IMDb > The Old Maid (1939)
The Old Maid
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Old Maid (1939) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 6 | slideshow) Videos
The Old Maid (1939) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   1,040 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Edith Wharton (novel)
Zoe Akins (play)
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The Old Maid on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 September 1939 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
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!
Plot:
Delia marries Jim, not Joe After Delia breaks her engagement to Clem and marries Jim, Clem promises to marry Delia's cousin Charlotte... more | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Best Films - 1939
 (From Alt Film Guide. 10 May 2009, 1:26 AM, PDT)

Jane Bryan
 (From Alt Film Guide. 11 April 2009, 7:12 PM, PDT)

User Reviews:
Excellent early Bette Davis film more (26 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Bette Davis ... Charlotte Lovell
Miriam Hopkins ... Delia Lovell Ralston
George Brent ... Lt. Clem Spender
Donald Crisp ... Dr. Lanskell
Jane Bryan ... Clementina
Louise Fazenda ... Dora
James Stephenson ... Jim Ralston
Jerome Cowan ... Joseph Ralston
William Lundigan ... Lanning Halsey
Cecilia Loftus ... Grandmother Henrietta Lovell
Rand Brooks ... Jim Ralston Jr.
Janet Shaw ... Dee Ralston Ward
William Hopper ... John Ward (as DeWolf Hopper)
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
95 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Victor System)
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
To get the effects of aging, Bette Davis didn't wear any eye makeup or lipstick, and makeup artist Perc Westmore used a pale, ashen base on her face. more
Quotes:
Charlotte Lovell: She thinks I can't understand her. She considers me an old maid.
Delia Lovell Ralston: My dear.
Charlotte Lovell: A ridiculous, narrow-minded old maid. What else can she ever think of me?
Delia Lovell Ralston: Poor Charlotte.
Charlotte Lovell: Oh, but you needn't pity me. Because she's really mine. If she considers me an old maid, it's because I've deliberately made myself one in her eyes. I've done it from the beginning so she wouldn't have the least suspicion. I've practised everything I've ever had to say to her, if it was important, so that I'd sound like an old maid aunt talking. Not her mother.
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2006) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Silent Night, Holy Night more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
11 out of 13 people found the following review useful.
Excellent early Bette Davis film, 25 July 2003
10/10
Author: Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States

Superb soap opera takes place from the 1860s to the 1880s. Miriam Hopkins spurns long-time fiancee George Brent to marry another man. Her cousin, Bette Davis, also loves Brent and "comforts" him before he goes off to war. He dies in the war and leaves her pregnant. She secretly has the baby and tells nobody except Hopkins. Hopkins, now a rich widow, convinces Davis to let her adopt the child so she will have a name. She does and watches her child grow up treating Hopkins like her mother and Davis with contempt as an old maid.

The story is very sudsy but the script has wonderful, literate dialogue and the picture is very elaborately made. But what really puts the picture across is the superb acting by Hopkins and Davis. They both hated each other passionately off screen but you'd never know it on screen. The scenes when they're friends or rivals are just great--every single line rings true and they play their roles to the hilt. A real surprise is seeing Hopkins play a sweet woman at the end--she certainly wasn't like that in real life! And the very last scene in the movie will bring a tear to your eye--just Bette Davis' reaction to something really hits.

A great film--don't miss it! A must if you're a Bette Davis fan.

Was the above review useful to you?
more (26 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Old Maid (1939)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Whom Clem loved--was Charlotte right? roseytrebles
most and least favorite scenes blueeyedbear
Notes on THE OLD MAID JSlack3
Funny sound glitch beamsamuel1
Better Than Dark Victory IMHO rockwell_lancer
What do you think about Clem? achal-1
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Gone with the Wind Jane Eyre Doctor Zhivago Barry Lyndon The Notebook
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.