CarolT2 I have never been a Barbara Stanwyck fan, I have tried watching her highest rated films. I caught some of My Reputation last Sunday, and was interested in it. I'm at the end of watching it on TCM On Demand. It's now one of my favorite films.I suggest you watch it if it is available. Today is the last day for my cable system's on demand feature,

dish55 Barbara Stanwyck, sometimes underrated as an actress (four Oscar nominations and no wins) and always undervalued as a star, shows why she lasted so long - she could do anything. Usually cast as a mobster's tough tart or a hard-luck dame and everything in between, here she plays a first-class lady, a widowed mother of two, a fine upstanding citizen who lives in that Never-Never Land called the Upper Middle Class laughingly depicted by Hollywood as a place where women belong to country clubs, constantly appear dressed in mink and evening gowns, are constantly making grand entrances and exits and are forever worrying what the neighbors will think. Joan Crawford fit right into this nonsensical neighborhood once she joined Warner Bros. and may well have been offered this script but thankfully Stanwyck took the part and created from the ground up another unforgettable performance in a forgettable (but very popular in its day) film. The story is nothing special but oh! how Barbara dominates every scene she's in, and does it without really trying (or so it seems). While Davis and Crawford had a tendency to remind audiences that they were acting, Stanwyck just rolled up her sleeves and got the job done. Such truth in her work! Watching her is an electric experience, she connects with an audience like few stars had or have before or since. Splendid!

LeonLouisRicci A Good Try but not Totally Successful Attempt at Antiquation Dealing with Generations Past with Their Social, Personal, and Now Outdated Traditions.Barbara Stanwyck Showing Her Range as an Actress is all Pent Up Emotion and Struggling to Juggle Personal Gratification among Her Widowed Status that is Accompanied by Two Children, a Domineering Mentally Disturbed Mother, and a Reputation as a Pillar of the La-Dee-Da Upper Middle Class Suburbs.There is an Attempt at Social Consciousness Raising from Warner Bros. and some Ground Shaking but not Fully Breaking from Established Taboos. It is a Gallant Effort with a Soft Focus and a Charming Underpinning Max Steiner Score. Nothing is Satisfyingly Settled, Except by Hollywood Happy Ending Standards.The Film belongs to Stanwyck and the Message is Pulled Back Somewhat for Easy Consumption. George Brent as the Love Interest is Hardly Noticeable but Not Bad. The Rest of the Supporting Cast is Memorable and Deliver Fine Professional Performances.Overall it is Slightly Disappointing with a Quick Wrap Up and the Ending is Weak when it should have Peaked with Power and Realistically Concluded a Strong Story that Collapsed Somewhat, Mostly due to the Lack of Chemistry in Stanwyck's Relationship with Brent.

nomoons11 Any time I see a Stanwyck film I've never seen or am not familiar with I jump on it pretty quickly. I was never on-board with her being a sex symbol or bombshell or really that attractive but one quality she possessed was that she could act....and she could do it well. Stanwyck's husband dies and she's is expected to mourn in black forever and her mother continually tells her so. She's tired of being pushed into a corner and she decides to try things a little bit different. She goes with friends skiing and meets a man she falls head over heels for. After all this her circle of friends start to spread rumors about her and her reputation and how she's not acting like someone who should after the death of her husband.I think the one performance I took away from this was the mother character. She was a seriously nosey busybody who continually inflicted her old school wisdom about staying in mourning for her spouse for life. From her personality you can tell the reason why she did was cause no one would wanna deal with this old harpy. I mean she plays one of these characters who you just wanna smack through the screen. Barbara Stanwyck does her usual job of A grade acting so expect that.I think this film is a time piece of old standards in the way people thought back in the day. Watching, you'll be baffled at why it is or was anyone's business what this lady did 6 months after her husband died. She committed no crime. She just wanted to love again and get out of her previously sheltered life an spread her wings and try something different. Problem is that she has to deal with the "old standards" of the day. I can't imagine sitting back and taking any individuals take on my life and me just accepting or nodding my head in agreement. Thankfully, she gets some courage and bucks the system and the results are an improvement for her life.