

- Yes, ma'am.

The grits didn't hold their heat!

Danver's girl is getting married

in Memphis.

Is that so?

I knew her mother.

She stayed with me once at Lionnet.

She was a Calhoun,

and the Calhouns were kin of ours.

Mama said she was too thin

for the styles, but I didn't think so.

I thought she was very pretty.

- Be pleasant to Mr. Marshall at dinner.

- Of course, Oscar.

No need to say too much.

If he should happen to ask

about your family...

the way people are interested in

where other people come from...

you might tell him who they were.

He'll probably recognize the names.

A good name is always useful.

Remember that, Leo.

Yes, sir?

I mean, I heard you, sir.

Good names are always useful.

- More coffee?

- If it's ready, Mama.

I've got to get back to the paper

in a few minutes.

Well, the medium-size bear

and the little bear.

You don't like the Hubbards much,

do you?

Mama, you're a high-tone guesser.

- Where are you going?

- I'm walking you to the store.

I've been walking there

a good many years without your help.

Get back to the bank.

- Leo?

- Yes, sir?

- Do a good day's work.

- Yes, sir. I always do.

- Hello, Harold. Howdy, Joe.

- Good morning, Mr. Leo.

Good morning, Mr. Manders.

What can I do for you today?

- You can do one thing.

- Yes, sir. What's that?

Try keeping awake, all day.

- Good morning, Mr. Ben.

- Good morning to you, Miss Hannah.

And here comes the big bear.

Now the sun can really shine,

the day has begun.

Mr. Ben looks mighty pleased

this morning.

And no wonder. "Our leading citizen,

Mr. Benjamin Hubbard...

will confer this evening

with Mr. William Marshall of Chicago...

about the building

of a cotton mill here.

Mr. Ben will advance many reasons

for bringing the mill to our town. "

But the real one is our justly

renowned average wage...

which ranks as the lowest

in the country.

Are they gonna print that

in the paper?

Mr. William Marshall, Chicago

industrialist and opera patron...

is in our midst to take supper

with the Hubbards and the Giddens...

who will show him what our famous

Southern hospitality is like.

- That's pretty.

- That's the way they'll print it.

- Ow!

- Hold still, Zan.

You had pretty hair

when you was little.

You was a mighty pretty

little girl.

Addie, will anybody

think I'm pretty now?

Someday some fool

of a man will, I reckon.

Seems there's always somebody

for somebody.

But you'll do, baby.

You're too young to worry

about such things, Alexandra.

You're going to have all the things

I wanted when I was your age.

Addie, make the dinner biscuits

yourself tonight.

Be sure the coffee is strong

and the wine is cold.

Don't worry, Miss Regina.

The dinner will go fine tonight.

They used to go to Europe every year,

Mr. Marshall.

Imagine going all the way to Europe

just to listen to music!

Once Mama met Mr. Wagner,

the composer, you know.

Mrs. Wagner gave Mama and Papa

a signed program.

Another time...

No, thank you, Cal.

It's remarkable to me

how you Southern aristocrats...

have kept together,

kept what belonged to you.

We're not aristocrats. Our brother's

wife is the only one who is.

You make great distinctions.

They've been made for us.

Take Birdie's family.

They owned the plantation Lionnet.

You've probably heard of it.

Beautiful place.

Best cotton land I ever saw.

My mother's grandfather was governor

before the war.

Those folks had their day,

and a great day too.

Cloth from Paris,

horses you can't raise anymore...

- darkies to work for them.

- We were good to our people.

- Everybody knew that.

- But when the war comes...

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