The Old Maid (1939)

Hannah Jones

The Old Maid stars Bette Davis as Charlotte, cousin to Delia (Hopkins) whose 1861 wedding day opens the movie. Delia learns that the man she promised herself to, Clem, has come back to pursue his engagement, only too late. Delia tells Clem that she will wed Jim Ralston instead. Charlotte pursues Clem on Delia’s wedding day, and the two become engaged. Clem goes off to war, but does not return, leaving Charlotte with a child conceived out of wedlock; she passes the child off as a foundling in order that no one will know of her premarital encounter. On her wedding day, Charlotte tells Delia that Clementina is actually her child, and fears that her intention to keep the child will keep Joe Ralston from marrying her. Delia is angered that Charlotte had a child with the man she still loves, and ruins Charlotte’s wedding by telling Joe that Charlotte is sick and will never be able to bear children. Charlotte never marries, but moves into Delia’s house with her after Jim dies in an accident. Ashamed, Charlotte never tells Tina that she is her mother and allows Delia to stand in as her mother instead (since Delia’s wealth can support Tina better). Charlotte grows bitter having to pretend that Tina is not her own and treats Tina as a severe aunt is supposed to treat a child, which creates animosity between them. Charlotte agrees for Tina to be adopted by Delia so that Delia can have a good name and a portion of the Ralston fortune in order to marry Lanning, her sweetheart. Charlotte remains an old maid, but Delia tells Tina that Charlotte gave up marriage in order to keep Tina, so Tina has a new respect for Charlotte by the movie’s end.

This movie should have a label—Warning: Premarital sex ruins a woman forever. The taint of premarital sex haunts Charlotte through the form of Tina. Tina is an “independent” child, vain and confident. Viewers are of Charlotte’s mind in thinking that the curse of premarital sex may have passed from Charlotte to Tina. Thankfully, Charlotte’s sacrifice of motherhood and marital bliss saves her daughter, allowing Tina to bear the name of the chaste Delia. The title of the movie only reinforces the moral lesson—premarital sex can make even Bette Davis haggard, old before her time and ugly. Delia, chastity’s spokeswoman, is onboard with the patriarchal standards which fear women’s sexuality and ruins Charlotte’s chance at happiness. Rather than supporting Charlotte, she agrees that a tainted woman must not marry and does everything in her power to see that she is not made happy, even allowing for Tina to fawn over her as her darling mother. It seems that woman’s sexuality is just as scary in this 1939 film as it was when it was set, just after the Civil War. One might pursue this film to compare it to the treatment of the female in 1930’s films if that is a topic of interest. Observe:

Pre-Sex Post Sex