Review of Barbara Stanwyck Collection

The other night I had a Barbara Stanwyck marathon with my 13 year old daughter. I had originally intended to watch the movies alone, but when I started Annie Oakley she stopped, sat down, and began watching it with me. To her surprise, "Old movies really aren't boring!"

You see, other than Abbott and Costello, Elvis Presley, and The Little Rascals, getting her to watch anything old was like asking her to sit through a boring history lesson. But Barbara Stanwyck really caught her eye, as did the storylines.

The first time I even heard of Barbara Stanwyck was when she played in the televised series, The BigValley. Stanwyck played Victoria Barkley, the widow of a wealthy cattle rancher and boy did she have spunk! I loved her confidence, I loved her ability to make things happen, and I loved the fact that she didn’t pick favorites—even her deceased’s husband’s illegitimate son became a part of her family. So when the Signature Collection was offered for review, I couldn’t resist.

I have watched many versions of Annie Oakley over the years, and have liked many of those versions, but Stanwyck’s 1935 rendition tops my list. In this rendition, Annie is a young woman who makes her living killing fowl. A world famous sharpshooter arrives and Annie competes against him. The reward money would have done her family a world of good, but she chooses to allow him the honor of keeping his dignity and misses the last shot. But no good deed goes unnoticed, Annie is soon asked to join Wild Bill and his traveling Old West Pageant. And that’s when Annie falls in love…

My Reputation which originally aired in 1946 is about a woman who discovers love after her husband’s death but the gossip of friends and her secrecy about the relationship nearly destroys her chances of everlasting happiness and her relationship with her two adolescent boys.

East Side, West Side aired in 1950 and is about a wealthy woman who is married to an unfaithful man. While they have both agreed to give the marriage a second try, they’re both miserable. Love just isn’t enough for this happy couple and when an old fling arrives in town, and is later found dead, things really get heated up.

Executive Suite aired in 1954 and is a great film about boardroom politics and finding a successor for the Tredway Corporation since the owner and president mysteriously died and left no one in charge to take his place. However, the film doesn’t give Stanwyck much of a role so you don’t see very much of her.

To Please A Lady aired in 1950. Stanwyck co-starred with heartthrob Clark Gable. In To Please A Lady, Stanwyck plays a news reporter hell bent on exposing Gable as a careless and wreckless race car driver, but things take an interesting turn when the two “enemies” fall in love.

Jeopardy aired 1953 and is an amazing thriller filled with lots of suspense. A family of three set off to enjoy a relaxing, fun-filled vacation along the Mexican coast only to be hit with one tragic event after another. The young son becomes stranded on an abandoned pier, the father is pinned under rotting timber when trying to rescue his son, and the mother is kidnapped by the man whom she thought was there to rescue her family. Honestly, I am not a big fan of today’s thrillers since they are nothing more than evil incarnate. But Jeopardy took me by surprise. It was suspenseful, intriguing, exciting, and scary all at the same time.

Yes, Barbara Stanwyck’s Signature Collection is worth watching and definitely worth buying. Order your own copy today!