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44-542: Zoe Byrd Akins (October 30, 1886 – October 29, 1958) was an American playwright, poet, and author. She won the 1935 Pulitzer Prize for drama for The Old Maid . Zoe Byrd Akins was born in Humansville, Missouri , second of three children of Thomas Jasper and Sarah Elizabeth Green Akins. Her family was heavily involved with the Missouri Republican Party , and for several years her father served as

88-515: A Saint Dominican nobleman and Général commissaire in the Artillery in the colony of Saint-Domingue —now Haiti —and Marie-Cessette Dumas , an African woman enslaved by the Marquis. Their son Thomas-Alexandre Dumas became a high-ranking general of Revolutionary France . In 1844, Dumas moved to Saint-Germain-en-Laye , near Paris, to live with his father. There he met Marie Duplessis ,

132-560: A dressmaker , and novelist Alexandre Dumas . In 1831 his father legally recognized him and ensured that the young Dumas received the best education possible at the Institution Goubaux and the Collège Bourbon . At that time, the law allowed the elder Dumas to take the child away from his mother. Her agony inspired the younger Dumas to write about tragic female characters. In almost all of his writings, he emphasized

176-408: A Word for Them ), 1938 (as Three Blind Mice ), and 1953 ( How to Marry a Millionaire ). Two highlights of this period were the films Sarah and Son (1930) and Morning Glory (1933), the latter remade as Stage Struck . Both films earned their respective female leads ( Ruth Chatterton and Katharine Hepburn ) Academy Award nominations for Best Actress (Hepburn won). Akins did not pursue

220-401: A screenwriting career beyond her early successes. In 1932, she married Hugo Rumbold (in the last year of his life) and, after several Hollywood films, she returned to writing plays and spending time with her family. She was rumored to be in a long-term relationship with Jobyna Howland until Howland's death in 1936. According to Anita Loos, the two squabbled often, "But such gibes actually held

264-555: A well-known playwright and author of classic works such as The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo . Dumas fils was admitted to the Académie française (French Academy) in 1874 and awarded the Légion d'honneur (Legion of Honour) in 1894. Dumas was born in Paris, France, the illegitimate child of Marie-Laure-Catherine Labay  [ ru ] (1794–1868),

308-513: A young courtesan who would be the inspiration for the character Marguerite Gauthier in his romantic novel La Dame aux camélias ( The Lady of the Camellias ). Adapted into a play, it was titled Camille in English and became the basis for Verdi's 1853 opera, La traviata , Duplessis undergoing yet another name change, this time to Violetta Valéry. Although he admitted that he had done

352-513: Is for the best. When the others leave, Dr. Lanskell confronts Delia with her lie. She says she'll adopt Tina, but the doctor persuades her not to separate Charlotte and Tina. Instead, Delia will convince her husband to buy a house for Chatty and Tina to live together. Act III The first scene occurs in 1853, again at the Ralston drawing-room. James Ralston died twelve years previously, so Charlotte and Tina now live with Delia, whose own daughter Dee

396-535: Is married to John Halsey. Delia, Dee, Tina, John, and Lanning Halsey are singing in the parlor (off-stage). Dr. Lanskell sits with Charlotte, who complains Delia is spoiling Tina. Tina still has no idea that Charlotte is her real mother, which is how Charlotte wants it. When the others join them in the drawing-room (on stage), Charlotte scolds Tina for being late to a party, but Tina and Lanning poke fun at her severity. The second scene opens later that evening, with just Delia and Charlotte. Charlotte confronts her cousin over

440-477: Is shy, responding only to Delia, which alarms Charlotte. After the others leave, Joseph tries to persuade Charlotte to leave running the day-nursery to someone else. He is afraid for her health, remembering she spent a year in the South to recoup from illness. Act II Later that same evening in the drawing room at Delia Ralston's home, Charlotte tells Delia the wedding is off because Joseph wants to separate her from

484-453: Is very beautiful, but I couldn't think of its people as anything but dainty puppets". During April 1935 The Theatre Club, Inc. awarded its annual Gold Medal for Best Play to The Old Maid . The club's members voted on the award, as they had been doing since 1925-1926, and by "an overwhelming majority" the Akins play won. There was near unanimity among drama critics that the best play of

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528-573: The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. The Old Maid (play) The original production was produced by Harry Moses, staged by Guthrie McClintic , had sets and costumes by Stewart Chaney, and starred Judith Anderson and Helen Menken . It played on Broadway from January through September 1935, then went on tour for seven months. Despite reviews that ranged from mild praise to negative at its inception,

572-627: The Empire Theatre "The Misses Menken and Anderson went into a little dance of jubilation in the wings". It also sparked immediate protest. Former Pulitzer Jury member Clayton Hamilton was quoted in the Daily News as having told the Associated Press : "The characters were created by Miss Wharton; the atmosphere was created by Miss Wharton; and the emotions and sentiments were worked out by Miss Wharton. They neglected to observe

616-831: The adaptation because he needed the money, he had great success with the play, which started his career as a dramatist. He was not only more renowned than his father during his lifetime, but also dominated the serious French stage for most of the second half of the 19th century. After this, he virtually abandoned writing novels, though his semi-autobiographical Affaire Clémenceau (1866) achieved some solid success. On 31 December 1864, in Moscow, Dumas married Nadezhda von Knorring  [ ru ] (1826–April 1895), daughter of Johan Reinhold von Knorring and widow of Alexander Grigorievich Narishkin. The couple had two daughters: Marie-Alexandrine-Henriette "Colette" Dumas  [ fr ] (born 20 November 1860), who married Maurice Lippmann and

660-459: The award. He placed The Old Maid at tenth on a list of eleven, with 40 to 1 odds. However, by early May the consensus had swung to The Old Maid , in expectation that The Children's Hour would be nobbled, and because of the Gold Medal awarded by The Theatre Club. The decision was announced at an evening banquet on May 6, 1935. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that when word reached

704-434: The carriage to depart for her honeymoon. Tina is startled at the request; she seems to be wondering about her old maid Aunt Chatty. But she promises Delia to do so as the play ends. Wharton's novella began in 1840, with Delia already married, the mother of two children, and Charlotte's impending wedding to Joseph Ralston a week away. The novella is written from Delia's viewpoint; her thoughts and inner emotions are revealed to

748-421: The dampened spirit of the holiday crowd. Kanour also delivered a low blow: "The costars were handicapped in the beginning as are all mature actresses who try to take the parts of young women". A journalist for a Baltimore newspaper reported Judith Anderson arriving for an interview "waving a script" and saying "New scene for tonight". The exact date of this script addition and its content were not reported, but

792-474: The day-nursery children were created for the play. Zoë Akins adapted the play from Edith Wharton's 1924 novella during 1934; it was copyright that year to both women. There is no public record of Edith Wharton commenting on Akins' adaption of her novella. By October 17, 1934, producer Harry Moses had acquired the play and had signed Helen Menken for one of the leads. By the end of November 1934 Judith Anderson and director Guthrie McClintic had been signed, with

836-435: The day-nursery. She confesses that Clementina is her own daughter. Delia is sympathetic until she learns that Clem Spender is the father. Charlotte pleads for her help, but Delia says she will do what she thinks best. She sends Charlotte away, then joins Dr. Lanskell, Mrs. Mingott, James, and Joseph. She tells them that Charlotte cannot marry Joseph because her illness has returned. Joseph is distraught, but James persuades him it

880-447: The end of its one week tryout there. The critics held their reviews until January 8, 1935 when they normally would have appeared and were candid about the performance date and location they attended. Brooks Atkinson praised Judith Anderson's performance and Stewart Chaney's sets, but little else about the production. He was severe with Helen Menken's interpretation of the spinster, and damned Guthrie McClintic's direction by saying "on

924-545: The film rights to The Old Maid had been sold for $ 40,000 to Paramount, with the stipulation the film could not be released until after the original production's tour had finished. However, it would be three years after the tour ended before Warner Brothers, rather than Paramount, released the film, starring Bette Davis as Charlotte and Miriam Hopkins as Delia. Synopsis source Citations Alexandre Dumas, fils Alexandre Dumas fils ( French: [alɛksɑ̃dʁ dymɑ fis] ; 27 July 1824 – 27 November 1895)

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968-440: The films are now believed to be lost. In 1930, Akins had another great success with her play, The Greeks Had a Word for It , a comedy about three models in search of rich husbands In the early 1930s, Akins became more active in film, writing several screenplays as well as continuing to sell the rights to plays such as The Greeks Had a Word for It (1930), which was adapted for the movies three times, in 1932 (as The Greeks Had

1012-454: The finest American play of this year, The Children's Hour ." Akins' reply to Hamilton, according to The New York Times , was to remind him he had voted for Marc Connelly 's The Green Pastures , a 1930 adaption of Ol' Man Adam an' His Chillun by Roark Bradford . The New York Times offered a detailed explanation of how the Pulitzer voting had gone, saying that The Children's Hour

1056-589: The interview was published in an evening newspaper on the last day of the Baltimore tryout. The Old Maid premiered on January 7, 1935 at the Empire Theatre . However, this was also the premiere for another major play, The Petrified Forest . To ensure his production got media attention, producer Harry Moses invited the New York critics down to Baltimore to view The Old Maid on January 5, 1938, at

1100-638: The key to their devotion." She was the great-aunt of actress Laurie Metcalf . She lived for a short time in Morrisonville, Illinois . In 1935, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her dramatization of Edith Wharton 's The Old Maid , a melodrama set in New York City and written in five episodes stretching across time from 1839 to 1854. The play was adapted for a 1939 film starring Bette Davis . In 1936, Akins co-wrote

1144-511: The moral purpose of literature; in his play The Illegitimate Son (1858) he espoused the belief that if a man fathers an illegitimate child, then he has an obligation to legitimize the child and marry the woman (see Illegitimacy in fiction ). At boarding schools, he was constantly taunted by his classmates because of his family situation. These issues profoundly influenced his thoughts, behaviour, and writing. Dumas' paternal great-grandparents were Marquis Alexandre-Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie,

1188-490: The opening scheduled for the Empire Theatre on New Year's Eve. However, a week later that premiere date had slipped to January 7, 1935. Stewart Chaney had been hired to design sets and costumes for the production by December 17, 1934. Many of the supporting and featured cast were still being engaged at the same time. The play's first performance was on December 31, 1934 at the Maryland Theatre in Baltimore. It

1232-521: The play and the response was perfect." He had high praise for the virtuosity of both leads: "Playing together their timing of scenes, their delicate treatment of what might be easily slurred into the common hokum of the sentimental drama, their intelligent respect for each other and each other's talent, gives a finer balance to the play than co-stars usually contribute." Arthur Pollock had a more nuanced appreciation for Zoë Akins' adaption. He felt she had been too respectful of Edith Wharton's phrasing, that

1276-441: The play was awarded the 1935 Pulitzer Prize for Drama , a decision marked by controversy over the snubbing of Lillian Hellman 's The Children's Hour . It has never had a revival on Broadway. It was adapted for a motion picture under the same name in 1939. Leads Supporting Featured Off stage The play as published has a program fascimile from the premiere that shows a different timeline from later programs, though

1320-444: The play would have been stronger if she had been more willing to tear down and rebuild: "But, so considerate has Zoe Akins been of Edith Wharton and her novel that, in order to let nothing of the original author disappear, she permits her play to be stiff and, in its mechanics, old-fashioned." Pollock had high praise for both stars, saying of Anderson and Menken they "play with a rare sensitiveness and tender dexterity", but concluded "It

1364-406: The reader. The play however, leans towards Charlotte in stage presence. In the novella, Joseph and James Ralston were second cousins, not brothers. Delia's son is not mentioned in the play. Mrs. Mingott was mentioned a few times in the novella, but was not present in the action. The novella has no scenes of other children taunting Clementina in the day-nursery. The characters of Nora, Jennie Meade, and

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1408-461: The romance between Tina and Lanning, which Delia is encouraging. The two women argue forcefully over the past and what's best for Tina. Delia finally begins to comprehend Charlotte's true concern for her daughter. The final scene occurs in June 1854, the night before Tina's marriage to Lanning Halsey. Delia tells Tina, that after the ceremony, be sure to kiss Charlotte the last of all, before she enters

1452-546: The screenplay for Camille , adapted from Alexandre Dumas 's play and novel, La dame aux camélias The film starred Greta Garbo , Robert Taylor , and Lionel Barrymore , and earned Garbo her third Oscar nomination. Akins died in her sleep on the eve of her 72nd birthday, in 1958, in Los Angeles. She is buried in San Gabriel District Cemetery. Akins archives is held in the collection of

1496-484: The season was The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman, but there was also widespread feeling it would be blocked from the award by either the Pulitzer committee itself or the Trustees that oversaw the awards. What was not expected at first was that the play chosen would be The Old Maid . In early April Sam Zolotow of The New York Times had estimated odds for each of the top plays that might be under consideration for

1540-518: The state party chairman. Through her mother, Akins was related George Washington and Duff Green . Her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri when Akins was in her early teens. She was sent to Monticello Seminary in Godfrey, Illinois for her education and later Hosmer Hall preparatory school in St. Louis. While at Hosmer Hall she was a classmate of poet Sara Teasdale , both graduating with the class of 1903. It

1584-425: The surface... it was soothing to the eye". He concluded with " The Old Maid ought to be a masterpiece. This reviewer cannot pretend to know exactly why it is a good deal less than that. Probably neither the play not the performance is wholly blameless". Burns Mantle was more in sympathy with the play; revealing he saw it at a Saturday matinee in Baltimore, he pointed out that "the audience was as heavily feminine as

1628-524: The time intervals between scenes are the same. This article follows the timeline as shown in the published play, but uses conventional acts and scenes in place of episodes. Act I The play opens in 1833, with Delia in her room at her parents' home in New York City, just before her wedding to Jim Ralston. Charlotte brings her a gift from Clem Spender, who has returned from Italy for the wedding. Chatty chides Delia for not having waited longer for Clem, who still loves her. Delia asks Chatty to take care of Clem at

1672-535: The wedding reception. The second scene opens in 1839 at the day-nursery. Some poorly dressed children are taunting Clementina for living with a Negro family. Charlotte stops them and sends them home. Bridget takes Tina away for her supper, while Charlotte offers Jennie Meade work in the day-nursery since she has been dismissed from her position. Dr. Lanskell arrives, bringing Mrs. Mingott, just arrived from Paris. Delia, James, and Joseph arrive as well. Mrs. Mingott asks to see Charlotte's waifs, but only Tina remains. Tina

1716-510: Was a French author and playwright, best known for the romantic novel La Dame aux Camélias ( The Lady of the Camellias , usually titled Camille in English-language versions), published in 1848, which was adapted into Giuseppe Verdi 's 1853 opera La traviata ( The Fallen Woman ), as well as numerous stage and film productions. Dumas fils ( French for "son") was the son of Alexandre Dumas père ("father"), also

1760-701: Was an inauspicious date for this work's opening, for "It clashed with the holiday mood of the audience" according to reviewer Donald Kirkley. He explained why: "...there is scarcely a spark of humor in the whole piece; its moods are mostly dark, sour, bitter". Kirkely also thought the stars' acting uneven, but even worse that the authors failed to make Charlotte's troubles seem important. Gilbert Kanour from The Evening Sun said Akins' adaption from Wharton's The Old Maid had "literate dignity" but "the drama she tried to ignite from those pages merely spluttered and refused to burn". "The story seemed impotent and lacked theatrical warmth" he continued, and like Kirkley, remarked on

1804-590: Was at Monticello Seminary that Akins wrote her first play, a parody of a Greek tragedy. Following graduation Akins began writing a series of plays, poetry and criticism for various magazines and newspapers as well as occasional acting roles in St. Louis area theatre productions. Her first major dramatic work was Papa , written in 1914. The comedy failed even though it greatly impressed both H.L. Mencken and George Jean Nathan , and she continued to write. She followed up with two other plays, The Magical City and Déclassée . The latter play, which starred Ethel Barrymore ,

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1848-631: Was considered, but lost out for having a "poor conclusion" (third act). It also said the Pulitzer jury ( John Erskine , William Lyon Phelps , and Stark Young ) had recommended four plays to the Columbia University trustees: The Old Maid , Valley Forge , Merrily We Roll Along , and Personal Appearance . The play closed at the Empire Theatre on September 28, 1935. It then started touring at Philadelphia on September 30, 1935 and finished up at Wilmington, Delaware on April 29, 1936. The New York Times reported on July 23, 1935 that

1892-403: Was not only a great success but "something of a sensation, and her days of waiting were over." During this time several of her early plays were adapted for the screen. These adaptations were mostly failures, released as silent films in a time when the industry was transitioning to sound. While some "talkie" stars had notable roles in the films ( Walter Pidgeon and a young Clark Gable ), most of

1936-492: Was the mother of Serge Napoléon Lippmann (1886–1975) and Auguste Alexandre Lippmann (1881–1960); and Jeanine Dumas (3 May 1867–1943), who married Ernest Lecourt d'Hauterive (1864–1957), son of George Lecourt d'Hauterive and his wife, Léontine de Leusse. After Nadezhda's death, Dumas married Henriette Régnier de La Brière (1851–1934) in June 1895, without issue. In 1874, he was admitted to the Académie française and in 1894 he

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