Little Darlings

Little Darlings is a 1980 teen\coming-of-age film directed by Ronald F. Maxwell (in his directorial debut), starring Tatum O'Neal, Kristy McNichol, Armand Assante, Matt Dillon, Maggie Blye, Nicolas Coster and Marianne Gordon.

Plot
The film is about two 15-year-old girls: rich girl Ferris Whitney (Tatum O'Neal) and streetwise poor girl Angel Bright (Kristy McNichol) who meet at summer camp and make a bet to see who will be the first girl to lose her virginity.

Cast

 * Tatum O'Neal as Ferris Whitney
 * Kristy McNichol as Angel Bright
 * Armand Assante as Gary Callahan
 * Matt Dillon as Randy Adams
 * Maggie Blye as Ms. Bright
 * Nicolas Coster as Mr. Whitney
 * Marianne Gordon as Mrs. Whitney
 * Krista Errickson as Cinder Carlson
 * Alexa Kenin as Dana
 * Mary Betten as Miss Nichols
 * Abby Bluestone as Chubby
 * Troas Hayes as Diane
 * Cynthia Nixon as Sunshine Walker
 * Simone Schachter as Carrots
 * Jenn Thompson as Penelope Schubert

Production
"Little Darlings" was filmed in Hard Labor Creek State Park, 50 miles east of Atlanta during the summer of 1979.

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.

During the food fight sequence, the campers in the scene were students from local private schools such as Routledge Academy.

Writers Kimi Peck and Dalene Young have said that Tatum O'Neal was always their first choice for the role of Ferris.

For the role of Angel, the role was intially offered to Brooke Shields and Jodie Foster was considered for it, but Kristy McNichol was eventually chosen for the role. When McNichol was hired, Dalene Young said she was disappointed because McNichol was known primarily as a television star, "but she turned out to be the best thing in the picture."

Dalene Young was present when a cattle call of young male actors turned out to audition for the role of Randy Adams. Although he wasn't part of the casting process, Young said she picked out Matt Dillon from the group and immediately knew he would be perfect for the part.

Box Office
"Little Darlings" grossed $34,326,249 at the box office.

Critical Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, "Little Darlings" was given an audience score of 75%.

Roger Ebert gave the movie 2 stars, saying it "somehow does succeed in treating the awesome and scary subject of sexual initiation with some of the dignity it deserves."

Accolades
Young Artist Awards
 * Kristy McNichol: Best Young Actress in a Major Motion Picture (nominated)