I Found Stella Parish (1935)

A theatrical star abruptly leaves England to escape her secret past, while a newspaper reporter follows her trail to America to get the scoop.

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Casey Robinson (screen play), John Monk Saunders (story "The Judas Tree")

Stars:

Kay Francis, Ian Hunter, Paul Lukas

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Kay Francis	...	Stella Parish
Ian Hunter	...	Keith Lockridge
Paul Lukas	...	Stephan Norman
Sybil Jason	...	Gloria Parish
Jessie Ralph	...	Nana
Barton MacLane	...	Clifton Jeffords
Eddie Acuff	...	Dimmie
Joe Sawyer	...	Chuck (as Joseph Sawyer)
Walter Kingsford	...	Reeves
Harry Beresford	...	James
Robert Strange	...	Jed Duffy

Storyline

Stella Parish, star of the London stage, keeps her private life a secret. After an opening night triumph, her mysterious past catches up with her and she vanishes before the after-party. When Ms. Parish doesn't show up, Keith Lockridge, an ace newspaper reporter, at first assumes it to be a publicity stunt. But producer Stephan Norman receives word that Stella is leaving the country. Lockridge is able to track Stella to a ship bound for America, where she is traveling under a false name and wearing a disguise. Aboard the ship Lockridge befriends Stella and her young daughter Gloria. In New York he becomes very close to Stella (now without the disguise) and Gloria, all the while digging up the details of Stella's sordid past. Stella confesses her love for Lockridge after he's already wired his story to his newspaper. With the truth out in the open, Stella sends Gloria to be raised abroad while she exploits her notorious reputation onstage. Sorry for the mess he's made, Lockridge does ...

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Plot Keywords:

show within a show | male female relationship | secret | unrequited love | new york city | 

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Taglines:

A GLORIOUS ROMANCE THAT FLAMED WITH BRILLIANT INTENSITY! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

There was a widely held belief that young man in a wig and period costume appearing in a scene with Kay Francis in "I Found Stella Parish" was a young Errol Flynn. As reported by Rudy Behlmer in the March 1970 issue of "Films in Review" the writer and his collaborators, Clifford McCarthy and Tony Thomas concluded that the Flynn lookalike is actually Ralph Bushman (a.k.a. Francis X. Bushman Jr.)

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Quotes

Stephen Norman: But this isn't *like* her.
Keith Lockridge: Nothing's like anyone till after they've done it.

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Connections

Referenced in Movies on Sundays (1935)

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Soundtracks

The Pig and the Cow (and the Dog and Cat)
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Al Dubin
Played by Kay Francis on the piano
Sung by Sybil Jason

User Reviews

hard to take

This is a badly dated melodrama about an actress whose dark past is revealed by a conniving reporter. Kay Francis is luminous, but she can't play trash. When Stella gets tough and starts on her downward trend, Kay, with her patrician beauty and educated accent, can't do it. A very talky movie, supposedly set in England, but the atmosphere and language aren't very British.

Apparently the play she appears in has something to do with Caligula - trust me, it's no starmaking play or performance. It was fun to see that the play actually had an orchestra, a reminder of the old days when "straight plays" were really huge events.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Judas Tree

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

First National Pictures, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1