Stella Dallas (1937)

7.4Approved106 minDirector: King Vidor

1937 film by King Vidor

Stella Dallas is a 1937 American melodrama film based on Olive Higgins Prouty's 1923 novel of the same name. It was directed by King Vidor and stars Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, and Anne Shirley. At the 10th Academy Awards, Stanwyck and Shirley were nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

The film is the second of three film adaptations of Prouty's novel: it was preceded by a silent film of the same name in 1925, and followed by Stella in 1990. In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival as part of a retrospective of Vidor's career.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is Stella Dallas about?
Stella Dallas (1937) — Working-class Stella Martin marries high-end Stephen Dallas and soon they have a daughter named Laurel. But Stephen's incessant demands of Stella to become what she isn't leads to their eventual separation. Stephen later marries Helen Morrison (his prior fiancée), and Laurel beco
Is Stella Dallas based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is Stella Dallas scary?
Content rating: Approved. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.