The arrival of an ex-lover on a young woman's wedding day sets in motion a chain of events which will alter her and her cousin's lives forever.
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Title: The Old Maid (1939)
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Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Bette Davis | ... | ||
| Miriam Hopkins | ... | ||
| George Brent | ... |
Clem Spender
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| Donald Crisp | ... | ||
| Jane Bryan | ... |
Tina
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| Louise Fazenda | ... |
Dora
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| James Stephenson | ... |
Jim Ralston
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| Jerome Cowan | ... |
Joe Ralston
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| William Lundigan | ... |
Lanning Halsey
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 |
Cecilia Loftus | ... |
Grandmother Lovell
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| Rand Brooks | ... |
Jim
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| Janet Shaw | ... | ||
| William Hopper | ... |
John
(as DeWolf Hopper)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Rod Cameron | ... |
(scenes deleted)
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Raymond Rayhill Powell |
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Edit
Plot Summary
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Storyline
After a two-year absence, Clem Spender returns home on the very day that his former fiancée, Delia, is marrying another man. Clem enlists in the Union army and dies on the battlefield, but not before finding comfort in the arms of Delia's cousin, Charlotte Lovell. The years pass and Charlotte establishes an orphanage and eventually confesses to Delia that her dearest young charge, Tina, is an fact her own child by Clem. Jealousy and family secrets threaten to tear the cousins apart. Written by L. Hamre
Plot Keywords:
wedding | brother | battle | orchestral music score | unwed pregnancy |Taglines:
Vividly, unforgettably, a woman's love starved soul is revealed. All those strange secrets she locks in her heart ... moments of rapture and of heartbreak ... longings that no man can fathom. Of these has the year's finest picture been woven!Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
2 September 1939 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
A Velha Ama See more »Filming Locations:
Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USACompany Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Victor System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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(1854) (uncredited)
Music by Stephen Foster
Played as background music when Joe breaks off with Charlotte
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The 1935 Pulitzer Prize-winning play opened at the Empire Theatre in New York on Jan. 7, 1935 and ran for 305 performances. The leads were played by Judith Anderson and Helen Menken. Marjorie Lord, who later gained fame as the wife of Danny Thomas on TV's Make Room for Daddy (1953), was a replacement cast member in a supporting role. Producer-Director Ernst Lubitsch bought the rights to the play, intending to star both Judith Anderson and Helen Menken in a Paramount production, but the rights were later sold to Warner Bros. in January 1939. See more »Goofs
The scene where Delia has come to the orphanage to speak with Charlotte, we can see Charlotte's sleeves change from rolled up to down several times within the shot. See more »Quotes
Dr. Lanskell: Well, then shoot the whole bunch of them and be done with it, and Good-bye!See more »
Crazy Credits
The opening credits are shown on facsimiles of wedding invitation cards. See more »Soundtracks
Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair(1854) (uncredited)
Music by Stephen Foster
Played as background music when Joe breaks off with Charlotte
See more »
Two women, and a secret. Two actresses giving superb performances. Two stories wrapped up as one - one, about the cruelty of social conventions; the other, the personal relations twisted by those social conventions. The truth is concealed and people suffer. Pretense becomes the rule and feelings are suppressed. Bette Davis plays Charlotte, a woman who is forced to live a lie and as a result becomes a caricature of someone she is not. Mariam Hopkins plays Charlotte's cousin and closest confidante, Delia, who conspires with Charlotte to conceal the awful truth that could mean disgrace for the entire family. This movie succeeds in telling a compelling and dramatic story that deals with many relevant social themes: family roles, social conventionality, deceitfulness, and honor. It also deals with the role of truthfulness in a society in which the truth can be used as a weapon to destroy. Technically, this movie is flawless. George Brent has a small but significant role as the gentleman involved in both women's lives. This movie offers solid drama that is thought provoking and entertaining. Hence, this movie is well worth watching.