''I Found Stella Parish'' is a 1935 American

melodrama film In film studies and criticism, melodrama may variously refer to a genre, mode, style or sensibility characterized by its emphasis on intense and exaggerated emotions and heightened dramatic situations. There is no fixed definition of the term an ...

directed by

Mervyn LeRoy Mervyn LeRoy (; October 15, 1900 – September 13, 1987) was an American film director and producer. During the 1930s, he was one of the two great practitioners of economical and effective film directing at Warner Bros., Warner Brothers studios, ...

and starring

Kay Francis Kay Francis (born Katharine Edwina Gibbs; January 13, 1905 – August 26, 1968) was an American stage and film actress. After a brief period on Broadway in the late 1920s, she moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 an ...

, Ian Hunter and

Paul Lukas Paul Lukas (born Pál Lukács; 26 May 1894 – 15 August 1971) was a Hungarian actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor, and the first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, for his performance in the film ''Wat ...

. It was produced by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

and shot at the company's

Burbank Studios The Burbank Studios (formerly known as NBC Studios) is a television production facility located in Burbank, California, United States. The studio is home to ''Days of Our Lives'', ''Extra'', the ''IHeartRadio Theater'', and was formerly home ...

. Francis plays a celebrated actress whose dark secret is revealed to the world.

Plot

In London, Stella Parish delivers her greatest stage triumph in a play produced and directed by Stephen Norman. However, she finds a man from her past in her dressing room. Determined not to submit to his blackmail, she books passage back to the U.S. on an ocean liner, traveling in disguise with her young daughter Gloria and her friend and confidante Nana. Hotshot newspaper reporter Keith Lockridge befriends the trio on the sea voyage and renews his acquaintance with Stella, who seeks anonymity, when in New York. As weeks pass, Stella falls in love with him. Meanwhile, Keith discovers that Stella is a former actress with a troubled past. Her alcoholic, jealous husband had killed her co-star and maliciously implicated her in the crime. She served time in prison, where Gloria was born. When Stella was released, she resolved to bury her past for Gloria's sake. Stella tells Keith that she loves him and recounts her entire history. However, Keith had wired the story to his editor several hours earlier. His frantic efforts to suppress the article are too late, and his newspaper publishes the story. When Stella is besieged by reporters, she decides to exploit the situation to raise the money that she needs to take care of her child. She sends Gloria and Nana away, out of the public eye. She then works with a promoter to make lucrative appearances to take advantage of the scandal. Eventually, the public tires of her, and she is reduced to working in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

. At Keith's secret insistence, Stephen Norman offers her the starring role in his play, which had closed after its one performance. She is reluctant to return to London but cannot refuse the money. Public reaction is at first hostile, but Keith diligently writes articles to sway public opinion. On opening night, Stella refuses to take the stage, dreading her reception, but Keith appears backstage and draws her attention to Gloria and Nana, who are seated in the audience.

Cast

as Stella Parish * Ian Hunter as Keith Lockridge *

as Stephan Norman *

Sybil Jason Sybil Jason (born Sybil Jacobson; 23 November 1927 – 23 August 2011) was an American child film actress who, in the late 1930s, was presented as a rival to Shirley Temple. Career Born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 23 November 1927, Sybi ...

as Gloria Parish *

Jessie Ralph Jessie Ralph Patton ( Chambers; November 5, 1864 – May 30, 1944), was an American stage and screen actress, best known for her matronly roles in many classic films. Early life Jessie Ralph Chambers was the 13th child born to sailing captain ...

as Nana *

Barton MacLane Barton MacLane (December 25, 1902 – January 1, 1969) was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s, including his role as General Martin Peterson on the 1960s NBC ...

as Clifton Jeffords, Stella's husband *

Eddie Acuff Edward DeKalb Acuff (June 3, 1903 – December 17, 1956) was an American stage and film actor. He frequently was cast as a droll comic relief, in the support of the star. His best-known recurring role is that of Mr. Beasley, the postman, in ...

as Dimmy *

Joe Sawyer Joe Sawyer (born Joseph Sauers; August 29, 1906 – April 21, 1982) was a Canadian film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1927 and 1962, and was sometimes billed under his birth name. Early life Sawyer was born August 29, 1 ...

as Chuck *

Walter Kingsford Walter Kingsford (born Walter Pearce; 20 September 1881 – 7 February 1958) was an English stage, film, and television actor. Early years Kingsford was born in Redhill, Surrey, England. Career Kingsford began his acting career on the L ...

as Reeves, Keith's editor *

Harry Beresford Harry J. Beresford (4 November 1863 – 4 October 1944) was an English-born actor on the American stage and in motion pictures. He used the professional name Harry J. Morgan early in his career. Career Harry Beresford began his acting career i ...

as James *

Crauford Kent Crauford Kent (12 October 1881 – 14 May 1953) was an English character actor based in the United States. He has also been credited as Craufurd Kent

as Lord Chamberlain *

Olaf Hytten Olaf Hytten (3 March 1888 – 11 March 1955) was a Scottish actor. He appeared in more than 280 films between 1921 and 1955. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and died in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack, while sitting in his car ...

as Robert - Stephan's Butler *

Elsa Buchanan Elsa Buchanan (22 December 1908 – 17 January 2004) was an English character actress with a brief career in theatre and film. Born Elsie Winifred Buchanan Tinker, Buchanan made her stage debut at age three at the Palace Theatre, London at a p ...

as Stella's Maid

Reception

In a contemporary review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', critic

Frank Nugent Frank Stanley Nugent (May 27, 1908 – December 29, 1965) was an American screenwriter, journalist, and film reviewer. He wrote 21 film scripts, 11 for director John Ford. He wrote almost a thousand reviews for ''The New York Times'' before lea ...

wrote: "Mervyn LeRoy has directed it in the cadence of a graveyard processional. ... All told, here is a sorry tale and one that has but few redeeming qualities. Among these may be mentioned Ian Hunter's portrayal of the reporter and Sybil Jason's (with some reservations) performance as the child. Miss Francis's unfortunate lisp continues to plague this corner: it makes even more unbelievable the notion that London could regard her Stella Parish as the Duse of the day."

References

Bibliography

* Kear, Lynn & Rossman John. ''Kay Francis: A Passionate Life and Career''. McFarland, 2015.

External links

* * * {{Mervyn LeRoy 1935 films American black-and-white films Films directed by Mervyn LeRoy 1935 romantic drama films Warner Bros. films American romantic drama films Films set in London 1930s melodrama films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language romantic drama films