Barbara Stanwyck: From Brooklyn to Hollywood - July 20, 2009

We spend a lot of time here talking about things we hate: cell phones, banished words, NASCAR, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, bad movies, telemarketers, Tim McCarver, Hannah Montana, High School Musical, Keanu Reeves, and the Batman TV show. And, given that, you’d think we did nothing but telling kids to get off our lawns. But occasionally, we’re reminded of things we really like (no, not Sally Field), and today is one of those opportunities. Friends, we give you Barbara Stanwyck. Stanwyck was an unlikely movie star. Born in Brooklyn on July 16, 1907, as Ruby Stevens, her pregnant mother died when a drunk pushed her off a streetcar. Ruby was only four, and just a couple of weeks later, her father signed up to work on the Panama Canal and was never heard from again.  Ruby and her brother were raised by their older sister, who eventually found work as a showgirl in 1920s New York. Ruby ran through a series of jobs (and foster homes), but was self-supporting by the age of 13, and, through her sister, developed a taste for show business. Her first break came in 1923 when she got her own showgirl job at a Broadway night club, followed by jobs in the prestigious Ziegfeld Follies and in nightclubs owned by the notorious Texas Guinan -- all while still in her late teens.  Her big break came in 1926, when producer David Belasco (who was known for the realism of his stage plays) thought that the role of a chorus girl in his new show, The Noose, should be played by an actual chorus girl. The show was a hit -- as was the newly-renamed "Barbara Stanwyck" -- and Hollywood soon beckoned. She made one silent film, followed by two talkies (and a trip back to Broadway). Even though her film reviews weren't great, director Frank Capra cast her as the lead in his 1930 film Ladies of Leisure, and the rest was history.  She became the queen of pre-Code movies; a genre that reveled in sex and sleaze, and in such films as Night Nurse, The Miracle Woman, and (most notoriously) Baby Face, she exhibited both easily. But there was more to Stanwyck than that. She could play in comedies, tragedies, melodramas, and even Westerns with equal ease, turning in brilliant performances in such classics as Union Pacific, Stella Dallas, Remember the Night, The Lady Eve, Sorry, Wrong Number, and Double Indemnity (for our money, her greatest performance). In the '50s and '60s, she moved to television, winning three Emmys for her work on the eponymous Barbara Stanwyck Show, The Big Valley (as a hard-as-nails ranch owner), and The Thorn Birds. She was equally as popular off-screen as on, taking the time to get to know crew members and their families, and doing extensive charity work after her retirement. She died of various natural causes in 1990, but her film performances, even those from the early 30s, retain their power, honesty, and ability to move audiences. Suggested Sites... Wikipedia: Barbara Stanwyck - biography of one of Hollywood's greatest actresses. Cinemagraphe: Barbara Stanwyck - overview of her life and career. Classic Movie Favorites: Barbara Stanwyck - biography with photos and video clips. Barbara Stanwyck: With Her Hands on Her Hips ... - appreciation of Stanwyck's career. Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line - watch the biography, loaded with clips from a brilliant career.