Barbara Stanwyck

Celebrating Barbara Stanwyck!

One of classic Hollywood’s most versatile leading ladies, Stanwyck’s career contains some of the all-time great performances across several genres. Whether in a romcom or thriller, her ability to play confident and ambitious female characters is in a class of its own.

Written by Andie Kaiser

Barbara Stanwyck—born on this day in 1907—has one of the greatest careers in Hollywood history. Making everything from “scandalous” pre-code pictures to Christmas romances to westerns, Stanwyck proved time and again that she really could do it all. 

It seems fitting to start off a discussion of Stanwyck’s career with Baby Face (1933), a pre-code classic that’s often pointed to as the last straw leading to the implementation of the Hays Code. And it has this reputation for good reason: Stanwyck’s character embodies so many of the things that would've scandalized conservative filmgoers. In the film, she plays a young woman who runs away to New York City and climbs her way to the top by seducing and swindling the men around her. Even at this early stage of her career, her screen presence is undeniable. With that low voice, she commands attention, and her electrifying confidence practically seeps out of the screen. It’s wonderful to watch Stanwyck in these pre-code films, as the scripts weren’t constricted by censors and she could really go all-out in portraying these wonderfully complicated and attitude-filled female characters. 

The Lady Eve (1941) is another one of my personal favourites. In this screwball romance, Stanwyck stars opposite Henry Fonda, who plays the wealthy Charles. Stanwyck’s character, Jean, on the other hand, is the daughter of a con artist, and she sets out to get Charles’ fortune. Things get complicated when she starts falling for him, and he starts to suspect her motives. Though he dumps her on account of this suspicion, Jean isn’t deterred. She decides to return to him as the titular “Lady Eve,” complete with a brand new accent. As well as being hilarious, this dual persona allows Stanwyck to really flex her skills throughout the film. Her teasing of Charles is just delightful, and the physical comedy that plays out between the two of them is the stuff of romcom legend. 

And while I might be writing this in July, it’s impossible not to touch on two of the great Christmas films that Stanwyck starred in. Though tonally they’re quite different, both can capture the spirit of the holidays in truly charming ways. The romantic comedy Christmas in Connecticut (1945) sees Stanwyck playing Elizabeth Lane, the writer of a popular lifestyle magazine column which details her experiences as a wife and mother living on a farm. In reality, Lane is a single woman living in the city who enlists the help of her chef friend to write the recipes her columns are famed for. When Lane’s publisher (unaware of her charade) suggests that she hosts a returned war hero on her farm for Christmas, she has no choice but to go along with the act. And so Lane finds herself travelling to her friend John’s Connecticut farm, in the ultimate “fake it till you make it” scenario. It’s a film that is pretty much guaranteed to put a smile on your face, with great screwball moments and lovable characters all around. Stanwyck’s comedic timing is on full display here, making it such a charming film no matter what time of year you watch it.

The slightly more somber, but still definitely romantic (and comedic!) Remember The Night (1940) stars Stanwyck alongside Fred MacMurray. Stanwyck plays Lee, a shoplifter who’s been let out on bail for the holidays by district attorney John (MacMurray). Their relationship blossoms after he offers to drive her home to Indiana for Christmas, and they’re forced to confront obstacles ranging from the law to each other’s families. It’s a classically bittersweet love story, and Stanwyck’s portrayal of Lee is rich with longing and inner turmoil. Christmas film or not, this is one of my all-time favourite Stanwyck performances. 

Stanwyck is, of course, probably most well-known for her fantastic work playing femme fatales. Her iconic turn as Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity (1944) is a must-watch for anyone who wants to get into noir, not to mention for Stanwyck fans. Teaming up once again with Fred MacMurray, who plays an insurance salesman, Stanwyck’s Phyllis plots to kill her husband for his life insurance money. Though she was hesitant to take on such a villainous part at first, Phyllis has arguably become the most famous of Stanwyck’s roles. She had a wig, sunglasses, and a dream— and she delivered!

Stanwyck is one of those actresses who can get me to watch anything simply because she’s in it. And I’m lucky, because she has a lot of films. So, whether you’re in the mood for a gritty noir or a feel-good romance, you’ll be able to find something in Stanwyck’s filmography that fits the bill.