Barbara Stanwyck is “Stella Dallas”

Stella Dallas (1937) is an American drama film directed by King Vidor and starring Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, and Anne Shirley. Other members of the cast include Barbara O’Neil, Alan Hale, Marjorie Main, and Tim Holt. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Olive Higgins Prouty.

Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, young Stella Martin (Stanwyck) manages to catch the eye of Stephen Dallas (John Boles), a well-bred business executive. The two fall in love and marry. For a time they’re happy, but after the birth of their daughter, Laurel (Anne Shirley), the marriage begins to deteriorate. Stella wants to dance and rub elbows with the upper-class folks at the country club. Stephen expects his wife to be content to stay at home with their child, a much quieter existence than the life Stella desires. They eventually divorce, with Stella having the main custody of Laurel. Stella is determined to give her daughter the things she never had, but when Stephen begins a new relationship, Stella feels her closeness with Laurel slipping away. Always putting her daughter’s happiness above her own, Stella faces a choice no mother should have to make.

Stanwyck received the first of her four Best Actress Oscar nominations for her role as Stella. Stanwyck was so determined to get the part that she submitted to a screen test—something unheard of for a star of her caliber. She convinced the director (King Vidor) and the producer (Samuel Goldwyn) that she could be convincing as a mother, especially as the character ages into midlife.

Anne Shirley, who turned 18 during the filming of Stella Dallas had this to say about Stanwyck: “She was prepared to the very top of her ability. Dialogue learned perfectly. Hair, clothes, energy ready.”

King Vidor (1894 - 1982) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter whose career successfully spanned the silent and sound era. His most famous and successful film from the silent era was The Big Parade (1925) starring John Gilbert. In the sound era, he directed Northwest Passage (1940), Comrade X (1940), and Duel in the Sun (1946). Considered an actor’s director, Wallace Berry, Robert Donat, Barbara Stanwyck, Jennifer Jones, Anne Shirley, and Lillian Gish all received Academy Award nominations under Vidor’s direction.

Barbara Stanwyck (1907 – 1990) was an American film star who got her acting start with a supporting role on Broadway in a play called The Noose (1926). The next year she had the lead in another Broadway production, Burlesque which was a huge hit. She eventually made it to Hollywood where her success was not immediate. Director Frank Capra saw something in Stanwyck and he educated her in filmmaking and film acting and the rest is history. Stanwyck was nominated four times for the Best Actress Oscar—Stella Dallas (1937), Ball of Fire (1941), Double Indemnity (1945), Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)—and remains one of the most beloved movie stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age.

John Boles (1895 – 1969) was an actor and singer and a star of both silent and sound films. Boles is probably best known for playing Victor Moritz in Frankenstein (1931). Once sound pictures emerged, he starred in several popular musicals. He starred opposite Irene Dunne in Back Street (1932) and The Age of Innocence (1934). He starred with Shirley Temple in Curly Top and The Littlest Rebel both released in 1935. Once his film career ended, Boles went into the oil business.

Anne Shirley, John Boles, and Barbara Stanwyck

Anne Shirley (1993) began acting in silent movies when she was only four years old. She started out as Dawn O’Day, but when she portrayed Lucy Maud Montgomery’s heroine Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables, she took that name for her own. Shirley progressed from child star to adult roles; she was one of many actresses who tested for the role of Melanie Hamilton in Gone With The Wind, eventually losing out to Olivia de Havilland. Her last starring role was in Murder, My Sweet (1944). After completing that film, she retired from acting at the age of 26. Shirley was married three times. Her first husband was the actor John Payne.

Stella Dallas trivia

• The movie’s popularity spanned a radio series that lasted for 18 years.
• For her role, Stanwyck bleached her hair and wore padding to appear heavier later in the film.
• Samuel Goldwyn wanted Ruth Chatterton to play Stella, but she turned it down.
• Barbara O’Neil made her screen debut in the film and received encouragement from Stanwyck. O’Neil said Stanwyck was “a marvelous, warm-hearted person…”

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube

Click HERE for to join the online discussion on July 8, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. Was Stanwyck convincing in the role of Stella? Was she worthy of the Best Actress nomination?
2. Did the mother-daughter relationship between Stella and Laurel ring true?
3. What did you think of John Boles?  Could he have been more understanding of  his young wife?
4. Anne Shirley was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Did she give an Oscar-worthy performance?
5. The Best Actress Academy Award competition was pretty stiff the year Stanwyck was nominated. The other actresses in contention were Greta Garbo in Camille (co-starring Robert Taylor who was married to Stanwyck), Irene Dunne in The Awful Truth, Janet Gaynor in A Star is Born, the winner was Luise Rainer in The Good Earth. Did the Academy get it right?

Walter Huston is the Devil and Edward Arnold is Daniel Webster in "The Devil and Daniel Webster"

The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) is a film fantasy based on the short story by Stephen Vincent Benet by the same name. The film was directed by William Dieterle and starred an all-star cast featuring Walter Huston, Edward Arnold, James Craig, Anne Shirley, Jane Darwell, Simone Simon, Gene Lockhart, John Qualen, and H. B. Warner.

In New Hampshire in 1840, Jabez Stone (Craig), a poor farmer, is beset with hard times and bad luck. At the end of his rope, he says that he would sell his soul to the devil for two cents. Before you know it, a man calling himself Mr. Scratch appears. Scratch tells Jabez if he sells his soul, he will have seven years of good luck and prosperity. Jabez tempted by wealth and an easier life, signs a contract with scratch.

After several years, things change for Jabez. He becomes one of the wealthiest men in his village and his success never ends. During this time, he becomes friends with Daniel Webster (Arnold), the celebrated congressman, lawyer, and speaker. He and his wife Mary (Shirley) have a son and name him Daniel in honor of Mr. Webster.

As the seven years end, Jabez tries to negotiate with Scratch to extend their contract. In the meantime, Jabez’s marriage begins to crumble and Scratch knows he has the upper hand. Scratch agrees to extend the contract in exchange for Jabez’s son. Jabez refuses and turns to Webster to help him get out of his bargain with the Devil.

What transpires is an amazing court case featuring some of the most notorious historical figures as the jury.

How will the trial turn out? Will Jazez be set free from the clutches of Mr. Scratch or will he be forced to honor his original contract?

Edward Arnold, James Craig, and Walter Huston 

William Dieterle (1893 – 1972) was a German-born actor and film director. Dieterle emigrated to the United States in 1930 and acted in German-language films made in Hollywood for a time. He eventually worked his way up to director. He directed the 1935 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream starring James Cagney, Joe E. Brown, Dick Powell, and an 18-year-old Olivia de Havilland. Dieterle directed Paul Muni to a Best Actor win for his title role in The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936). He directed Muni again in another biographical film, The Life of Emile Zola (1937). The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Joseph Schildkraut, and Best Screenplay. Dieterle lost the award for Best Director to Leo McCarey. This was Dieterle’s one and only Oscar nomination. His other films include Juarez (1939), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), Dr. Ehrlich’s Magin Bullet (1940), and A Dispatch from Reuters (1940).

 

The Devil and Daniel Webster trivia

• The was released as All That Money Can Buy so it wouldn’t be confused with The Devil and Miss Jones, also released in 1941.
• Bernard Herrmann won an Academy Award for his scoring of the film. He was also nominated for the film score of Citizen Kane that same year.
• Robert Wise (The Sound of Music), who would later go on to direct, was the editor of the film.
• Thomas Mitchell was originally cast as Daniel Webster but had to be replaced due to an accident on the set that resulted in a fractured skull.
• Anne Shirley said that everyone involved in the production believed they were making a great film.

James Craig and Anne Shirley

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

 

Click HERE to join the discussion online on February 19, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. Walter Huston was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. Do you think he deserved it? What did you think of his performance?
2. Was Edward Arnold as Daniel Webster a good match for Huston’s Mr. Scratch?
3. What about the other cast members? The cast includes some very well-known character actors. Do you have a favorite?
4. The film was praised for its production values when it was first released. Does it hold up in the 21^st century?
5. The film score won an Academy Award for Bernard Herrmann. Do you think the score added to the mood of the film? 
6. Although the film was met with rave reviews when it was released, the public didn’t show up at the box office. Why do you think the film wasn’t a financial success?

Screening of "Stella Dallas" at Daystar Center March 11

“Stanwyck on State Street” Film Series: Stella Dallas (1937)
Where: The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street, Chicago, IL
When: March 11, 2017
Time: 6:45 p.m.
Hosted by Stephen Reginald


Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, young Stella Martin (Stanwyck) manages to catch the eye of Stephen Dallas (John Boles), a well-bred business executive. The two fall in love and marry. For a time they’re happy, but after the birth of their daughter, Laurel (Anne Shirley), the marriage begins to deteriorate. Stella wants to go out dancing and rub elbows with the upper-class folks at the country club. Stephen expects his wife to be content to stay at home with their child, a much quieter existence than the life Stella desires. They eventually divorce, with Stella having the main custody of Laurel. Stella is determined to give her daughter the things she never had, but when Stephen begins a new relationship, Stella feels her closeness with Laurel slipping away. Always putting her daughter’s happiness above her own, Stella faces a choice no mother should have to make.

Barbara Stanwyck and Marjorie Main in Stella Dallas

Stanwyck received the first of her four Best Actress Oscar nominations for her role as Stella. Stanwyck was so determined to get the part that she submitted to a screen test—something unheard of for a star of her caliber. She convinced the director (King Vidor) and the producer (Samuel Goldwyn) that she could be convincing as a mother, especially as the character ages into midlife. The supporting cast includes Marjorie Main, Barbara O’Neil, and a very young Tim Holt.

Anne Shirley, who turned 18 during the filming of Stella Dallas had this to say about Stanwyck: “She was prepared to the very top of her ability. Dialogue learned perfectly. Hair, clothes, energy ready.”

This film is part of the “Stanwyck on State Street” series.

Check out the introduction to Stella Dallas by Robert Osborne and Drew Barrymore.

Have some Joe and Enjoy the Show!

You can bring food and beverages into the auditorium; we even have small tables set up next to some of the seats. General Admission: $5 Students and Senior Citizens: $3.

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion

Twice a month we screen classic films and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.

Stephen Reginald is a freelance writer and editor. He has worked at various positions within the publishing industry for over 25 years. Most recently he was executive editor for McGraw-Hill’s The Learning Group Division. A long-time amateur student of film, Reginald hosts “Chicago Film Club,” a monthly movie event held in the South Loop, for the past two years. Reginald has also taught several adult education film classes at Facets Film School, Chicago.

Looking for more "Stanwyck on State Street?" Look for The Mad Miss Manton to screen on April 1. This screwball comedy paired Stanwyck and Henry Fonda for the first time. They made a total of three movies together: The Mad Miss Manton (1938), The Lady Eve, and You Were Meant for Me (both 1942).

Murder, My Sweet: 3rd Film in “High Heels and Fedoras” series at Daystar Center April 9, 2013

Tuesday, April 9, 2013
6:30 p.m.
The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center
1550 S. State Street


Murder, My Sweet, based on the novel by Raymond Chandler, was released in 1944, a few months after another noir classic, Double Indemnity. It was popular with audiences and critics alike. It transformed Dick Powell from a pretty-boy singer into a film noir icon. It also provided a great femme fatale role for Claire Trevor, one of Hollywood’s most versatile and talented actresses. For Anne Shirley, who was acting in the movies since she was four years old, her portrayal of Ann Grayle would mark her last film role.

Powell was probably the only actor in Hollywood who actively campaigned to play Walter Neff in Double Indemnity. Most of his contemporaries were afraid to play a murderer, but Powell was desperate to reinvent himself.

As a contract player at Warner Brothers, Powell was cast in musicals often costarring tap dancer Ruby Keeler and his first wife Joan Blondell. With his pretty-boy looks and tenor voice, Powell was a matinee idol during the early to mid-1930s. As the 1940s began, Powell thought he was too old to continue playing young romantic leads.

Powell  starred in movie musicals
during the 1930s.

Although he didn’t get the Walter Neff role, Powell did secure a contract with RKO where they were developing a B-movie based on Raymond Chandler’s detective novel, Farewell, My Lovely. When Powell and Trevor signed on as leads, the budget increased, turning it into an A-picture. Audiences and critics loved Powell’s portrayal of detective Philip Marlowe. Powell was now a successful dramatic actor. His reinvention was complete. Here’s what the New York Times said of Powell: “This is a new type of character for Mr. Powell. And while he may lack the steely coldness and cynicism of a Humphrey Bogart, Mr. Powell need not offer any apologies. He has definitely stepped out of the song-and-dance, pretty-boy league with this performance.”

Murder, My Sweet made Powell a bankable star once again. It also gave Trevor one of the best roles in her long movie career. For director, Edward Dmytryk, it raised his profile at RKO. He was given more A-movies to direct, including the Academy Award nominated Crossfire (1947). Dmytryk would go on to direct the epic Raintree County (1957), The Young Lions (1958), and the all-star The Carpetbaggers (1964), which was the highest grossing film that year.

To purchase tickets for the March 12 screening, click here. Tickets are $5 per person general admission $3 for students and seniors. To download a flyer to post in your building or office, click here. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

Anne Shirley (center) in Anne of Green Gables

Backstory: Anne Shirley began acting in silent movies when she was only four years old. She started out as Dawn O’Day, but when she portrayed Lucy Maud Montgomery’s heroine Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables, she took that name for her own. Shirley progressed from child star to adult roles; she was one of many actresses who tested for the role of Melanie Hamilton in Gone With The Wind, eventually losing out to Olivia de Havilland.

She met and married her second husband, Adrian Scott, who produced Murder, My Sweet.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Classic Movie Man!

The Classic Movie Man is thankful for everyone who stops by!

Anne Shirley wishes one and all a Happy Thanksgiving!