This Pulitzer PRizE-winning comedy-drama by novelist Zona Gale, adapted from her novel of the same name, was the most acclaimed of several stage adaptations Gale crafted from her literary works. The simultaneously touching and satiric portrait of Midwestern small town life focuses on "old maid" Lulu, who is teased into participating in a mock wedding ceremony. When the "fake" marriage is found to be legal, Lulu awkwardly embarks on a honeymoon with her husband, Ninian, only to return unexpectedly after she learns that he is already married. Public dissatisfaction prompted Gale to rewrite and substitute an alternate ending after the show had opened in which Lulu and Ninian are reunited. Produced by Brock Pemberton at the Belmont Theatre, Miss Lulu Bett ran for 198 performances beginning on 27 December 1920. A silent motion picture version appeared in 1921.
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.