Star Dust (1940)

Carolyn Sayres gets a Hollywood contract from talent scout Brooke but is later rejected because she's too young. She falls in love with Bud Borden, another contractee who helps her to ... See full summary »

Director:

Walter Lang

Writers:

Kenneth Earl (story), Robert Ellis,

Stars:

Linda Darnell, John Payne, Roland Young

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Linda Darnell	...	Carolyn Sayres
John Payne	...	Ambrose Fillmore / Bud Borden
Roland Young	...	Thomas Brooke
Charlotte Greenwood	...	Lola Langdon
William Gargan	...	Dane Wharton
Mary Beth Hughes	...	June Lawrence
Mary Healy	...	Mary Andrews
Donald Meek	...	Sam Wellman
Jessie Ralph	...	Aunt Martha Parker
Walter Kingsford	...	Napoleon in Screen Test
George Montgomery	...	Ronnie
Robert Lowery	...	Bellboy
Hal K. Dawson	...	Cargo, Wellman's Assistant
Jody Gilbert	...	Swedish Maid
Gary Breckner	...	Announcer

Storyline

Carolyn Sayres gets a Hollywood contract from talent scout Brooke but is later rejected because she's too young. She falls in love with Bud Borden, another contractee who helps her to become a star. Based partly on Darnells' early experiences in Hollywood. Wharton is a parody of Zanuck.

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Plot Keywords:

hollywood | talent scout | movie star | movie premiere | train | 

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Genres:

Drama | Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 April 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Estrela Luminosa

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 86 min (FMC Library Print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Biography: Linda Darnell: Hollywood's Fallen Angel (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Star Dust"
Music by Hoagy Carmichael
Lyrics by Mitchell Parish
Played during the opening credits and often in the score
Also performed by Mary Healy

User Reviews

Linda Darnell's Rise to Stardom!

Linda Darnell wants to be discovered by a talent scout. Well, luck falls in her lap, when Roland Young, ex-silent screen star and now movie studio talent scout, enters her diner near a college campus looking for some fresh faces. Costarring John Payne and Charlotte Greenwood with a young George Montgomery and young Robert Lowery in bit parts and other recognizeable faces, this is a pretty enjoyable film with some upbeat songs near the beginning. If I have any major problems with it, it's that it's not funny enough or involving enough in the second half to really captivate the viewer's interest. But on the whole, it should please most viewers.

There are also two other things I wanted to comment on:

(1) This movie mirrors Linda Darnell's own career. And, maybe it was the inspiration for penning this movie. When Miss Darnell was first discovered, she was under age and the Fox executives were reluctant to put her under contract. That's all I really know. But, that happens to her character here, too. (Also, this was only her third film, her second being "Day-Time Wife," which I have also reviewed.)

(2) And, on a sad note, one night while visiting a friend, Miss Darnell was badly burned, when the house caught on fire and she never recovered. She had just watched "Star Dust" on TV that night.