Barbara-stanwyck Quote by Robert Wagner
““As Titanic began production, there was an immediate chemistry between Barbara and myself—a lot of looks across the room. At this point Barbara Stanwyck was a legendary actress, universally respected for her level of craft and integrity. She also had the most valuable thing a performer can have: good taste. Besides a long list of successful bread-and-butter pictures, Barbara had made genuine classics for great directors: The Bitter Tea of General Yen and Meet John Doe for Frank Capra, Stella Dallas for King Vidor, The Lady Eve for Preston Sturges, Ball of Fire for Howard Hawks, and Double Indemnity for Billy Wilder. Barbara carried her success lightly; her attitude was one of utter professionalism and no noticeable temperament. As far as she was concerned, she was simply one of a hundred or so people gathered to make a movie—no more, no less.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: Discussing Barbara Stanwyck on The Love Boat, 1977
The speaker admires a colleague’s professionalism, humility, and timeless taste, emphasizing that true talent is modest.
In simple terms: Admiration for a humble, talented professional.
Key Takeaway
Value humility and integrity in your work.
Themes
respect
humility
professionalism
Mood
reflective
admiring
Type
interview
testimonial
When to use this quote
- film industry
- mentor relationships
- team dynamics
Key Concepts
career ethics
legacy
craftsmanship
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you stay grounded with success?
- What does “good taste” mean in your field?
A Different Perspective
Talent can be overlooked without humility.
![“As a person, [Barbara Stanwyck] was a great deal like the character she played in Ball of Fire, a stripper called Sugarpuss O'Shea. She had a wonderful, free, open quality in that picture, and that's what she was like as a woman. Reclusive by nature, she was happy to just stay home, but she read…” quote by Robert Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/512/robert-wagner-13959_acting_as-a-person-barbara-stanwyck-was-a-great_2921299.jpg)
![“In most respects, Barbara [Stanwyck] was a man's woman, although her home was lovely. Like me, she was an animal lover—she kept poodles. Her son, Dion, was in the service at this point—I never actually met him—and she was hopeful that the Army might help him. She had adopted Dion when she was…” quote by Robert Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/21e/robert-wagner-13959_animal-lover_in-most-respects-barbara-stanwyck-was-a_2909685.jpg)
![“Because I was so involved with Barbara [Stanwyck], I was off-limits for other women, which was something of a problem for the studio. They wanted to promote the image of a carefree young stud—never my style—so I had publicity dates with young actresses around town like Lori Nelson or Debra Paget…” quote by Robert Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9a9/robert-wagner-13959_barbara-stanwyck_because-i-was-so-involved-with-barbara-s_2781727.jpg)
![“Barbara [Stanwyck] was the first woman I ever loved.” quote by Robert Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0b7/robert-wagner-13959_barbara-stanwyck_barbara-stanwyck-was-the-first-woman-i-e_2715401.jpg)
![“After the picture had been shooting for a couple of weeks, Jean had a party at his house on a Saturday night. I escorted Barbara [Stanwyck] and stayed close to her throughout the evening. I was enthralled by her and terribly attracted to her, but I couldn't tell if she returned the favor. She was…” quote by Robert Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1b4/robert-wagner-13959_attracted_after-the-picture-had-been-shooting-for_2627940.jpg)
![“Barbara [Stanwyck] and me in our only scene alone in Titanic. It wasn't much of a scene, but it sparked one of the most intense and rewarding relationships of my life.” quote by Robert Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6fc/robert-wagner-13959_barbara-stanwyck_barbara-stanwyck-and-me-in-our-only-scen_992235.jpg)
![“Spending time around her house, I came across a cache of 16mm movies in her basement. It turned out that Barbara [Stanwyck] had a lot of her own movies, and I convinced her to spend some time watching them with me. I ran the projector. She had prints of Union Pacific, Ball of Fire, and Baby Face…” quote by Robert Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/afb/robert-wagner-13959_barbara-stanwyck_spending-time-around-her-house-i-came-ac_275860.jpg)
![“Looking is an important part of Stanwyck's acting: many performers have beautiful eyes (for example, Henry Fonda), or use their eyes expressively (most remarkably, perhaps, Bette Davis), but few use them so attentively to observe and survey others and the world [as Stanwyck].” quote by Andrew Klevan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5b1/andrew-klevan-110076_actor_looking-is-an-important-part-of-stanwyck_401091.jpg)
