Stella Dallas (Dramatised)

We're sure many of you have sat down on a Saturday afternoon, a box of tissues in hand, and sobbed through Barbara Stanwyck's performance as Stella Dallas.

In this Hollywood Stage presentation, she reprises her role as Stella, who marries a rich young man but separates due to his demands that she change. She leaves with their daughter, Laurel, in search of a better life, which she devotes entirely to her daughter.

One day, she takes Laurel to an upmarket resort, where Laurel befriends some rich kids. Stella realises that for Laurel to have a better life, she must sacrifice herself and send their daughter back to live with her father and his new wife. It is a sacrifice that any parent would find hard to bear - but Stanwyck pulls it off.

Public Domain (P)2006 Hollywood Stage