| A Star Is Born | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | William A. Wellman |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by |
|
| Produced by | David O. Selznick |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | W. Howard Greene |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.2 million[2] |
| Box office | $2.37 million (worldwide rentals)[3] |
A Star Is Born is a 1937 AmericanTechnicolor drama film produced byDavid O. Selznick, directed byWilliam A. Wellman from a script by Wellman,Robert Carson,Dorothy Parker, andAlan Campbell, and starringJanet Gaynor (in her only Technicolor film) as an aspiring Hollywood actress, andFredric March (in his Technicolor debut) as a fading movie star who helps launch her career. The supporting cast featuresAdolphe Menjou,May Robson,Andy Devine,Lionel Stander, andOwen Moore. At the10th Academy Awards, it became the first color film to be nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture.
The movie's plot is heavily based on a previous Hollywood production,What Price Hollywood?, released in 1932 though not as widely known. This movie however would garner popularity and kickstart a legacy which led to it being remade three times: in1954 (directed byGeorge Cukor and starringJudy Garland andJames Mason), in1976 (directed byFrank Pierson and starringBarbra Streisand andKris Kristofferson), and in2018 (starringLady Gaga andBradley Cooper, who also directed). Unlike the original film, the three remakes are all musical films.
Farm girl Esther Victoria Blodgett yearns to become a Hollywood actress. Although her aunt and father discourage such thoughts, Esther's grandmother gives Esther her savings to follow her dream. So, she goes to Hollywood and tries to land a job as an extra, but so many others have had the same idea that the casting agency has stopped accepting applications.
Esther is told that her chances of becoming a star are one in 100,000. She befriends a new resident at her boarding house, assistant director Danny McGuire, himself out of work. When they go together to a concert to celebrate Danny's employment, Esther has her first encounter with Norman Maine, an actor she admires greatly. He has been a major star for years, but his alcoholism has sent his career into a downward spiral.
Danny gets Esther a one-time waitressing job at a fancy Hollywood party. While serving hors d'œuvres, she catches Norman's eye. The next day, he gets his longtime producer and good friend, Oliver Niles, to give her a screen test. Impressed, he gives her a contract and a new name, "Vicki Lester". Esther practices her few lines for her first tiny role.
When the studio has trouble finding a female lead for Norman's current film, titledThe Enchanted Hour, Norman persuades Oliver to cast Esther. The film makes her an overnight success, just as cinemagoers and exhibitors continue to lose interest in Norman.
Norman proposes to Esther, which she accepts when he promises to give up drinking. They elope without publicity, much to press agent Matt Libby's disgust, and enjoy a trailer-camping honeymoon in the mountains. When they return, Esther's popularity continues to skyrocket, and Norman realizes that his own career is over despite Oliver's attempts to help him.
Norman stays sober for a while, but his frustration over his situation finally pushes him over the edge, and he starts drinking again. When Esther wins the industry's top award (theAcademy Award for Best Actress), he interrupts her acceptance speech by drunkenly demanding three awards for the worst acting of the year and accidentally slapping her when he dramatically swings his arms back.
A stay at a sanatorium seems to cure Norman's increasingly disruptive alcoholism, but a chance encounter with Libby allows the press agent to vent his long-concealed contempt. Norman goes on a four-day drinking binge, and he is arrested for drunk driving. In court, the judge sentences him to 90 days of incarceration, but Esther pleads with the judge to put Norman under her care. The judge, who is impressed with Esther's acting success, suspends Norman's sentence and puts his custody into Esther's hands. Esther decides to give up her career to devote herself to his rehabilitation. After Norman overhears her discussing her plan with Oliver, he drowns himself in the Pacific Ocean.
Shattered, Esther decides to quit and go home. Showing up soon afterward is her grandmother, who has heard that Esther is quitting. Her grandmother tells her of a letter Norman sent her when they got married. The letter stated how proud he was of Esther and how much he loved her.
Due to her grandmother's words and the reminder of Norman's deep love, Esther is convinced to stay in show business. At the premiere of her next film atGrauman's Chinese Theatre, when Esther is asked to say a few words into the microphone to her many fans listening across the world, she announces "Hello, everybody. This is Mrs. Norman Maine."
.jpg)
A Star Is Born was filmed from October to December 1936 with an estimated budget of $1,173,639,[4] and premiered in Los Angeles on April 20, 1937, atGrauman's Chinese Theatre.[5][6] The film's New York premiere took place two days later atRadio City Music Hall.[7]
It is not known how muchDorothy Parker contributed to the finished script. When she first saw the film, Parker was proud of her contribution and boasted about both the script and the film, but in later life she believed that she had contributed nothing of significance.[8] Early in their careers,Budd Schulberg (then ascript reader forDavid O. Selznick) andRing Lardner, Jr. (who was working in Selznick's publicity department) were assigned to write some additional dialogue for the film, a collaboration which producedJanet Gaynor's (and the film's) final words: "This is Mrs. Norman Maine." The line was used again in the1954 remake starringJudy Garland andJames Mason.[9]George Cukor, who directed the remake, suggested adding the scene in the 1937 film in which Menjou offers the fading star a supporting role.
Janet Gaynor was given the first Oscar for Best Actress at the first Academy Awards ceremony on May 16, 1929. In the scene in which Vicky Lester wins an Oscar, it is Janet Gaynor's own Oscar she is holding. In a subsequent scene, the same Oscar is seen sitting on a shelf. Fredric March had won the Oscar for Best Actor (1931/32) on November 18, 1932, for the filmDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (he tied withWallace Beery forThe Champ). Although Norman Maine states that he won an award statue, and the name "Oscar" never is mentioned on screen, it is, presumably, an Oscar. Unlike Janet Gaynor, however, Fredric March's Oscar is never seen.
Some film historians believe that the marriage ofBarbara Stanwyck andFrank Fay was the film's real-life inspiration.John Bowers has also been identified as the inspiration for the Norman Maine character and the dramatic suicide-by-drowning scene near the end of the film (Bowers drowned in November 1936). The film contains several inside jokes, including Gaynor's brief imitations ofGreta Garbo,Katharine Hepburn, andMae West; the "Crawford Smear", referring toJoan Crawford's lipstick; and the revelation that the glamorous Norman Maine's real last name is Hinkle. (Henkel was the real last name of silent film starAgnes Ayres, and not far removed from Fredric March's real last name, Bickel).Charlie Chaplin used the name Hynkel to parodyAdolf Hitler three years later in his filmThe Great Dictator.
This film also has many similarities to the earlier filmWhat Price Hollywood? (1932), released byRKO Radio Pictures. The 1932 film's original title wasThe Truth About Hollywood based on a story byAdela Rogers St. Johns. St. Johns loosely based her plot on the experiences of actressColleen Moore and her husband, alcoholic producerJohn McCormick (1893–1961), and the life and death of directorTom Forman, who committed suicide following a nervous breakdown.[10]
Four years afterWhat Price Hollywood? was released, Selznick approachedGeorge Cukor and asked him to directA Star Is Born. Cukor felt the plot was too similar toWhat Price Hollywood? so he declined. RKO executives considered filing a plagiarism suit againstSelznick International Pictures because of the similarities in the story, but eventually chose not to take legal action. Cukor later directed the1954 musical remake starringJudy Garland.[11][12]
A common Hollywood myth about the film is thatLana Turner appeared as an extra in one of the scenes in the film. Turner often denied the myth over the years, mentioning that she was discovered several months after the picture had finished production.
The title theme "A Star Is Born" was recorded byBuddy Clark with the orchestra ofEddy Duchin. The lyrics were written by Dorothy Dick to the music ofMax Steiner.
A new stereo recording of ten cues from the score was released in 1975 on aUnited Artists LP, withLeRoy Holmes conducting an uncredited orchestra. Abootleg CD (in mono) was issued in the 2000s in Europe, but as of 2025 this recording has not seen a legal, authorized release in a digital format.
In October 2025, theBrigham Young University Film Music Archive issued a CD of the original 1937 soundtrack, derived from the composer's personalacetate discs in the Max Steiner Collection at Brigham Young University. This issue featured both cues that were heard in the finished film, as well as those that were jettisoned at the behest of producerDavid O. Selznick.
Contemporary reviews were very positive. When it premiered at theRadio City Music Hall,Frank S. Nugent ofThe New York Times called the film "one of the year's best shows" as well as "good entertainment by any standards, including the artistic, and convincing proof that Hollywood need not travel toRuritania for its plots; there is drama aplenty in its own backyard."[13]Variety raved: "A smash which unquestionably will rate among the half dozen best of the season ... While the story is somewhat reminiscent of other behind-the-scene yarns, the manner of its telling makes it convincing and distinguished."[14]Harrison's Reports called it "a powerful human interest drama" and "great entertainment."[15]Film Daily said it was "superbly done in all departments,"[16] andJohn Mosher ofThe New Yorker called it "a pleasant movie" with "many nice touches."[17] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reportsan approval rating of 100%, based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10.[18]
The film earned $2.37 million in worldwide theater rentals,[3] including $1.43 million domestically,[19] and by the end of 1939 the film had generated a profit of $181,000.[2] It was the first film to show that films about Hollywood could be successful.[20]
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Outstanding Production | Selznick International Pictures | Nominated | [21] |
| Best Director | William A. Wellman | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Fredric March | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress | Janet Gaynor | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Story | William A. Wellman[22] andRobert Carson | Won | ||
| Best Adaptation | Alan Campbell, Robert Carson, andDorothy Parker | Nominated | ||
| Best Assistant Director | Eric Stacey | Nominated | ||
| Academy Honorary Award | W. Howard Greene[23] | Won | ||
| National Board of Review Awards | Top Ten Films | 9th Place | [24] | |
| Venice International Film Festival | Best Foreign Film | William A. Wellman | Nominated | |
At the time of the release of the film, a 15-minute transcription – a pre-recorded radio show issued on 16-inch disc – promoting the film's release was made. The narrated promotional radio show included sound clips from the film. The show was recorded and released through the World Broadcasting System, with disc matrix number H-1636-2.
The film was adapted as a radio play on the September 13, 1937, episode ofLux Radio Theater withRobert Montgomery andJanet Gaynor; the November 17, 1940, episode ofThe Screen Guild Theater starringLoretta Young andBurgess Meredith; the December 28, 1942, episode ofLux Radio Theater withJudy Garland andWalter Pidgeon; the June 29, 1946, episode ofAcademy Award Theater, starring Fredric March; the May 23, 1948, episode of theFord Theatre; and the June 16, 1950, episode ofScreen Director's Playhouse starring Fredric March.[25]
A Star Is Born has been remade four times, in1951 (a television adaptation) withKathleen Crowley andConrad Nagel; in1954 withJudy Garland andJames Mason; in1976 withBarbra Streisand andKris Kristofferson; and in2018 withLady Gaga andBradley Cooper. Altogether, the four movies received 25 nominations for various Academy Awards, winning only three: 1937, Best Writing (original story); 1976, Best Music (original song); 2018, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (original song), and also an honorary award in 1937 (color photography).[26][27]
The movie has also been remade (or adapted), albeit unofficially, inHindi asAbhimaan (1973, starringAmitabh Bachchan andJaya Bachchan) andAashiqui 2 (2013, starringAditya Roy Kapoor andShraddha Kapoor), which in turn was remade inTelugu asNee Jathaga Nenundali (2014).[28] There was also a remake inBengali asBilambita Loy (1970), starringUttam KumarandSupriya Choudhury.[29]
.jpg)
Selznick International Pictures dissolved leaving the film's rights to financier John Hay Whitney. Whitney then sold the film toFilm Classics, Inc. in 1943. With declining rerun revenue, Film Classics placed the film up for sale with producer Edward L. Alperson with the intent to remake the film. Instead Alperson sold the film's copyright including film, story, screenplay, and score to Warner Bros. in 1953.[30] Warner in 1954 issued the first remake.[31] In 1965, the film entered thepublic domain in the United States because Warner did not renew its copyright registration in the 28th year after publication.[32][33][31]
The film was released on Blu-ray in the US by Kino Lorber Inc. in February 2012, featuring an edition authorized by the estate of David O. Selznick from the collection ofGeorge Eastman House.[34]
A second Blu-ray fromWarner Archive Collection was released in March 2022 with a 4K restoration from the aforementioned original 35MM nitrate technicolor negative. That release contains the original trailer plusMerrie Melodies cartoonA Star Is Hatched (sinceTurner Entertainment currently owns the distribution rights for this bonus cartoon feature which was part of pre-August 1948 Warner Bros. Cartoons library underUnited Artists' shares such asAssociated Artists Productions catalogue), and the live-action shortsMal Hallett & His Orchestra,Taking the Count andAlibi Mark. In addition, two radioLux Radio Theater broadcasts from 1937 and 1942 are included. Janet Gaynor reprised her role in the 1937 broadcast, and the 1942 broadcast featuredJudy Garland who played Esther in the1954 musical adaption.[35]
On its initial release,A Star is Born took in $2.37 million in gross revenues, but returned a net profit to SIP of only $100,000 due to UA's marketing and sales policies, which Selznick found much inferior to MGM's and was determined to correct.
This figure appears to be the world gross forA Star is Born, in the DOSC SIP distribution files,Star grossed $1,438,283.31 as of 29 March 1938 (figure from memo penned by Lowell V. Calvert to David O. Selznick) while another memo from Selznick and John Wharton dated 22 September 1937 detailed the estimate of a worldwide gross of $2.5 million (with domestic being at $1,650,000).
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
