The story begins in 1919 in Massachusetts, where Stella Martin (Barbara Stanwyck) lives with her blue-collar family. The daughter of one of the local mill-hands, Stella is definitely a girl from the "other side of the tracks." After reading in the society section of the newspaper about the broken engagement of the mill's advertising manager, the very blue-blooded Steven Dallas (John Boles), Stella sets her cap for the man, and in due time, she has not only met him, but has married him. Though the two come from completely different backgrounds, Steven assures Stella that he likes her just the way she is.
Within a year of their marriage, the Dallases have welcomed a baby girl, Laurel (also called Lolly), into their family, and while Stella adores her daughter, she also wants to have fun. Against Steven's wishes, Stella begins spending time with Ed Munn (Alan Hale), a man of quite unrefined behavior. Steven doesn't approve of Ed, and he tells Stella so, but, thinking he's just being a snobby stick-in-the-mud, she has no intention of severing the friendship. When Steven's job transfers him to New York, Stella refuses to go with him, thus beginning several years of a long-distance marriage.
The years go by, and Laurel (now played by Anne Shirley) grows up. She sees her father, who continues to live and work in New York, on vacations. While Lolly and her father are close, Stella's bond with her daughter is even greater. Stella adores Laurel/Lolly, and the girl is equally devoted to her.
Through the years, Stella has continued to hang around with Ed Munn, and her association with the man ultimately gives her an unsavory reputation, which negatively affects Lolly.
Eventually, Stella begins to feel that Lolly would be better off with Steven...especially because he has recently married a kind, financially stable widow. Believing that Steven and his new wife, Helen (Barbara O'Neil), will be able to provide the kind of secure, respectable life Lolly needs to garner for herself a place in society, Stella puts into motion a plan which will require every ounce of strength she possesses. How it all plays out is the balance of the film.
Stella Dallas is a beautiful, very touching film. Without question, it is my favorite Barbara Stanwyck flick---and my favorite of her roles. It's a rare role for her---she's vulnerable and maternal---and I think she played the part beautifully and perfectly. I've read reviews of this film in which people call Stella selfish, but I absolutely don't see her that way at all. Yes, she made some poor choices---running around with one man while married to another...refusing to move when her husband's job required it...choosing to dress in vulgar, gaudy ways; selfishness, however, was not among her character traits, as selfish people would never do what Stella did. She truly loved her daughter, as evidenced by the supreme sacrifice she made. After all, real love desires the best for the object of that love, and sometimes such a love requires sacrifice---which is exactly what Stella did. Giving up your child to someone who can better care for her is not selfish; somehow in recent decades we've come to think it is, but I believe it is the truest, most unselfish, love of all. Therefore, I see Stella as saintly in her willingness to do what was best for Lolly no matter how much it hurt her.
Anne Shirley was a total delight as Lolly. She's sugary sweet and quite devoted to her mother, but the reality is that children of previous generations did honor their parents. The "generation gap" mindset and disrespect for parents we accept as normal today is a relatively new phenomenon, so the reality is that Lolly's attitude toward her mother was quite the norm for that time. What a welcome change from movies of today, when children are ashamed of their parents and look down their noses at them. (By the way, the chemistry between Misses Stanwyck and Shirley was terrific.) Also refreshing in this film was the mutual respect between mother (Stella) and stepmother (Helen)...a far cry from the backstabbing, jealous relationships often portrayed.
I cannot recommend this beautiful movie highly enough. It is completely wonderful...watch it, and expect your heart to be touched and the tears to fall. The film is out on DVD, so it should be fairly easy to track down. Also, it is on the TCM shedule for Tuesday, June 26th at 8:30 a.m. (ET).
Happy viewing!!
