Old Maid, The

Old Maid, The (1935), a play by Zoë Akins. [Empire Theatre, 305 perf.; Pulitzer Prize.] When Charlotte Lovell ( Helen Menken) has an illegitimate daughter, her married cousin, Delia Ralston ( Judith Anderson), agrees to raise her as her own. Delia also prevents Charlotte from marrying her brother‐in‐law. Years later, Charlotte has moved in with her cousin; and the child, Tina ( Margaret Anderson), has grown into an attractive woman who loves her supposed mother and has little time for her prim, dour maiden aunt. At Tina's wedding to rich Lanning Halsey ( John Cromwell), Charlotte decides to reveal the true story, but finds she cannot summon up the courage to do so. Understanding her agony, Delia quietly tells Tina to give her last kiss to Cousin Charlotte. Based on Edith Wharton's novel, the play divided New York's critics. But their division turned to unity in their dismay at the play's being awarded the Pulitzer Prize. This dissatisfaction, coupled with the Pulitzer committee's bypassing Winterset the next season, led to the establishment of the New York Drama Critics Circle and its own award.