The Little Foxes

Lillian Hellman (1905-1984) was born to a Jewish family in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her maternal grandmother, Sophie Marx, was from a prominent family in Alabama, and it is said that some of The Little Foxes was inspired by this side of the family. Hellman’s childhood was spent between living in New Orleans and New York City. Hellman went on to study for two years at New York University and to take courses from Columbia University, as well.

Hellman first started working in the industry in the 1930s, when she was hired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) as a reader. The job was not incredibly stimulating, but it put her in rooms with other creatives, creating opportunities to connect with people who could eventually help her own career. While there, she met Dashiell Hammett. The two fell in love, and she divorced her first husband in 1932 so she could have a relationship with Hammett. The two never married, but remained in a relationship until Hammett’s death in 1961.

Hellman had her Broadway debut in 1934 with her play The Children’s Hour. The play depicts a jilted schoolgirl accusing two female teachers of having a lesbian relationship. The accusation is eventually proven false, but not before one of the teachers’ fiancés rejects her and dies by suicide. The play was wildly successful, running for 691 performances and eventually securing a movie deal with Goldwyn Pictures. However, due to film guidelines at the time, the movie was prohibited from mentioning lesbianism, and the plot was changed to have one of the teachers sleeping with the other teacher’s fiancé.

The content in The Children’s Hour was not the only controversy surrounding Hellman. Her Communist-sympathizing views and membership in the Communist party between 1938 and 1940 caused conflict on both sides. Some of her plays were critiqued by Communists for being shy about her views. She and famed actress Tallulah Bankhead went head-to-head over Hellman’s refusal to allow a performance of The Little Foxes at a benefit for Finland, which had recently been invaded by the USSR. The feud caused the two women not to speak to each other again until 1963. Another infamous feud involved author Mary McCarthy, who wrote that Hellman had lied about parts of her life, including the extent of her involvement with the Communist party. Hellman sued McCarthy for defamation, and the suit was still ongoing at the time of Hellman’s death in 1984.

Despite all this, Hellman’s legacy lives on today. In her lifetime, Hellman went on to write a total of 11 plays (of which The Little Foxes was third), one novel, one operetta, seven screenplays, and four memoirs. Hellman was awarded honorary degrees from Brandeis University, Wheaton College, Mt. Holyoke College, Smith College, Yale University, and Columbia University. Her work is still widely studied, produced, read, and acclaimed.