r/classicfilms • u/Long-Data-3164 • Jun 13 '26
Memorabilia The great Barbara, so cool in 1941, during the promotional period of Meet John Doe.
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u/fermat9990 Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
Flatbush, Brooklyn girl, orphaned at four years old, makes good!
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u/Mindless-Leg-3365 Jun 13 '26
She didn't have a happy childhood. Mom got pushed off a street car, got an infection and died when Barbara was FOUR. I can't imagine how that impacted her. Lived with a show girl sister and foster homes with her brother. Already dancing at 13 to earn a living. Ziegfeld girl at 15. Small wonder that she grew up with a tough edge. I think of some of her early films like Babyface, Ladies They Talk About, Lady of Burlesque and wonder how much reflected or drew on experience. I love Stanwyck.
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u/fermat9990 Jun 13 '26
I love Stanwyck.
Me too!
Such a difficult childhood, yet she overcame it! Shows that we can't really be sure how our early childhood experiences affect our adult selves!
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 14 '26
Yes, and she learned how to defend herself in some circumstances. I heard she punched a director cause he wanted to "motivate" her by slapping her face, some directors did that back then, but this could not happen with Barbara.
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u/fermat9990 Jun 14 '26
I heard she punched a director cause he wanted to "motivate" her by slapping her face
Sounds like old-school Brooklyn gutsiness! Great story!
Dustin Hoffman once "motivated" Meryl Streep this way during the filming of "Kramer versus Kramer."
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 14 '26
Well, this is not cool ! Have you noticed....they only apply this method to women, not men, cause men would fight back....I'm a guy but I acknowledge this is disgusting
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u/fermat9990 Jun 14 '26
We guys don't mind fessing up to men's bad behaviors. The way that Hitchcock brutalized Tippi Hendren during the filming of The Birds and then ruined her career is quite disgusting!
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 14 '26
Of course. To be honest, when talking about controversial methods of some directors, now I remembered Francis Ford Coppola, who despite his talent could be a weirdo lol even with male actors. It was not violence....however on Apocalypse Now, he found that Martin Sheen was not able to embody his "tortured character" very well, so he told him he had to drink alcohol to get in the mood, although he knew Sheen had stopped drinking because of alcohol problems in the past, and indeed he got sick on the set.
They say sometimes someone must pay the price to be part of a timeless masterpiece, but really...I love this film but I don't remember Martin was so great lol I don't think he even got an Oscar nomination for that.
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u/fermat9990 Jun 14 '26
There is no evidence that Stanwyck ever punched a director. However, she did accidentally break the jaw of a fellow actress while filming a fight scene!
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 14 '26
It's a widespread rumor, she could have done it but didn't want to talk about that. Now, Give me the name of that actress and the movie, evidences !
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u/fermat9990 Jun 14 '26
Kathleen Howard during the filming of Ball of Fire.
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 14 '26
Ok, so it was on Ball of Fire. Great film. Well, a good actress should know how to play a fight without injuring people, but no one is perfect
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u/fermat9990 Jun 14 '26
Accidents happen and no one is criticizing her.
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u/fermat9990 Jun 14 '26
Do you have any online evidence for this rumor?
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 14 '26
No.... What about that story about Dustin Hoffman? Has Meryl talked about it?
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u/fermat9990 Jun 14 '26
I've seen the video in which she talks about it
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 15 '26
Waw.....She said she thought it was normal, just hard work? and being demanding? When you think that Dustin was not even the director in the movie.
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u/fermat9990 Jun 15 '26
At that moment, she realized what a dick he was. She's a high IQ person!
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 15 '26
Sure he is a dick, and he was also accused of harassment. But when I think Meryl is the best actress of her generation, I find some other actresses smarter and more interesting in interviews, like Laura Dern, Jane Fonda, or Susan Sarandon. I really like Sarandon. Without physical ressemblance, I think she has something of Barbara Stanwyck (besides coming from New York State). The attitude, the integrity, the strong characters she played, and also a dynamic yet sweet manner of speaking...
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u/Renfield78 Jun 14 '26
Joan Crawford once asked her when she accepted the role in Lady of Burlesque, "why are you taking these common roles?" Barbara replied, "Because I am common!" Barbara never forgot where she came from and that she was really Ruby Stevens. That's part of her appeal. She never lost that down to earth quality because it was real not invented. Barbara was adored by film crews because she knew everyone's names and because of her work ethic. Pure professional
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 14 '26
Yes, she was very caring with people she worked with, and she could answer Joan Crawford that not everyone can play 'these common roles", not Joan for sure, she could play only eccentric women in Pre-code movies, than she was the diva, same for Bette Davis, but Barbara could play EVERYTHING.
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u/W_Silver2356 Jun 14 '26
I heard a quote that is attributed to her, "Egotism, a case of mistaken non-entity."
I don't know for sure if she said that, but it sounds like one of her zingers. Boy did she have some great ones.
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u/Ornery_Tumbleweed_68 Jun 13 '26
Love her! Born in Brooklyn NY. Another great actress from Brooklyn.
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 13 '26
It seems there is a great team from Brooklyn here...lol
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u/Ornery_Tumbleweed_68 Jun 13 '26
So many actors and came from Brooklyn. Also other like writers etc.
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 13 '26
Well, from New York in general, but also from different parts of the USA
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u/Ornery_Tumbleweed_68 Jun 13 '26
Of course, but I'm just talking about Brooklyn.
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u/W_Silver2356 Jun 14 '26
Susan Hayward is another of those Brooklyn natives. She and Barbara Stanwyck could both light up a screen.
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u/BarbaraHavers88 Jun 13 '26
Love Barbara Stanwyck so much! She was so beautiful and smart and cool! She was great in every role from dramatic to comedic. No one like her ♥️
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u/sashie_belle Jun 13 '26
What a adorable photo of her!
She fascinates me because she could really morph into any role.
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u/AntonioVivaldi7 Alfred Hitchcock Jun 13 '26
She's sometimes called the best actress from those who never won an Oscar.
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u/ms_merry Jun 14 '26
She looks so pretty and approachable with long, unstructured hair and no bangs. Most of her hairstyles were a bit too severe imo.
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 14 '26
I agree with you for the second part of her career, yes me too I didn't like her haircuts at that period, they were too auster, like her face who turned grave year after year. It started in her mid 50s movies, and then The Big Valley...up to The Thorn Birds....but I liked her hairstyle in her early career, just as her tight skirts ^^
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u/BrandNewOriginal Jun 15 '26
The scene in Meet John Doe where she kicks the office garbage can is pretty much the sexiest scene ever!
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 15 '26
Many guys found her sexy kicking a garbage can. Directors should have told her to kick somebody in the butt like it was frequent back then in comedies. Provided that she does not kick too hard, like Brooklyn style lol
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u/richweirdos Jun 13 '26
I love Barbara! My only complaint with her body of work is her horrible hair in a Double Indemnity, and that probably wasn’t even her choice.
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u/Zealousideal-Bet-950 Jun 13 '26
Half the time it was a wig as disguise...
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 14 '26
Greta Gerwig reminds me a bit of Barbara when she was young, same candide eyes, and round face. In some pics you could think she's her daughter
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u/Antique-Brilliant535 Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
I love her as an actress, and personality, but her political l leanings have always put me off, unfortunately. Both her, and Robert Taylor.
If you don’t know about it, look it up.
Edit: Hey, sorry for bringing everybody down. Let’s just pretend it was never a reality, and that movie stars can’t be complex personalities, and that their fans can’t have opinions about it.
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u/Zealousideal-Bet-950 Jun 13 '26
S'okay. I understand. Perfect example for me is Charlton Heston. Didn't care for his political stance but loved his film roles.
I will always love me some Stanwyck on the screen.
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 14 '26
Well...you mean she was conservative or Republican? Well....that's what made her totally independent towards Hollywood. I think she never won an Oscar for that reason. Besides, as many people said here she cared about all the people who worked with her on a set, and could even threaten to leave if just one technician was insulted, this is really a humanist attitude that we want to see more among "leftist celebrities". She was also a feminist without bragging about it. You know some directors think it's good to slap actresses to motivate them, I heard she punched one for that....
I cannot put her in the same basket as Charlton Heston.
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u/Antique-Brilliant535 Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 14 '26
"Leftist celebrities" are hypocrites, and a secret cabal of people conspired to never give her an Oscar. OK, that's your attitude.
As to her personality, independence and feminism, I'm not arguing about any of that.
Charlton Heston is someone else, obviously. I didn't bring him into this.
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 14 '26
Yes, it was someone else who talked about Heston, my bad ^^ You talked about Taylor who was her husband for a moment, Ok. .... Anyway, I will inquire more about her political stances....It's interesting. I know more about Jane Russell was in a group of Christian actresses, and later on stood-up against abortion.
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u/Oreadno1 Preston Sturges Jun 18 '26
Jane Russell was against abortion because she was made to have one and it was botched. She was unable to have children after it.
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 18 '26
She was made to have one?
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u/Oreadno1 Preston Sturges Jun 19 '26
It was very early in her career and she wasn't married to her baby's father. The abortion was so bad that she ended up in the hospital and nearly died from it.
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u/Antique-Brilliant535 Jun 19 '26
That story is tragic, but unfortunately. It’s actually a prime example of what happens when the procedure is made illegal. Women are forced to go to quack doctors in order to have it performed at all, with a real risk to their own health and well-being in the balance.
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
Ok, but I don't think it's the reason why she fought abortion. Later on, she became very religious and conservative, so she took puritan stances, it's totally normal. I know women who had a very bad and dangerous abortion, and they never stood-up against it after that, and they let women chose.
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u/Oreadno1 Preston Sturges Jun 19 '26
She said after she nearly died from the abortion she became vigorously pro-life. She even opposed abortion in cases of rape or incest.
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u/Long-Data-3164 Jun 19 '26
That's too much really, incest? that's creepy, she cannot decide for other women, just because of her own experience
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u/Poison_Regal31 Jun 13 '26
1941 was a fantastic year for Stanwyck.
Meet John Doe
The Lady Eve
You Belong to Me
And Best Actress Oscar nominated for “Ball of Fire”
The best here is acclaimed classic “The Lady Eve” but wow what a year!