A Star Is Born (1937)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

William A. Wellman
(more)

Writers:

William A. Wellman (story) and
Robert Carson (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

27 April 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Fate Raised Her To Fame - and killed the man she loved !

Plot:

A young woman comes to Hollywood with dreams of stardom, but achieves them only with the help of an alcoholic leading man whose best days are behind him.

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Alcoholic | Party | Famous Line | Sanitarium

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Janet Gaynor	...	Esther Victoria Blodgett, aka Vicki Lester
Fredric March	...	Norman Maine
Adolphe Menjou	...	Oliver Niles
May Robson	...	Grandmother Lettie
Andy Devine	...	Daniel 'Danny' McGuire
Lionel Stander	...	Matt Libby
Owen Moore	...	Casey Burke, director
Peggy Wood	...	Miss Phillips, Central Casting clerk
Elizabeth Jenns	...	Anita Regis
Edgar Kennedy	...	Pop Randall, landlord
J.C. Nugent	...	Mr. Blodgett
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams	...	Posture coach (as Guinn Williams)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eric Alden	...	Assistant to Oliver Niles (uncredited)
Irving Bacon	...	Station Agent (uncredited)
Jane Barnes	...	Waitress #1 (uncredited)
Vince Barnett	...	Otto, photographer (uncredited)
Clara Blandick	...	Aunt Mattie (uncredited)
Wade Boteler	...	Policeman at Santa Anita (uncredited)
Sidney Bracey	...	Butler at Burke's party (uncredited)
Harry C. Bradley	...	Assistant to Oliver Niles (uncredited)
Lynton Brent	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Blanche Bush	...	(uncredited)
Helene Chadwick	...	Woman at preview (uncredited)
George Chandler	...	Deliveryman (uncredited)
Billy Coe	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Virginia Dabney	...	(uncredited)
Billy Dooley	...	Film crewman with spray gun (uncredited)
Dora Early	...	(uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	Bartender at Burke's home (uncredited)
Pat Flaherty	...	'Cuddles', sanitarium guard (uncredited)
Francis Ford	...	William Gregory, first defendant (uncredited)
Trixie Friganza	...	Mabel, waitress #2 (uncredited)
Jean Gale	...	(uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	Garcia, boxer (uncredited)
Harrison Greene	...	Chubby previewer (uncredited)
Carlton Griffin	...	Cameraman (uncredited)
Jonathan Hale	...	Night Court Judge George J. Parris (uncredited)
Sherry Hall	...	Night Court clerk (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Policeman outside night courtroom (uncredited)
Lillian Harmer	...	Wardrobe woman (uncredited)
Grace Hayle	...	Woman in funeral mob scene (uncredited)
Edward Hearn	...	Sanitarium attendant (uncredited)
Leon Holmes	...	(uncredited)
Robert Homans	...	Night Court bailiff (uncredited)
Kenneth Howell	...	Milton Rails, second defendant (uncredited)
Olin Howland	...	Judd Baker, motorist (uncredited)
Arthur Hoyt	...	Assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
Mary Jane Irving	...	(uncredited)
I. Stanford Jolley	...	Boxing ringsider (uncredited)
Eddie Kane	...	Guest at Burke's party (uncredited)
Matty Kemp	...	Preview reporter (uncredited)
Claude King	...	John, guest at Burke's party (uncredited)
Carole Landis	...	Girl in beret at Santa Anita bar (uncredited)
Myra Marsh	...	Assistant to Oliver Niles (uncredited)
Chris-Pin Martin	...	José Rodriguez, last defendant (uncredited)
Edwin Maxwell	...	Voice coach (uncredited)
Buddy Messinger	...	Boy delivering fan mail (uncredited)
Willy Morris	...	Niles' secretary (uncredited)
Ferdinand Munier	...	Waiter at Burke's party (uncredited)
Marshall Neilan	...	Bert, at Santa Anita clubhouse (uncredited)
David Newell	...	Sam, at Santa Anita clubhouse (uncredited)
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Bartender at Santa Anita clubhouse (uncredited)
Dennis O'Keefe	...	Guest at Burke's party (uncredited)
Ted Oliver	...	Policeman #2 at Santa Anita (uncredited)
Renee Orsell	...	(uncredited)
Franklin Pangborn	...	Billy Moon, radio commentator (uncredited)
Harvey Parry	...	Boxer (uncredited)
Bob Perry	...	Boxing match referee (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Bailiff #1 (uncredited)
Jed Prouty	...	Artie Carver, columnist (uncredited)
Sally Raynor	...	(uncredited)
Tom Ricketts	...	Ray, Vicki's servant (uncredited)
Adrian Rosley	...	Makeup artist (uncredited)
Kathryn Sheldon	...	Funeral Spectator (uncredited)
Paul Stanton	...	Academy Award presenter (uncredited)
Vera Steadman	...	(uncredited)
A.W. Sweatt	...	Aleck Blodgett, Esther's brother (uncredited)
Margaret Tallichet	...	Marion, at Santa Anita clubhouse (uncredited)
Fred 'Snowflake' Toones	...	Black man on witness stand (uncredited)
Lana Turner	...	Extra at Santa Anita (uncredited)
Leonard Walker	...	Orchestra leader at Hollywood Bowl (uncredited)
Luana Walters	...	(uncredited)
Cynthia Westlake	...	(uncredited)
Gayne Whitman	...	Radio announcer at Grauman's Chinese Theater (uncredited)
Charles Williams	...	Hanley, assistant cameraman (uncredited)
Clarence Wilson	...	Justice of the Peace (uncredited)

Directed by
William A. Wellman
Jack Conway		(uncredited)

Writing credits
William A. Wellman		(story) and
Robert Carson		(story)
Dorothy Parker		(screenplay) &
Alan Campbell		(screenplay) &
Robert Carson		(screenplay)
Ben Hecht		(contributing writer) uncredited and
Ring Lardner Jr.		(contributing writer) uncredited and
John Lee Mahin		(contributing writer) uncredited and
Budd Schulberg		(contributing writer) uncredited and
David O. Selznick		(contributing writer) uncredited
Adela Rogers St. Johns		uncredited

Produced by
David O. Selznick	....	producer

Original Music by
Max Steiner

Cinematography by
W. Howard Greene

Film Editing by
James E. Newcom
Anson Stevenson		(uncredited)

Casting by
Charles Richards		(uncredited)

Production Design by
Lansing C. Holden		(as Lansing Holden)

Art Direction by
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Costume Design by
Omar Kiam

Makeup Department
Elizabeth Arden	....	makeup artist: screen and stage (uncredited)
Paul Stanhope	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Eddie Voight	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Ray Flynn	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eric Stacey	....	assistant director

Art Department
Edward G. Boyle	....	associate art director
Harold Fenton	....	construction supervisor (uncredited)
Robert Lander	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Oscar Lagerstrom	....	sound recordist (as Oscar Lagestrom)

Special Effects by
Jack Cosgrove	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
James Potevin	....	chief electrician (uncredited)
Cliff Shirpser	....	assistant camera: Technicolor (uncredited)
Melbourne Spurr	....	publicity photographer (uncredited)
Fred Williams	....	grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eddie Schmidt	....	wardrobe designer: Adolphe Menjou (uncredited)
Eddie Schmidt	....	wardrobe maker: Adolphe Menjou (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Hal C. Kern	....	supervising editor
Val Lewton	....	editing assistant: David O. Selznick (uncredited)

Music Department
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Bernhard Kaun	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
George Parrish	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color supervisor
Russell Birdwell	....	press representative (uncredited)
Barbara Keon	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Corynn Kiehl	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Mason N. Litson	....	location manager (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Selznick International Pictures

Distributors

• United Artists (1937) (USA) (theatrical)
• Film Classics (1945) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Image Entertainment (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (1997) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Kino Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Master Movies (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Simitar Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Ventura Distribution (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Ventura Distribution (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Navarre Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• Vidtape (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Delta Expedition (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Adams Filmi (1937) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Dr. Hauser & Company (1937) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Castle Communications (1993) (Finland) (VHS)
• Finnkino (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Mistar (1990) (Finland) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2007) (USA) (all media)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1987) (Finland) (TV) (TV1)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1995) (1996) (2007) (Finland) (TV) (TV2)

Other Companies

• Western Costume Company  costumes supplied by
• Western Electric  sound system

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #2968) | Finland:S | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Selznick International Pictures

Trivia:

The movie's line "Hello, everybody. This is Mrs. Norman Maine." was voted as the #52 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by Premiere in 2007.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the night court scene, the judge refers to the "commonwealth" but the movie is set in California which isn't one of the states to have commonwealth status. The judge should have referred to the "state" instead.

Quotes:

Oliver Niles: Now, I'm going to turn you over to our demon press agent, Libby. Don't let him frighten you. He has a heart of gold... only harder.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Facts of Life: A Star Is Torn (#8.15)" (1987)

Soundtrack:

Wah! Hoo!

colour stardom of Esther Blodgett

Janet Gaynor plays Esther Blodgett beautifully, a girl who leaves for Hollywood with dreams of film magazines and the blessing of her granny. Once there she finds it tough-going until meeting Norman Maine (Fredric March) at a party. We've already seen Norman drunk at a theatre but here he charms Esther and actually gets her into the movies before marrying her and watching his own career crumble. March is excellent in this, and the look of the film is surprisingly modern with its lovely technicolor and gadgets (I particularly like the shower in the motor home Esther and Norman take on honeymoon). Esther's move to become star Vicki Lester, Oscar-winning actress, is unbelievable but as her real-life tragedy unfolds, compelling. And who can stay dry-eyed at the end? Remade with music and Judy Garland in 1954 (very well) but this first version is a jewel amongst other 30s classics.