The Star (1952)

A washed-up movie queen finds romance, but still desires a come-back.

Director:

Stuart Heisler

Writers:

Dale Eunson (original screenplay), Katherine Albert (original screenplay)

Stars:

Bette Davis, Sterling Hayden, Natalie Wood

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bette Davis	...	Margaret Elliot
Sterling Hayden	...	Jim Johannsen aka Barry Lester
Natalie Wood	...	Gretchen
Warner Anderson	...	Harry Stone
Minor Watson	...	Joe Morrison
June Travis	...	Phyllis Stone
Paul Frees	...	Richard Stanley
Robert Warrick	...	R.J., Aging Actor at Party
Barbara Lawrence	...	Barbara Lawrence
Fay Baker	...	Faith
Herb Vigran	...	Roy

Storyline

Middle-aged Oscar winning actress Margaret Elliot - Maggie to those that know her - is a Hollywood has-been. Her life is in shambles. She clings to the hope of resurrecting her past movie stardom as a leading ingénue. No one will hire her, she's penniless with creditors selling off anything that she owns that is of monetary value, and she has no one to turn to that can see her through financially. She has in the past supported her sister and brother-in-law, who still want to use her as their meal ticket. Divorced from her actor husband, she shares joint custody of their teen-aged daughter Gretchen, from who Maggie tries to hide her problems. When it looks as if Maggie has hit rock bottom, Jim Johannsen re-enters her life. Jim, who once had the stage name Barry Lester, got his big break in Hollywood movies by Maggie. He came to the quick realization that he was neither good as an actor or that he wanted to do it as a profession. He now works as a boat parts supplier and mechanic. Jim ...

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Plot Keywords:

hollywood | actor | career | shipyard | joint custody | 

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Taglines:

The story of a woman...who thought she was a star so high in the sky no man could touch her!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 December 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Estrela

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bert E. Friedlob Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where a drunken Margaret Elliot takes her Oscar for a ride in her car, Bette Davis used one of her own Oscars.

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Goofs

When Gretchen changes direction on the boat for the second time, Margaret is knocked way over to the left by the sail. She turns around to laugh, but is shown seated on the far right.

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Quotes

[to her Oscar statuette]
Margaret Elliott: Come on, Oscar, let's you and me get drunk!

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Connections

Referenced in This Is Your Life: Bette Davis (1971)

User Reviews

Close to home?

Watching The Star I wondered how close to him it all was for Davis. There's a scene in the end where it gets meta and you can almost see Davis as Margaret hearing the script storyline that she is offered. Regardless, this is a fine film and it has Davis working with her usual spark and unlikeable presence. But like always, she knows how to make you root for her. I also think the running time, while seems short, is pretty much the perfect length for the story the film is trying to tell. This is a problem I thought Mr. Skeffington had, way too long for its own good. So yeah, if you want to seek out all of Davis this is still a fine entry and a required one really.