Barbara Stanwyck: Independent Icon

By Stephanie Nava

Barbara Stanwyck is one of the greatest screen actors of all time. Her ability to transform into a character is a skill that surpasses most other performers. Ms. Stanwyck was never a “studio star,” like contemporaries Joan Crawford and Bette Davis.  Having never signed a studio contract, she didn’t have the glamour or promotion surrounding her career, but what she lacked in security, she gained in freedom. As an independent artist she gained the ability to accept many different roles, from westerns to comedy, hardboiled Noir films to musicals. She could handle it all.

Barbara Stanwyck, three-quarter length portrait, seated, turned to the left, holding fan, between 1920 and 1930, (Wikimedia, Library of Congress, LOT 8782)

Barbara Stanwyck was born Ruby Catherine Stevens on July 16, 1907. Orphaned and abandoned at the age of four, Ruby and her siblings were raised in foster care. At the age of 14, Ruby dropped out of school and began working odd jobs, and by age 16, she had landed a job as a chorus girl with Ziegfield Follies. In October of 1926, her big break occurred while performing in the Broadway Show The Noose. She was brought up from the chorus and given a character with a name. Moreover, producers felt her name Ruby Stevens lacked star appeal and she was given the stage name Barbara Stanwyck.

Mexicali Rose (1929) Lobby Card (Wikipedia)

Stanwyck met comedian and vaudeville performer, Frank Fay, while performing in the Broadway production of Burlesque. The couple married in 1928 and moved west to Hollywood. Fay recognized the immense talent in his young wife and was determined to help build her career. In 1929, Stanwyck starred in her first Hollywood films The Locked Door and Mexicali Rose. In 1930, Columbia pictures head, Hary Cohn, introduced Stanwyck to director Frank Capra. Capra was not immediately impressed, and dismissed her from casting. After an intervention from Fay, however, Capra agreed to cast Barbara in his Film Ladies of Leisure, the first of 5 films pairing Stanwyck and the legendary director.

Barbara Stanwyck in Ladies of Lesirue (1930) (pre-code.com)

Ladies of Leisure (1930) was the first of Barbara Stanwyck’s Pre-Code films. Pre-Code films are described as the period after the implementation of the Hays production code, March 1930, to the harsh enforcement of the code by Joseph Breen in July 1934. The period pushed boundaries, glorifying sex, crime, and questionable morals. Stanwyck starred in many Pre-Code films but the most famous is Baby Face. This film follows Lily Powers, a small-town barmaid, raised and abused by her father and her father’s bar patrons, until she learns to weaponize her “assets” to make it to the top. Moving to the city, she does what she needs to get what she wants at the expense of many around her. The high rise building where Lily works provides the motif as the viewers watch her ascend from floor to floor.  Major production code violation of this film was excessive sexuality and the lack of repercussions for immoral behavior.

Barbara Stanwyck et.al in Baby Face (1933) (quadcinema.com)

The relationship between Stanwyck and Fay began to crumble through his alcoholism and abuse; they divorced in 1935. That same year Stanwyck starred in her first of many Westerns, Annie Oakley, and a couple years later earned her first Oscar nomination for the 1937 film, Stella Dalas. These films showcased Barbara’s range as an actor and helped elevate her career. During the filming of 1939’s Golden Boy, a young and nervous William Holden was nearly cut from the film until Stanwyck rehearsed with him and encouraged his performance. They formed a bond that lasted the rest of their lives.

The late 1930’s and early 1940’s was a turbulent time and the rise of Fascism in Europe elevated tensions in America. Meet John Doe (1941) is a film that reflects the powerless feeling that many Americans had between the Great Depression and before entering WWII. It examines the impact of media manipulation and political exploitation of public opinion. The film highlights a darker side of American Democracy but also provides sentiment and hope for community when faced with challenge. The onscreen chemistry between Stanwyck and her co-star, Gary Cooper, is powerful. The relationship between the two characters elevates and changes along with the story and provides conflict and romance as the characters navigate the challenges of the issue they created.

Barbara Stanwyck (1941) (britannica.com)

Barbara Stanwyck starred in romantic comedies and musicals, such as Remember the Night, The Lady Eve, You Belong to Me, and Lady of Burlesque before diving headfirst into the world of Film Noir. Double Indemnity is the quintessential Film Noir. Adapted from the James Cain novella of the same name, this film has it all, shot with the ferocity of line and shadow reminiscent of German expressionism coupled with the flowery dialogue of Raymond Chandler. It’s raw, daring and dark. Her character, Phyllis Dietrichson, is a cold-blooded killer and master manipulator. Not unlike her character in Baby Face, she has little regard for the impact she has on the lives of the people around her. She is the ultimate femme fatale, using her sex appeal to manipulate and execute her devious plot. Stanwyck goes on to star in a many Film Noirs such as The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, Sorry Wrong Number, The Two Mrs. Carols, and No Man of Her Own.

Ms. Stanwyck gracefully transitioned to television work in the early 1960’s. She briefly had her own television show, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, that ran for one season and earned her an Emmy. Work was her passion; Director Jacques Tourneur famously stated that Barbara Stanwyck “only lives for two things, and both of them are work.”  For Barbara, there was never a role that was beneath her, whether it was an Oscar nominated role or a made for TV horror movie, she gave the same energy to every role she was given.  Nominated for 4 Oscars, it wasn’t until 1982 that she received an honorary Oscar, that she dedicated to her “Golden Boy” William Holden. Barbara Stanwyck passed away on January 20, 1990, but her film legacy lives on in every public screening and home streaming around the world. To quote the insurmountable lyricist, Ray Davies, “celluloid heroes never really die.”

Barbara Stanwyck with her 1966 Emmy award for The Big Valley (barbara-stanwyck.com)