the old maid ( 1939 film )
the 1939 film version of the old maid had quite a pedigree. it began as a novella by the great writer edith wharton, and became a pulitzer prize - winning stage play by zoe akins .
matinee theater, 1956 (television) :
the old maid .
( not available )
: she thinks i can' t understand her. she considers me an old maid .
a well - done meloncholy drama of a lively young debutante turned bitter old - maid .
kraft television theater, 1954 (television) .
the old maid .
( not available )
jennifer beals in the last tycoon; merle oberon in a 1939 issue of vogue .
: a ridiculous, narrow - minded old maid. what else can she ever think of me ?
the film was remade in 1991 as a television film starring real - life sisters vanessa and lynn redgrave .
“the old maid ” screens at 1: 30 p. m. saturday, april 26, 2014 in the durwood film vault of the kansas city central library, 14w. 10th st. admission is free. it’s part of the year - long film series hollywood’s greatest year, featuring movies released in 1939 .
looking for movie tickets? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the old maid near you .
we’d love your help. let us know what’s wrong with this preview of the old maid by edith wharton .
with the headline: the screen; zoe akins' s' the old maid' reaches the strand as a mature, engrossing and poignant drama .
by 1939 bette davis was one of the biggest stars in hollywood. much of her fan base consisted of women, and in fact davis titles like dark victory and the old maid are regarded as classic “women’s pictures. ”
in a paramount production, but the rights were later sold to warner bros. in january 1939 .
the private lives of elizabeth & essex (dvd) [ 1939 ] errol flynn, bette davis .
in 1939 davis starred in
dark victory
( april) ,
juarez
,
the private lives of elizabeth and essex
and
the old ...
bette davis dvd set: from' the old maid' to' deception' © 2004–2018 alt film guide and / or author (s). text not to be reproduced without prior written consent .
the acting duel you see on screen in the old maid isn’t all acting. it reflects the genuine animosity between its two stars, bette davis and miriam hopkins .
the film, particularly the scene when jane sings
daddy
grotesquely while edwin plays the piano, plays in the background during the movie theater scene of the 2005 horror film house of wax .
i continue my march through bette davis movies. old maid was made when davis did not get the gone with the wind part she really really wanted. so to make her happy the producers gave her a civil war background movie. she gets to play the evil old maid who really has a nice heart. decent but not great .
the old maid [ 1939 ]: urltoken bette davis, miriam hopkins, george brent, donald crisp, jane bryan, louise fazenda, james stephenson, jerome cowan, william lundigan, cecilia loftus, hal b. wallis, edmund goulding: dvd & blu - ray
the film was nominated for five academy awards, winning one for best costume design .
warner bros. (1939) (united states) (theatrical) (as warner bros. pictures inc. )
the pairing of the battling divas generated so much heat that four years later the two women once again starred together in old acquaintance, a film in which they played rival authors .
the film received positive reviews and elicited mixed responses over the davis / crawford combination. in his review in the
the film grossed $ 9 million at the worldwide box office and over $ 4 million in theatrical rentals .
certificate in 1988 which means no - one under 18 years of age could view the film .
hopkins believed (wrongly, it seems) that davis had had an affair with her husband, director anatol litvak, who a year earlier had directed davis in the film the sisters. (actually, davis and litvak had an affair a year after the old maid. by that time he was divorced from hopkins. )
the film was nominated for five academy awards, winning one for best costume design, black and white .
the two best films in the lot are the old maid and the great lie, two unabashed weepies directed by edmund goulding. (who' s the subject of an upcoming q & a on alt film guide .) miriam hopkins steals the show in the former, while mary astor, as a major bitch, does the same in the latter. (for her efforts, astor won a best supporting actress academy award .) davis, who was never very convincing when playing “nice, ” is particularly bad in the old maid. (and to think there' s so much suffering because of george brent … )
the old maid. (1939) dir. edmund goulding. from the play by zoe akins; screenplay writing credits zoe akins and casey robinson. starring bette davis as charlotte lovell, miriam hopkins as delia lovell ralston, george brent as clem spender, donald crisp as doctor lanskell, and jane bryan as tina. (vhs, dvd; shown on turner classic movies )
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans. it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
been looking for this film for years. fantastic. no bette davis fan should be without it .
after thoroughly enjoying old acquaintance, which teamed bette davis with miriam hopkins, i was keen to see their earlier film together, the old maid. i’d seen this movie described somewhere as a “soap opera”, but i think that’s very misleading. in fact, it is an adaptation of a stage play based on a novella by edith wharton, in her collection old new york. while it does have elements of melodrama, it also has complicated characters, painted in shades of grey, neither impossibly good nor impossibly bad .
whether zoe akins' s
the old maid
was a good play, as the pulitzer prize committee said in 1935, or an indifferent one, as moat of the drama critics insisted, is of less consequence today than the... view full article in timesmachine »
the two film reviews that will be required of you this term have a twofold purpose: they will help to supplement the class' s range of reference to the era we study, and they will give you practice in writing concisely and thoroughly about film .
baum moved to hollywood in 1910, just as the film industry was getting started there. he went on to co - found the oz film manufacturing company to make movies based on his books for which he still held the film rights. he and his partners built a studio and in 1914 turned out a handful of silent films, but the elaborate productions were ahead of their time and failed to find a wide audience. the company shut down the following year. one of baum’s sons co - wrote a “wizard of oz” adaptation that made it to the big screen in 1925. the cast included oliver hardy (who became half of the comedy duo laurel and hardy) as the tin man; however, the film was panned by critics. it wasn’t until mgm’s 1939 production that “oz” found cinematic success. baum’s widow, maud, attended the film’s hollywood premiere at grauman’s chinese theatre that august .
the six films are the old maid (1939), all this and heaven too (1940), the great lie (1941), in this our life (1942), watch on the rhine (1943), and deception (1946). a couple of those are remarkably good films, and all of them offer solid production values and various good - to - great performances – though davis' own work ranges from passable to awful .
strange wives (1935), dir. richard thorpe. (lost film [ marshall, 22 ] )
all in all, i think this is a wonderful film, with fine performances by both davis and hopkins. inevitably, it loses some of the subtlety of wharton’s novella and changes some of the motivations, but i think the film and the book are both masterpieces in different ways .
i had seen bette davis and miriam hopkins in this 1939 adaption of wharton' s the old maid, years ago and loved it. over the years of watching classic movies, i have recently just started to read the
book based on
with relished enjoyment. even though i know the ending and storyline of these stories, it does not stop me from the genius of the author' s unadulterated meaning. so when i knew next to nothing of wharton, bette davis was the perfect charlotte and hopkins was the underhanded cousin del
: 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 ...
( 1939). based on the edith wharton novel, it starred davis and miriam hopkins as cousins in love with same man, fighting over the custody (and love) of one cousin' s illegitimate daughter .
in this film, delia lovell marries james ralston, leaving her old beau clem spender out in the cold. delia' s cousin charlotte comforts clem by spending the night with him. charlotte becomes pregnant, secretly farming out her daughter tina to another family .
this list collects every film from the starting list that became they shoot pictures don' t they' s 1000 greatest films. this…
hopkins stars as the beautiful, spoilt delia lovell, with davis as her cousin, charlotte, who is somewhat under her shadow and later becomes the embittered “old maid” of the film’s title. davis originally wanted to play both main female roles but in a way she is already playing two parts, since charlotte later in the film is so different from the lively young girl in the opening scenes. i’m glad the dual role was decided against, since there is so much chemistry between her and hopkins. watching the two portray lifelong friends, it’s hard to believe that they disliked one another so much in real life .
davies is not really a traditional old maid: the pictures explodes this stereotype, for she has had a lover, chance at marriage and child. yet we are to believe this was a frustration that ruines her whole life. _ tertium non est _ .
originally serialized in the red book magazine in 1922, the old maid is an examination of class and society as only edith wharton could undertake. the story follows the life of tina, a young woman caught between the mother who adopted her—the beautiful, upstanding delia—and her true mother, her plain, unmarried “aunt” charlotte, who gave tina up to provide her with a socia
the lady' s maid' s bell (television, 1983). shown as part of the mystery! series (granada television / wgbh). [ marshall, 23 ]
based on an edith wharton novel and pulitzer prize - winning play, the old maid tells the sad story of charlotte, a woman whose circumstances force her to give up her illegitimate child and pose as the child' s “old maid” aunt, thereby facing a lifetime of maternal sacrifice. as charlotte, bette davis gives one of her most nuanced performances, aging from wide - eyed girl to gray - haired martinet. miriam hopkins provides effective counterbalance with her portrayal of charlotte' s effusive cousin, who raises the little girl. two women, one child – and a brilliant example of melodrama as art .
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. delia lovell ralston: well, after all, darling, there isn' t anything important to say to her now. she has every attribute of a modern successful woman - she' s healthy, she' s young, she' s gay, she' s attractive... see more »
another point of contention: while the old maid was in pre - production, davis had lobbied to play the roles of both delia and charlotte. (actually, that would have been a far more interesting movie than the one they ended up with .) no doubt hopkins knew all this going into the project and carried a chip on her shoulder .
hopkins was also paranoid about being the older woman in this relationship. in the film’s opening scenes she was required to play a woman in her early 20s. at the time hopkins was 38 .
you know, 1939 was a good year for bette as an actress. she starred in four great films for warner brothers: “dark victory”, “juarez”, “the old maid”, and “the private lives of elizabeth and essex. ” her star status is reflected in that year for she played queen elizabeth the first, a dying heiress, an emperor' s wife, and a woman who gives up her? child for another to raise. most actresses would be honored to play those kind of roles in their careers; but bette played them all in one year .
currently, only available in the
bette davis
six disc slimline box set, which contains :
the old maid
,
all this, and heaven too
,
the great lie
,
in this our life
,
watch on the rhine
, and
deception (1946 )
. this is identical to the r1 release
the bette davis collection, vol. 3
.
began shooting in march of 1939. the real fly in the ointment was davis' female costar - the first time since becoming a star that she' d had to share the screen with another woman. playing cousin delia was the brilliant, savannah - born actress miriam hopkins, who had earned praise on broadway and in such films as
taking advantage of a 32 film bette davis film collection on filmstruck by taking in several i' d not yet seen. set during the civil war era, this is a tale of unrequited love, jealousy and people not being honest or straightforward with one another, leading to years of suffering spinsterhood .
the music video to shakespear' s sister' s 1991 single
goodbye cruel world
parodies the film (along with sunset boulevard) and features a short dialogue scene at the start with siobhan fahey in the jane role and marcella detroit in the blanche role .
i had seen bette davis and miriam hopkins in this 1939 adaption of wharton' s the old maid, years ago and loved it. over the years of watching classic movies, i have recently just started to read the
book based on
with relished enjoyment. even though i know the ending and storyline of these stories, it does not stop me from the genius of the author' s unadulterated meaning. so when i knew next to nothing of wharton, bette davis was the perfect charlotte and hopkins was the underhanded cousin delia. in reading the novella, the insights and interactions of the females had more of a tragic feeling. i felt sorry for both women but charlotte' s lot was heart wrenching. wharton shows us what is given up in that old new york society. in the movie it is almost basically the same story but with some changes that in the long run are not that different than the main point, it is well worth seeing what a brilliant actress davis was. another wonderful wharton read !
,
the old maid
is also a treat because it features a few of the same characters. granny mingott is here, a young married woman defying convention already, and so is sillerton jackson, ever the gossip. charlotte and delia hail from the lovell family, which was also the family of may welland and ellen olenska. while these connections are not blatant, they do add a level of fun to the story. given wharton had recently won the pulitzer for
old friends kit marlowe and millie drake adopt contrasting lifestyles: kit is a single, critically acclaimed author while married millie writes popular pulp novels .
clem, little clementine’s papa, died fighting for the union. anyway, clementine’s heritage is charlotte’s most closely guarded secret. the only other person who knows the truth is delia, now a rich widow. delia has charlotte and clementine come live with her, and clementine grows up thinking that delia is her adopted mother and that charlotte, a bitter old maid, is her aunt .
a batman villain who first appeared in an episode of batman: the animated series is inspired by this film. the villain, baby doll, is a former child actor who has since become insane .
forget the film, watch the titles from the submarinechannel. on submarinechannel, we love a good main title. that’s why we started this online collection in 1997 of the most stunning and original film title sequences. some are engaging and wildly entertaining, some are funny, exhilarating or simply deadly beautiful. some are oozing with visual treats, while others hit you hard with their bold and audacious style .
( 1942): melodrama then and now. in: chapman j. , glancy m. , harper s. (eds) the new film history. palgrave macmillan, london
the film is referenced in the simpsons episode
smart and smarter
, in the scene featuring lisa' s nightmare of her pushing a wheelchair - using maggie down the stairs; in another episode, comic book guy remarks that agnes skinner is baby jane .
in the last tycoon, which premieres july 28, beals’s margo negotiates her own deals and rides roughshod over directors, demanding they show her their genitals before she’ll shoot a frame of film. she also has a secret: she’s passing for white—with her black mother by her side, masquerading as her maid—much as oberon’s mother, charlotte selby, did when the actress lived in england .
check out the list of new film studies books and dvds acquired at temple libraries in march. some highlights: the paley reference collection is now home to harrison’s reports and film reviews. this 15 volume set reprints the film reviews and some editorials originally published by p. s. harrison in harrison’s reports, 1919 - 1962, with some corrections. harrison’s reports was a weekly sent out to independent exhibitors. the reviews and editorials were directed toward independent theater owners to assist them with booking. articles in harrison’s take positions on a variety of the concerns of cinema distributors and exhibitors ranging from topics such as censorship to the advent of 3d. a large number of scripts now appear in the library catalog now that we’ve uploaded records for the scripts that are available in the full text online database american film scripts online. there are currently 823 scripts in the database, ranging from 1903 to 2006 .
.
the old maid
is simple, but, as with all of wharton' s stories, only superficially: charlotte gives up her child into the custody of her cousin, delia, so that her daughter' s reputation may be preserved. yet, beneath this simple plot is an intricate look at sex, love, and, as always, social customs, particularly restrictions and punishments leveled at women. to avoid spoliers, i won' t go into details about plot points, but i will say that
the old maid
has a rather strange and creepily incestuous element to the basic conflict - - one that becomes evident only after some thoughtful reflection. the characters are well drawn, and the narration is beautiful as always - and hilarious! there was one passage in particular that made me laugh out loud :
lillian hellman' s 1941 stage hit (adapted by dashiell hammett) retains its emotional and intellectual power in this suspenseful movie awarded the new york film critics 1943 best picture prize, and lauded as “a distinguished film, full of sense, power and beauty” by the ny times. the praiseworthy film about standing up for what is right, at all odds, stars paul lukas repeating his broadway triumph as kurt muller, a german underground leader who arrives with his family in washington, dc and soon finds the tentacles of nazi terror have a very long reach. lukas' passionate performance earned him an oscar, beating out humphrey bogart in casablanca and gary cooper in for whom the bell tolls. bette davis, who took on the film because she believed in its importance, portrays muller' s wife with ringing integrity. lucile watson as a socialite whose complacency is “shaken out of the magnolias” and george colouris as a shady blackmailer also memorably reprise their stage roles. the film was nominated for 3 academy awards, including best picture .
currently, only available in
the bette davis collection, vol. 3
six disc slimline box set, which contains :
the old maid
,
all this, and heaven too
,
the great lie
,
in this our life
,
watch on the rhine
, and
deception (1946 )
. standalone copies appear to emanate from this boxset. also coded for r2, r3, r4 .
the age of innocence (1923; silent). dir. wesley ruggles. screenplay by olga printzlau. starring beverly bayne as ellen olenska. (lost film [ marshall, 21 ] )
announcing the launch of the interactive documentary by roderick coover: voyage into the unknown .
once i’d seen the movie for the first time, i got hold of wharton’s novella and read it and then watched the film again. if anything, i was even more impressed the second time round. there are some changes to wharton’s plot, notably moving the story to the period of the american civil war and stepping up the character of clem spender, played by george brent – but to me the portrayal of the two central women seems essentially true to the original story .
the book is about wealthy women in new york constrained by class, family and rigid gender roles. their lives are lonely. friendship is nonexistent in this story, and the women must rely on husbands or family members. ties with children who marry and remain in the city seem to end, too, as new families begin their closed lives. one woman offers to keep a cousin' s secret for her own selfish reasons. she eventually becomes a widow and the cousin is
the old maid
of the title. ultimately, the two ra
i can' t believe i never read this one before! it' s short and only one of four novellas that wharton eventually published together as old new york: four novellas .
the old maid
is simple, but, as with all of wharton' s stories, only superficially: charlotte gives up her child into the custody of her cousin, delia, so that her daughter' s reputation may be preserved. yet, beneath this simple plot is an intricate look at sex, love, and, as always, social customs, particularly restrictions and punish
in the video game bioshock, one model of the enemies encountered by the hero is known as the baby jane .
awarded the film four stars, calling it
star wars, trenchantly served
and adding ,
if it sometimes looks like a poisonous senior citizen show with over - the - top spoiled ham, just try to look away... as in the best
a synopsis: a zero - sum game is played by two female cousins; a young woman is blissfully unaware of her puppet strings. the rules of the game :
in some variants, all players discard after the dealer has drawn. the objective of the game is to continue to take cards, discarding pairs, until all players except one have no cards. that one player will be left with the lone unmatchable card; they are' stuck with the old maid' and lose .
a certain kind of style: wharton makes a luscious cake with her wor
temple university cinematheque presents pier paolo pasolini birthday tribute thursday, march 5, 5: 30 pm tuttleman learning center room 101 teorema 1968, 98 min, color, italian with english subtitles a seductive stranger insinuates himself into the life of a bourgeois family in this mysterious allegoric tale adapted from pasolini’s own novel. starring terence stamp (billy budd, the collector, the limey) and silvana mangano (winner 1968 venice film festival). with music by ennio morricone. preceded by a brief introduction to the life and work of the writer - director who would have been 87 years old this thursday. * * this film will be a dvd projected onto a big screen .
the film' s success led to the birth of the
psycho - biddy
sub - genre of horror / thriller films featuring psychotic older women, among them aldrich' s hush... hush, sweet charlotte and what ever happened to aunt alice? .
originally serialized in the red book magazine in 1922, the old maid is an examination of class and society as only edith wharton could undertake. the story follows the life of tina, a young woman caught between the mother who adopted her—the beautiful, upstanding delia—and her true mother, her plain, unmarried “aunt” charlotte, who gave tina up to provide her with a socially acceptable life. the three women live quietly together until tina’s wedding day, when delia’s and charlotte’s hidden jealousies rush to the surface. says roxana robinson in her introduction, “wharton weaves her golden, fine - meshed net about her characters with inexorable precision. ” this modern library paperback classic is set from the text of the original magazine publication .
i really liked both this movie and old acquaintance and i always thought “what could have been” knowing the way davis and hopkins felt about each other if miriam hopkins had been cast in the joan crawford role in whatever happened to baby jane? ! just imagine the fireworks. great post .
was one of the great films - - a financial and critical success - - in a very impressive year in film history. so much so that davis and hopkins were given a rematch at warner brothers, as battling authors in
the later part of the film shows charlotte as the “old maid”, watching tina, now grown up and played by jane bryan, like a hawk. she fears that tina will make the same mistake she made, ie having sex before marriage – and so she is strict and fierce with her, constantly harping on about how tina is a poor relation and shouldn’t put herself forward, in a bullying way that at times recalls mrs norris in mansfield park. by contrast, delia is still full of joy in life and wants to make all tina’s dreams come true, working things out so that she needn’t be a poor relation and can marry the man she loves. the ironies build up endlessly, and there are many twists which bring out the different characters of the two women – and show how different charlotte could have been if she hadn’t been forced into a corner .
bette davis is at the height of her phenomenal screen career, with co - star charles boyer in their only film together. the plot is rich in mystery and grand emotion; a powerful period drama honored with three 1940 academy award nominations, including best picture .
is wharton' s last great work and that everything after it is worthless; i even remember seeing a call for papers about it for mla about eight or nine years ago. i thought it was a stupid claim then as a little grad student, and i think it' s even more stupid now after reading
the old maid .
this story is brilliant proves ol' edith was still at the top her game in 1924. i can' t wait to read the rest of this collection !
in christina aguilera' s music video for
ain' t no other man
, released in 2006 on her album back to basics, she plays her alter ego ,
baby jane
, in reference to the film .
the raven - haired, brown - eyed stunner, probably best known for playing cathy opposite laurence olivier’s heathcliff in the 1939 classic wuthering heights, spent her life hiding her biracial identity, “passing” for white. like oberon, margo likely fears that the truth about her heritage will torpedo her career during a time when racial prejudice was rampant, and silver - screen faces were lily - white, save for a black servant or two .
the house of mirth (1918; silent). dir. albert capellani; screenplay by albert capellani and june mathis. starring katherine corri harris as lily bart and henry kolker as lawrence selden. (lost film [ marshall, 21 ] )
in desperation, she confides in delia, who is sympathetic but also jealous when she realises that clem is the child’s father. delia gets charlotte’s marriage broken off at the last minute, falsely telling joe that charlotte is ill with a recurrence of her lung disease and should not marry anyone. in the novella, this is mainly because delia is so conventional in her views and believes it is unthinkable that a woman who has already had a child should marry without telling her husband. however, the film plays up the element of sexual jealousy, making it appear that delia partly gets the marriage broken off to punish charlotte for having had sex with clem. surprisingly, i think this has the effect of making delia’s action more clearly wrong - headed in the film, made under the code, than in wharton’s book. the film seems to signal clearly that charlotte should be allowed to marry joe – and even suggests that he would probably accept her if he knew about her daughter .
dorothy wore silver shoes in baum’s story, but for the technicolor film judy garland sported ruby red slippers because it was believed they’d stand out better against the yellow brick road. several pairs of the now - legendary pumps were used during the 1939 production; after filming wrapped they went into storage on mgm’s culver city, california, lot and were forgotten. the shoes were unearthed in 1970 during preparations for an auction of mgm costumes and props. four authentic pairs are known to exist today: one pair was auctioned off then donated to the smithsonian in 1979, while another pair sold at auction in 2000 for $ 666, 000. in 2012, actor leonardo dicaprio was the main benefactor behind the purchase of a pair for the academy of motion picture arts & sciences. also in the movie but not the original book: “toto, i’ve a feeling we’re not in kansas anymore. ” one of the most famous quotes associated with the land of oz, it was dreamed up by hollywood screenwriter noel langley, not baum .
happily, though, both actresses came out winners. davis gives one of her more restrained and tragic performances as the bitter old
aunt ,
her stillness accentuating her eyes and her voice. hopkins, in turn, shines as the selfish, terrified woman who steals the love of her cousin' s child .
the old maid
is quintessential edith wharton - - it takes place in gilded age new york city, in the genteel upper crust where human passions are hidden under lace and gilt. and despite its length, this novella is a passionate one, focusing on two women whose ordinary, pleasant lives are disrupted by a secret they both share. delia ralston has the
perfect
life - - a dependable husband, two children, and a lovely expensive home. but then her cousin charlotte (newly engaged to delia' s cousin - in - la
based on louis verneuil' s 1928 play jealousy, the film tells the story of pianist christine radcliffe separated from her great love, cellist karel novak by world war ii. unexpectedly reunited with him, christine desperately strives to hide her wartime dalliance as the mistress of a wealthy, sadistic composer (rains), with devastating results .
i' ve really enjoyed digging into
old new york
wharton - style. my favorite is probably the house of mirth, but each of her stories i' ve read recently were enjoyable albeit a little depressing (some more than others) .
the success of the first “oz” book led baum to produce sequels, but he grew tired of the magical place he’d devised and tried to end the series with his sixth book, “the emerald city of oz, ” in which dorothy takes aunt em and uncle henry to reside permanently in oz. however, by the time the book was published, in 1910, its author was facing serious financial problems due in part to his heavy investment in “the fairylogue and radio - plays, ” an expensive, short - lived traveling show in which baum narrated silent - film clips of his famous characters, while accompanied by an orchestra and stage actors. baum filed for bankruptcy in 1911 and signed away the film rights to “the wonderful wizard of oz” to help pay off his debts. still in need of money, he resumed writing about the land of oz, and “the patchwork girl of oz, ” his seventh novel in the series, debuted in 1913 .
the book is about wealthy women in new york constrained by class, family and rigid gender roles. their lives are lonely. friendship is nonexistent in this story, and the women must rely on husbands or family members. ties with children who marry and remain in the city seem to end, too, as new families begin their closed lives. one woman offers to keep a cousin' s secret for her own selfish reasons. she eventually becomes a widow and the cousin is
the old maid
of the title. ultimately, the two raise a child together, but do not make decisions well together. society forces most choices on them, and naturally, the child prefers the happier of the two women. the act of helping a cousin, though for selfish reasons, unfolds into numerous acts of selflessness - a rare case of where the end might justify the means, likely limited to this time period. it may take years, yet some people do grow into parenting .
written march 26, 2015 4 stars - classic tidily, thoughtful, touching, and so very beautifully told a classics $ 1. 95 audiobook
daily deal
on urltoken this week. an unabridged 2: 45 hrs novella wonderfully pleasant narrated by eleanor bron. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * the old maid is a classic old edith wharton (1862 - 1937) novella first published 1922. a quite melancholic tale about the life and struggles among wealthy women in new york city' s fashionable society ,
mayor hartsfield urged every atlanta woman and maid to put on hoop skirts and pantalets, appealed to every atlanta male to don tight trousers and a beaver, sprout a goatee, sideburns and kentucky colonel whiskers. he also requested citizens not to tear off the clothes of visiting movie stars, as happened in kansas at the premiere of dodge city .
oberon’s career took off after a move to london at age 17, when english director alexander korda cast her in a small but pivotal role as anne boleyn in the private life of henry viii in 1933. the film’s success led to leading - lady status, and films including the scarlet pimpernel, the dark angel —for which she was oscar - nominated— that uncertain feeling, and a song to remember .
, crawford triumphantly pushed her way past davis saying
step aside !
, and swept onstage to pick up the trophy. davis later commented ,
it would have meant a million more dollars to our film if i had won. joan was thrilled i hadn' t .
check out highlights from some of the best recent trailers including mandy, the predator, zoe, and the king of thieves .
last week the cinema event for which the u. s. has palpitated for three years took place in atlanta, ga. the premiere of gone with the wind .
the glimpses of the moon (1923; silent). dir. allan dwan. screenplay by edfrid a. bingham and e. lloyd sheldon. starring bebe daniels as susan branch, david powell as nick lansing, nita naldi as ursula gillow, and maurice costello as fred gillow. (lost film [ marshall, 21 ] )
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 .
“in the old new york of the ‘fifties a few families ruled, in simplicity and affluence. of these were the ralstons. the sturdy english and the rubicund and heavier dutch had mingled to produce a prosperous, prudent and yet lavish society. to “do things handsomely” had always been a fundamental principle in this cautious world, built up on the fortunes of bankers, india merchants, ship - builders and ship - chandlers. those well - fed slow - moving people, who seemed irritable and dyspeptic to european e
so this is essentially a short story. it took me an hour and a half to read it. it was really good though. the two main characters are women, who have to navigate the world of social propriety, pregnancy, motherhood, and spinsterhood in an effort to live as best they can in an unforgiving society (especially towards women) while still maintaining what they care for most. the back and forth emotions between jealousy and compassion, gratitude and bitterness are incredible and so human. because this is a quick read—and because it is eye - opening—i would recommend people take some time to try out edith wharton by reading the old maid. she is a canonized american writer, and this is a good introduction to her .
excellent davis - hopkins, in a kind of mash - up of the great lie and to each his own. molly haskell has a trenchant section of her book from reverence to rape: the treatment of women in the movies that mentions the old maid as one of a list of films depicting maternal zeal and obsession with children :
like all obsessions, this one betrays a fear of its opposite, of a hatred so intense that it must be disguised as love... the only way to express this hostility is through a noble inversion: the art of sacrifice, of giving them up
( see pp. 168 - 171). does viewing the movie through this lens lessen the effectiveness of its melodramatic pathos? i don' t think so, but it' s food for thought. (on a minor note, can someone please explain to me the appeal of george brent? i just don' t get it. what a stiff. )
jane arrives back and finds blanche talking to him. blanche abruptly gets off the phone, and jane beats her senseless, kicking her in the head and stomach. disguising her voice as her sister’s, jane picks up the phone and calls the doctor back. she tells him not to come because “jane” has found another doctor. then jane drags her sister to her room, ties her up by her arms, gags her and leaves her there. the next day, elvira arrives to work. jane tells her that her services are no longer needed and dismisses her. suspicious, elvira sneaks into the house when jane leaves. as the maid enters the room and finds blanche bound and gagged, jane hits her on the head with a hammer and kills her. then she puts the body in her car and disposes of it. the police call the house and tell jane that a relative of her maid has reported her missing. she tells them that she hasn’t seen her for a week. jane prepares to leave with her sister, fearing the police will discover what she’s done. suddenly, edwin shows up to receive his first payment. blanche is able to knock something down in her room and edwin goes up and sees the condition she’s in. she begs for help, and edwin runs out of the house to get the police. desperate, jane puts her sister in the car and drives to the beach. the next morning, the search is on for them. elvira’s body has been found and there are bulletins on the radio. blanche, starved and dehydrated, is lying on the sand with jane sitting beside her .
i liked this book. it was the second edith wharton book i read. it was really great and i own an old first edition copy and it was the only copy i have ever been able to find of it. i would like to own an updated copy so i can loan it out. so well written and depressing. i loved it. .
the actor and his son chomp down on some cones during the 1960 olympic games in rome .
in 2000, one episode of the wb' s popular parodied the rat dinner scene twice; the first time, sam mcpherson portrayed jane and the second time, brooke mcqueen portrayed jane .
the women (1939), 132 minutes, d: george cukor with an all - woman, all - star cast of more than 125 strong - minded women, based clare boothe' s (luce) play. a satirical comedy / drama full of biting and snappy wit, fast dialogue, and superb performances from a great cast. the complex story line about matrimony and the struggles between men and women was full of twists and diversions, almost unimportant. one of the socialite women mary haines (norma shearer) learned that her husband was having an affair with an amoral perfume sales clerk chrystal allen (joan crawford). she sought a quickie divorce with a six - week stay in reno, where she ultimately learned that her husband stephen wasn' t that fond of chrystal, and so she plotted to get him back. the cast of women engaged in cat - fighting and bitching, vicious gossip and cattiness, husband - stealing, and back - stabbing, while the film provided insight into female bonding and the role of women in society .
this is a somewhat convoluted story of wealthier women in
old new york
and the nature of the lives they lead. it might surprise many people to learn that i have not read any of the brontes or austen (hasn' t everyone ?); i rather imagine that wharton can be grouped with them. being such a short book helped with the stilted formality of the prose and still permitted me to enjoy its period flavor. likely, a good introduction to wharton' s bigger, major works .
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the house used for the exterior of the hudson mansion is located at 172 south mccadden place in the hancock park section of los angeles. other residential exteriors show cottages on delongpre ave. near harvard ave. in hollywood without their current gated courtyards. the final scene on the beach was shot in malibu, reportedly the same site where aldrich filmed the final scene of kiss me deadly (1955) .
). not even director aldrich could stop the fighting, which escalated in the coming months. at
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sorted boxes in my attic recently and came across my long - missing set of edith wharton' s old new york novellas, including this one. the binding of the set, published in the early' 20' s, is navy, glossy and striated like grosgrain ribbon - - such a pleasure to the touch. i quickly re - read this one, my favorite of the series, and was once again blown away. the passions, mistakes, choices regretted but not countered - - all so human, all displayed so powerfully on a backdrop of crystal, lace and stern
love affair (1939), 87 minutes, d: leo mccarey a romantic comedy / soap opera, remade years later (by the same director) with cary grant and deborah kerr as an affair to remember (1957). this was leo mccarey' s first version of the' weepie' tale. also remade as love affair (1994) starring real - life couple warren beatty and annette bening. not to be confused with columbia' s love affair (1932) with humphrey bogart. a traveling couple, playboy artist michael marnet (charles boyer) and nightclub singer terry mckay (irene dunne), each engaged to others who were wealthier, met on board a transatlantic voyage and began a shipboard romance. they vowed to rendezvous again six months later on their return to the us atop the empire state building, to test their love. on the way to the meeting, terry had an automobile accident and was reluctant to reveal her paralysis. she missed their meeting, and he assumed that she had been married in the meantime, although they were reunited again by chance at film' s end.
the old maid is a 1939 american drama film directed by edmund goulding . the screenplay by casey robinson is based on the 1935 pulitzer prize-winning play of the same name by zoë akins , which was adapted from the 1924 edith wharton novella the old maid : the fifties ( taken from the collection of novellas old new york ) . 
the old maid is a 1939 american drama film directed by edmund goulding. the screenplay by casey robinson is based on the 1935 pulitzer prize-winning play of the same name by zoë akins, which was adapted from the 1924 edith wharton novella the old maid: the fifties (taken from the collection of novellas old new york).
the old maid is a 1939 american drama film directed by edmund goulding. the screenplay by casey robinson is based on the 1935 pulitzer prize-winning play of the same name by zoë akins, which was adapted from the 1924 edith wharton novella the old maid: the fifties (taken from the collection of novellas old new york).