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A Star Is Born (1954) 7.7
A movie star helps a young singer/actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral. Director:George Cukor |
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Title: A Star Is Born (1954)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Judy Garland | ... | ||
| James Mason | ... | ||
| Jack Carson | ... | ||
| Charles Bickford | ... | ||
| Tommy Noonan | ... |
Danny McGuire
(as Tom Noonan)
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Lucy Marlow | ... |
Lola Lavery
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| Amanda Blake | ... |
Susan Ettinger
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Irving Bacon | ... |
Graves
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Hazel Shermet | ... |
Libby's Secretary
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| James Brown | ... |
Glenn Williams
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Norman Maine, a movie star whose career is on the wane, meets showgirl Esther Blodgett when he drunkenly stumbles into her act one night. A friendship develops, then blossoms into romance before tensions increase as Esther's career takes off while Norman's continues to plummet. Written by Col Needham <col@imdb.com>
Taglines:
"A BRILLIANTLY STAGED, SCORED AND PHOTOGRAPHED FILM WORTH ALL THE EFFORT!" Life Magazine (original ad - mostly caps) See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
16 October 1954 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Nace una estrella See more »Filming Locations:
Lancaster Hotel - 121 N. Flower Street, Bunker Hill, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »Box Office
Budget:
$5,019,770 (estimated)Gross:
$4,355,968 (USA)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (premiere) | (restored) | (DVD) | (cut)Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.55 : 1
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Norman Maine: Don't I now?
Esther Blodgett: [stops laughing, suddenly shocked] And you're cold sober.
Norman Maine: Well, you'd better make the most of it!
See more »
(uncredited)
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Performed by Judy Garland
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Did You Know?
Trivia
At age 20, Judy Garland first had played the role of Vicki Lester (Esther Blodgett) on the "Lux Radio Theatre" hour-long adaptation of the original 1937 film. The CBS broadcast of December 28, 1942, without songs, co-starred Walter Pidgeon as Norman Maine. See more »Goofs
When Esther and Norman are in Norman's Lincoln convertible, in the closeups the seats have a blanket over the backrest, but in earlier and later shots only the car's standard upholstery is visible. See more »Quotes
Esther Blodgett: [Norman has returned to find Esther in a nightclub. Esther walks over to him with a small laugh] Hello, Mr. Maine. You turn up in the strangest places.Norman Maine: Don't I now?
Esther Blodgett: [stops laughing, suddenly shocked] And you're cold sober.
Norman Maine: Well, you'd better make the most of it!
See more »
Soundtracks
"Gotta Have Me Go with You"(uncredited)
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Performed by Judy Garland
See more »
The 1954 musicalized version of A Star Is Born is a great film. Judy Garland and James Mason (both Oscar nominated) turn in terrific performance as Esther and Norman. Like its 1937 predecessor (which starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March—both Oscar nominated), the 1954 version follows the ups and down of two people set against the vicious world of Hollywood. The newer version sticks to the basic story but adds some great numbers for Garland, including "The Man That Got Away" and "I Was Born in a Trunk." In a major comeback, Garland had not worked in films since Summer Stock (1950), and her performance here is the best of her career. That she lost the Oscar to Grace Kelly for The Country Girl is one of Hollywood's great inequities. Mason lost to Marlon Brando for On the Waterfront. Garland sings superbly and is a great comic and dramatic actress. Her Esther is more vulnerable than Gaynor's just as Mason's Norman is more pathetic than March's. I love both versions. Charles Bickford and Jack Carson play the other major parts, played by Adolphe Menjou and Lionel Stander in 1937. Two major supporting roles from the 1937 version were cut from the 1954 version: Esther's first Hollywood friend (Andy Devine) and her intrepid grandmother (the great May Robson). But Garland's musical numbers make up for their absence. Oddly, despite the great hullabaloo surrounding A Star Is Born, it was not nominated for best picture, and George Cukor was bypassed in the directing category. One of the best musicals ever made.