Zoe Akins
Writer · Died October 29, 1958, aged 72 · Humansville, Missouri, USA
Zoë Akins (October 30, 1886 – October 29, 1958) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright, poet, and author. In the early 1930s, she became more active in film, writing several screenplays as well as licensing minor adaptations of her work—such as The Greeks Had a Word for It which was adapted twice, in 1932 (as The Greeks Had a Word for Them) and 1938 (as Three Blind Mice) – neither was a hit. Two highlights of this period are the films Sarah and Son (1930) and Morning Glory (1933), the latter film remade as Stage Struck. While both films earned their respective female leads (Ruth Chatterton and Katharine Hepburn) Academy Award nominations, neither was enough to launch her career. She finally received recognition in 1935 when 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. A film version of The Old Maid followed in 1939, starring Bette Davis. She also adapted the Alexandre Dumas novel, La dame aux camélias, into the film Camille in 1936. The film starred Greta Garbo, Robert Taylor, and Lionel Barrymore, and earned Garbo her third Oscar nomination. To her surprise, she was thrust into notoriety again in 1953, when Jean Negulesco directed an adaptation of The Greeks Had a Word for It. The film, titled How to Marry a Millionaire, became a box office sensation and helped launch the career of its star, Marilyn Monroe. Monroe's role in the Akins' play helped the rising star become a cultural icon, and encouraged Akins to pursue a short stint as a writer for several television variety programs. From Wikipedia
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Biography from TMDB.
- October 20, 1886
- October 29, 1958 (aged 72)
- Humansville, Missouri, USA
- Writer
- 10 on MovieCove · 34 credits in all
What are Zoe Akins' films like?
Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 9
A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 2 · Dark 3
Grounded 5 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 6 · Intense 2
Steady 7 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 3
Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 6 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 2
Resolved 9 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy5
- Bittersweet3
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Zoe Akins' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Zoe Akins' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
34 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page.
The Sad Horse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Stage Struck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
The Day I Met Caruso (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
The Bitter Waters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Matinee Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Screen Director's Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Desire Me(1947)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
The Old Maid(1939)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Zaza (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
The Toy Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Conquest(1937)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Camille(1936)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Accused (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Lady of Secrets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
My Man Godfrey(1936)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Outcast Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Riptide(1934)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Morning Glory(1933)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Christopher Strong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Working Girls(1931)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Girls About Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Once a Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Women Love Once (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
The Right to Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
A Whole Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
Anybody's Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
Ladies Love Brutes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
Sarah and Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
Her Private Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
Eve's Secret (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
Déclassé (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
Daddy's Gone A-Hunting (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
Career shape
A full career of 32 titles from 1925 to 1959.
Biggest box office
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
Highest rated
My Man Godfrey (1936)
Most popular right now
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Zoe Akins' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th2
Shape of the crowd
None of their 10 titles divides audiences: 5 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser5
- Broadly Agreed3
Reviewers score the dialogue 61/100 and the plot and story 46/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Zoe Akins work with?
People who share at least 2 of Zoe Akins' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Herbert Stothart shares the most, 4.
Directors
- George CukorShared titles: Desire Me (1947), Camille (1936)See all 2 shared titles with George Cukor
- Edmund GouldingShared titles: The Old Maid (1939), Riptide (1934)See all 2 shared titles with Edmund Goulding
- Lowell ShermanShared titles: Morning Glory (1933), The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932)See all 2 shared titles with Lowell Sherman
Writers
- Casey RobinsonShared titles: Desire Me (1947), The Old Maid (1939)See all 2 shared titles with Casey Robinson
- Carey WilsonShared titles: Conquest (1937), Camille (1936)See all 2 shared titles with Carey Wilson
Actors
- Betty GrableShared titles: How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932)See all 2 shared titles with Betty Grable
- William PowellShared titles: How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), My Man Godfrey (1936)See all 2 shared titles with William Powell
- Greta GarboShared titles: Conquest (1937), Camille (1936)See all 2 shared titles with Greta Garbo
- Geneva MitchellShared titles: Morning Glory (1933), Working Girls (1931)See all 2 shared titles with Geneva Mitchell
Composers and cinematographers
- Herbert StothartShared titles: Desire Me (1947), Conquest (1937), Camille (1936), Riptide (1934)See all 4 shared titles with Herbert Stothart
- Alfred NewmanShared titles: How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932)See all 2 shared titles with Alfred Newman
- Max SteinerShared titles: The Old Maid (1939), Morning Glory (1933)See all 2 shared titles with Max Steiner
- Karl FreundShared titles: Conquest (1937), Camille (1936)See all 2 shared titles with Karl Freund
Producers
- Bernard H. HymanShared titles: Conquest (1937), Camille (1936)See all 2 shared titles with Bernard H. Hyman
- Irving ThalbergShared titles: Camille (1936), Riptide (1934)See all 2 shared titles with Irving Thalberg
