an unmarried woman name stella ( bette midler ) get pregnant by a wealthy man ( stephen collins ) . he offer to marry her out of a sense of obligation but she turn him down flat and decides to raise the kid on her own . thing go ok until the child name jenny ( trini alvarado ) become a teenager and thing gradually ( and predictably ) become bad . i have see both the silent version and sound version of stella dallas . neither one affect me much ( and i cry easily ) but they be well make if date . try to remake this in 1990 be just a stupid idea . i guess midler have enough power after the incomprehensible success of beach to get this make . this ( predictably ) bombed . the story be laughable and date by today standard . even though midler and alvarado give good performance this film really drags and i be bore silly by the end . stephen collins and marsha mason ( both good actor ) do not help in support role . flimsy and dull . really who think this would work . see the 1937 stanwyck version instead . i give this a 1 .