‘When Barbara strips off her petticoats and straps on her guns’: Barbara Stanwyck, maturity and stardom in the 1950s and 1960s

Abstract

This chapter will consider Stanwyck’s unique position as a role model for mature women in the 1950s and 1960s. It will also examine the reasons for Stanwyck’s popularity as a mature female during this period. Unlike many of the female stars of her generation that were forced to end their careers in the 1950s Stanwyck extended her film career until well into the 1960s by performing in B Westerns and television series. Stanwyck’s maturity and visible ageing affected the roles she played but also turned Stanwyck into a role model for mature women. The chapter will demonstrate the construction of Stanwyck’s image by locating it in its original context and it will offer explanations for the fashionability of Stanwyck as a mature star in the 1950s and 1960s.