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IMDb > Stella Dallas (1937)

Stella Dallas (1937) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   1,205 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
King Vidor
Writers:
Olive Higgins Prouty (novel)
Harry Wagstaff Gribble (dramatisation) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Stella Dallas on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 August 1937 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
Sure - I like a good time! more
Plot:
Working-class Stella Martin marries high-end Stephen Dallas and soon they have a daughter named Laurel... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. more
User Comments:
In one word: Heartbreaking more

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Barbara Stanwyck ... Stella Martin 'Stell' Dallas
John Boles ... Stephen Dallas
Anne Shirley ... Laurel 'Lollie' Dallas
Barbara O'Neil ... Helen Morrison Dallas
Alan Hale ... Ed Munn
Marjorie Main ... Mrs. Martin
George Walcott ... Charlie Martin
Ann Shoemaker ... Miss Margaret Phillibrown

Tim Holt ... Richard 'Dick' Grosvenor III
Nella Walker ... Mrs. Grosvenor
Bruce Satterlee ... Cornelius 'Con' Morrison
Jimmy Butler ... Cornelius 'Con' Morrison (grown up)
Jack Egger ... John Morrison
Dickie Jones ... Lee Morrison
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Additional Details

Runtime:
106 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #3558)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The play version written by Harry Wagstaff Gribble and Gertrude Purcell had no Broadway, New York run. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Stephen Dallas is first seen in his office, he's typing a letter. You can see that his fingers type several different keys, spaced out on the keyboard (probably in the middle of the middle rows), before he lowers his hands and stops typing to read. Then when he reads, you see that his letter ends with ---. It's not possible for him to have typed --- using the keys he was striking before he lowered his hands. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Susan Slept Here (1954) more
Soundtrack:
Smiles more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful:-
In one word: Heartbreaking, 25 June 2005
8/10
Author: FilmOtaku (ssampon@hotmail.com) from Milwaukee, WI

The story of Stella Dallas has been told a couple of times, and the theme of the selfless mother who will do anything, even hurt their children's feelings in order to make a better life for them is not an uncommon one, but one of the first times it was done, and perhaps one of the most effective films of this nature is King Vidor's 1937 weepy "Stella Dallas", starring Barbara Stanwyck in the title role. Stella is a lower-class young woman who catches the eye of local businessman Stephen Dallas, a former playboy who has lost his fortune, but not his good breeding and society status. Stella and Stephen fall in love marry and have a daughter, Laurel. Regardless of her marriage and eventual wealth, Stella is resistant to changing her character, something that upsets Stephen and eventually leads to their separation. As a single mother, Stella devotes her life to Laurel who grows into a beautiful and charming 13 year old (played by Anne Shirley). Living on an allowance provided by Stephen, Stella manages to make ends meet and still give Laurel a decent life. Laurel still visits her father every year, and has an excellent relationship with him, a relationship that seems to intensify when Stephen starts seeing an old flame of his, a newly widowed woman with three boys of her own. When Stella sees that not only do they make a beautiful family together, but that Stephen can provide a life she feels Laurel deserves, a life of society and privilege, she pretends to dismiss Laurel as a burden, causing Laurel to flee to her father's house and to a new life, without her mother.

"Stella Dallas" is definitely a four-hankie film of the highest caliber, and the character of Stella was tailor made for Stanwyck, who earned an Oscar nomination for her work. There is honestly not a lot to comment about in terms of its merits; it is just simply a damn good film with an equally good story and a great actress who manages to pull off the role without resulting to the maudlin or the mundane. Anyone who appreciates having a little bawl session with their drama should definitely see this film; it is a "chick flick" with a world of class. 8/10 --Shelly

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Message Boards

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Stanwyck Should Have Won the Oscar countrygirltori
Ending (Spoilers) sueannstepanek
I couldn't stand Lollie lauraeileen894
Stanwyck as Stella Dallas dahfu
Barbara Stanwyck icarus_04
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