Stella Dallas, because of its reputation as the prototypical soap opera, continued to live on in various incarnations after the 1923 novel, a 1924 stage production and film versions released in 1925 and 1937. The '37 version starring Barbara Stanwyck proved so popular that it inspired a radio series that began the same year as a 15-minute local show in New York City, then was picked up by NBC Radio, where it ran on weekday afternoons until 1955. The series was created and produced by the husband-and-wife team of Frank and Anne Hummert. Throughout the run Stella was played by Anne Elstner, with Stephen being variously enacted by Leo McCabe, Arthur Hughes and Frederick Tazere; Laurel by Joy Hathaway and Vivian Smolen; and Laurel's husband, Dick, by a series of actors that included Carleton Young and Macdonald Carey.

The premise of the series was explained at the opening of each show: "We give you now Stella Dallas, a continuation on the air of the true-to-life story of mother love and sacrifice, in which Stella Dallas saw her own beloved daughter marry into wealth and society and, realizing the differences in their tastes and worlds, went out of Laurel's life." Prouty was not happy with the radio show because she did not like the treatment of her characters and had not approved the sale of broadcast rights.

After the films and radio show had turned the title into household words, a home furnishings company in Dallas, Texas, capitalized upon it by naming their store Stella Dallas.

In 1990 the story was once again remade as a film, called simply Stella and starring Bette Midler in the title role. The movie, directed by John Erman, was produced through the Samuel Goldwyn Company and released by Disney's Touchstone Pictures division. Stella's daughter, now called Jenny, was played by Trini Alvarado, with Stephen Collins as Stephen and Marsha Mason as Janice Morrison. Ben Stiller and Eileen Brennan also were in the supporting cast. Midler's notices ranged from mild approval to savage criticism. In their 1995 book Bad Movies We Love, Edward Margulies and Stephen Rebello wrote of her "terrifying propensity for transforming herself into Betty Hutton, Ruth Gordon and Jerry Lewis all rolled into one." For her performance in Stella, Midler received a Razzie Award nomination as Worst Actress of 1990.

By Roger Fristoe