A Star Is Born (1976)

Director:

Frank Pierson

Writers:

William A. Wellman (1937 story) and
Robert Carson (1937 story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

17 December 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Romance

Plot:

A has-been rock star falls in love with a young, up-and-coming songstress.

Plot Keywords:

Rock Star | Love | Star | Has Been | Manager

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 6 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Barbra Streisand	...	Esther Hoffman
Kris Kristofferson	...	John Norman Howard
Gary Busey	...	Bobbie Ritchie
Oliver Clark	...	Gary Danziger
Venetta Fields	...	One of the Oreos
Clydie King	...	One of the Oreos
Marta Heflin	...	Quentin
M.G. Kelly	...	Bebe Jesus
Sally Kirkland	...	Photographer
Joanne Linville	...	Freddie
Uncle Rudy	...	Mo
Paul Mazursky	...	Brian
Stephen Bruton	...	Speedway
Sammy Lee Creason	...	Speedway (as Sam Creason)
Cleve Dupin	...	Speedway
Donnie Fritts	...	Speedway
Dean Hagen	...	Speedway
Booker T. Jones	...	Speedway
Jerry McGee	...	Speedway
Art Munson	...	Speedway
Charles Owens	...	Speedway
Terry Paul	...	Speedway
Jack Redmond	...	Speedway
Bobby Shew	...	Speedway
Mike Utley	...	Speedway (as Michael Utley)
Montrose	...	Themselves
Bill Graham	...	Himself
Rita Coolidge	...	Herself
Tony Orlando	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Aesop Aquarian	...	Recording Engineer - 'Meow-Chow' Catfood Commercial (uncredited)
Brent Carpenter	...	Extra (uncredited)
Robert Englund	...	Marty (uncredited)
Sandy Helberg	...	Kevin (uncredited)
Roslyn Kind	...	Table Guest at Grammy Awards (uncredited)
Maidie Norman	...	Justice of the Peace (uncredited)
Neil Norman	...	Record Producer (uncredited)

Directed by
Frank Pierson

Writing credits
William A. Wellman		(1937 story) and
Robert Carson		(1937 story)
John Gregory Dunne		&
Joan Didion		and
Frank Pierson
Jonathan Axelrod		uncredited
Jay Presson Allen		uncredited
Alvin Sargent		uncredited

Produced by
Jon Peters	....	producer
Barbra Streisand	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Roger Kellaway

Cinematography by
Robert Surtees

Film Editing by
Peter Zinner

Production Design by
Polly Platt

Art Direction by
William Hiney

Set Decoration by
Ruby R. Levitt		(as Ruby Levitt)

Costume Design by
Seth Banks
Shirlee Strahm

Makeup Department
Barbara Lampson	....	hair stylist
Kaye Pownall	....	hair stylist: Ms. Streisand
Allan Snyder	....	makeup artist
Marvin C. Thompson	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Howard Pine	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michele Ader	....	second assistant director
Stuart Fleming	....	assistant director (as Stu Fleming)
Edward Ledding	....	second assistant director (as Ed Ledding)
John Slosser	....	additional second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Joe Acord	....	construction coordinator
Arthur Friedrich	....	property master
Bruce Wayne Mecchi	....	leadman (uncredited)
Eugene J. Reed	....	carpenter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Robert Glass	....	dubbing mixer (as Bob Glass)
Robert Knudson	....	dubbing mixer
Marvin I. Kosberg	....	sound effects editor
Tom Overton	....	production sound mixer
Josef von Stroheim	....	sound effects editor
Dan Wallin	....	dubbing mixer
Stephen Katz	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby (uncredited)
Phil Ramone	....	sound mixer: live recording (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Chuck Gaspar	....	special effects

Stunts
Lightning Bear	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hal Needham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Spanky Spangler	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ron Stein	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Richard Barth	....	assistant camera
Jules Fisher	....	concert lighting
Daniel R. Jordan	....	key grip (as Dan Jordan)
Earl Kennedy	....	gaffer
Victor Nikaido	....	assistant camera
Charles W. Short	....	camera operator
Robert C. Thomas	....	camera operator (as Robert Thomas)
Ron Grover	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Serge Poupis	....	assistant camera: second unit (uncredited)
John R. Shannon	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Johnny Walker	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Dianne Crittenden	....	casting supervisor
Frank Kennedy	....	extras casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Seth Banks	....	wardrobe
Shirlee Strahm	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Marilyn Madderom	....	apprentice editor
Michael E. Polakow	....	apprentice editor
Florence Williamson	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
John Caper Jr.	....	music editor
Phil Ramone	....	music & live recordings producer
Barbra Streisand	....	musical concepts
Paul Williams	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Alan Falco	....	transportation

Other crew
Scott Conrad	....	special sequences
Betty Crosby	....	script supervisor
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Gene Levy	....	production auditor
Joan Marshall	....	assistant: Ms. Streisand (as Joan Marshall Ashby)
Jeff Werner	....	special sequences
David Winters	....	choreographer
Laura Ziskin	....	assistant: Mr. Peters
Dominic Santarone	....	caterer (uncredited)
Ruth Santarone	....	caterer (uncredited)

Thanks
Grace Davidson	....	special thanks
Joyce Sullivan	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Barwood Films
• First Artists
• Winters Hollywood Entertainment Holdings Corporation

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1980) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2013) (Germany) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Columbia Records  soundtrack
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Phoenix Film Office  special thanks
• Winters Hollywood Entertainment Holdings Corporation  choreography

Also Known As:

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | New Zealand:R16 | South Korea:15 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Company:

Barwood Films

Trivia:

Another choice for the role of John Norman Howard was Mick Jagger.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the swimming pool scene after the motorcycle accident at the stadium concert, John N Howard has Ace bandages on his foot and right hand. Yet, he is shown using the right hand to use a pair of crutches (would be too painful with a wrist sprain). He is also shown swimming, which is also painful to sprained joints. He is not shown wincing at all while swimming. He also puts weight on his right hand as he is getting out of the pool, pushing up on his fingertips on a straightened wrist. This would not be possible without severe pain, if the wrist is in fact damaged enough to require an Ace bandage.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Werewolf (#10.4)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

EVERYTHING

An Enduring Tale

Transferred from the world of Hollywood to the world of rock music, this latest version of A Star Is Born lacks the glamor of the other two, mainly because the field is a less glamorous one. Nevertheless the role of Esther has attracted only the best of players, from Janet Gaynor to Judy Garland and now Barbra Streisand. That's a hat trick hard to beat in any field.

In the other two versions, Fredric March and then James Mason, are a pair of self destructive drunks who when we meet them are on the downward side of their careers and have only one ennobling virtue, their love for Gaynor/Garland. Kris Kristofferson however is a multi-substance abuser and because we're talking about the rock scene has the groupies attached to him. Unlike in the other two versions, Streisand catches him with one and the whole thing about the pure love loses its potency because of it. However the incident does set him up for his final moment of self destruction.

All the supporting characters from the other two versions are completely eliminated. Gary Busey has a nice role as Kristofferson's music arranger who fulfills many of the functions that eliminated characters from the other versions have. The rest of the film's supporting parts are very undefined which makes this version weaker than the others.

But for those who are interested in hearing Barbra sing, A Star Is Born will more than satisfy you. The film got an Oscar for the song Evergreen which Kristofferson and Streisand duet and it became one of her best selling records. Judy Garland was similarly served in her version with The Man That Got Away although that song was nominated and did not win.

A Star Is Born is an enduring tale and I don't think we've seen the last of it. May the next group of players do the story as much justice as the three pairs of co-stars I've cited.