SYNOPSIS: "A Star Is Born" (1937) unfolds as a poignant romantic drama centered around Esther Blodgett, a spirited young woman from North Dakota with dreams of making it big in Hollywood. Renaming herself Vicki Lester, she catches the eye of Norman Maine, a seasoned yet troubled actor, at a Hollywood party. Despite Norman's declining career and battles with alcoholism, he recognizes Vicki's raw talent and becomes both her mentor and husband. As Vicki's star rises in the cutthroat world of showbiz, Norman's personal demons escalate, straining their relationship. The film delves deep into their complex dynamic, exploring themes of ambition, love, and sacrifice against the backdrop of Hollywood's glamour and harsh realities. Janet Gaynor portrays Esther/Vicki with grace and determination, while Fredric March delivers a poignant performance as Norman, capturing the heartache and turmoil of a man grappling with his own fading stardom. Adolphe Menjou shines as Oliver Niles, the studio head who nurtures Vicki's career, and Andy Devine provides warmth as Danny McGuire, Vicki's steadfast friend. May Robson and Clara Blandick round out the cast, offering support and familial wisdom to Esther as she navigates the highs and lows of fame. "A Star Is Born" remains a timeless exploration of fame's costs and the enduring power of love in Hollywood's glittering world.

PLOT Spoiler Alert: "A Star Is Born" begins in North Dakota, where Esther Blodgett (Janet Gaynor) dreams of becoming a Hollywood actress. Despite her family's skepticism, her grandmother (May Robson) supports her ambitions and gives her savings to help Esther move to Hollywood. Esther heads to Tinseltown with high hopes but faces numerous rejections.

In Hollywood, Esther's luck changes when she meets successful but alcoholic actor Norman Maine (Fredric March) at a party. Norman is immediately struck by Esther's beauty and talent. He offers her a screen test, and despite initial reluctance from the studio head, Oliver Niles (Adolphe Menjou), Esther is cast in a small role. Her performance impresses everyone, leading to a starring role and the adoption of the screen name Vicki Lester.

As Vicki's career skyrockets, she and Norman fall in love and get married. However, Norman's career is on a downward spiral due to his alcoholism and increasingly erratic behavior. Despite his attempts to stay sober and support Vicki, he cannot escape his demons. At an awards ceremony, a drunken Norman embarrasses Vicki, leading to his arrest and stint in rehab.

Determined to save her marriage and help Norman, Vicki takes a break from her career. Despite her efforts, Norman's career continues to falter. Realizing he is dragging Vicki down, Norman decides to take drastic action. He tells Vicki he is going to swim in the ocean but instead walks into the water and drowns himself.

The tragic news of Norman's death devastates Vicki. At his funeral, she is inconsolable, but her grandmother reminds her of the importance of perseverance and the love she and Norman shared. Vicki decides to honor Norman's legacy by continuing her career. In the film's poignant final scene, Vicki returns to Hollywood and, at a public appearance, introduces herself as "Mrs. Norman Maine," acknowledging the profound impact Norman had on her life and career.

PRODUCTION: "A Star Is Born" was filmed from October to December 1936 with an estimated budget of $1,173,639. The screenplay's development involved notable literary figures of the time. Dorothy Parker, a renowned writer and critic, contributed to the script. However, her exact contributions remain uncertain. Initially, Parker took pride in her work on the film and openly praised both the script and the final product. Yet, as years passed, she downplayed her role, claiming she had contributed nothing of significance.

Two other future luminaries of Hollywood, Budd Schulberg and Ring Lardner, Jr., who were early in their careers and working for David O. Selznick, also played a role in the screenplay. Schulberg, then a script reader, and Lardner, working in the publicity department, were tasked with writing additional dialogue. Their collaboration resulted in the film's memorable closing line, delivered by Janet Gaynor's character: "This is Mrs. Norman Maine." This poignant line was reused in the 1954 remake starring Judy Garland and James Mason. George Cukor, who directed the 1954 version, suggested adding a scene to the 1937 film where Menjou offers a supporting role to the fading star, enriching the narrative.

Janet Gaynor, who starred as Vicky Lester, held a unique connection to the Academy Awards. She had received the first Oscar for Best Actress at the inaugural Academy Awards ceremony on May 16, 1929. In the film, when Vicky Lester wins an Oscar, Gaynor is seen holding her own Academy Award. This personal touch added authenticity to the scene. In a subsequent shot, the same Oscar is visibly placed on a shelf.

Fredric March, who portrayed Norman Maine, had won the Oscar for Best Actor in the 1931/32 awards for his role in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," a win he shared with Wallace Beery for "The Champ." Although Maine mentions winning an award in "A Star Is Born," the specific name "Oscar" is never used on screen, and March's actual Oscar is not shown, unlike Gaynor's.

The production of "A Star Is Born" was a landmark in Hollywood, not only for its storytelling and performances but also for its behind-the-scenes collaborations and the personal histories of its stars, which added layers of depth and realism to the film.

BACKGROUND: Some film historians believe that the tumultuous marriage of Barbara Stanwyck and Frank Fay served as the real-life inspiration for "A Star Is Born." Additionally, John Bowers has been identified as the inspiration for the character of Norman Maine, particularly the dramatic suicide-by-drowning scene near the end of the film, which mirrors Bowers' own tragic death by drowning in November 1936.

The film is peppered with several inside jokes that would have resonated with contemporary audiences. Janet Gaynor's character performs brief imitations of iconic actresses Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, and Mae West. The "Crawford Smear," a reference to Joan Crawford's distinctive lipstick style, makes an appearance. Moreover, the revelation that the glamorous Norman Maine's real last name is Hinkle adds a layer of humor; Agnes Ayres, a silent film star, had the real last name Henkel, and Fredric March's real last name was Bickel. Interestingly, Charlie Chaplin would later use the name Hynkel to parody Adolf Hitler in his 1940 film "The Great Dictator."

"A Star Is Born" shares many similarities with an earlier film, "What Price Hollywood?" (1932), released by RKO Radio Pictures. Initially titled "The Truth About Hollywood," this film was based on a story by Adela Rogers St. Johns, who drew from the experiences of actress Colleen Moore and her husband, the alcoholic producer John McCormick, as well as the life and death of director Tom Forman, who committed suicide following a nervous breakdown.

Four years after the release of "What Price Hollywood?", David O. Selznick approached George Cukor to direct "A Star Is Born." Cukor, however, declined, feeling that the plot was too similar to the earlier film. Despite the striking resemblances, RKO executives eventually decided against filing a plagiarism suit against Selznick International Pictures. Interestingly, Cukor would later direct the 1954 musical remake of "A Star Is Born," starring Judy Garland.

A persistent Hollywood myth about the film is that a young Lana Turner appeared as an extra. Turner consistently denied this over the years, clarifying that she was discovered several months after "A Star Is Born" had completed production.

The production of "A Star Is Born" not only drew from real-life Hollywood stories but also left an indelible mark on the industry, influencing future remakes and becoming a quintessential tale of fame and its costs.

RELEASE: "A Star Is Born," released in 1937, quickly garnered acclaim both critically and commercially. The film's production, directed by William A. Wellman and produced by David O. Selznick, spanned from October to December 1936 with an estimated budget of $1,173,639. It premiered in Los Angeles on April 20, 1937, at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and two days later, it had its New York premiere at Radio City Music Hall. 

Contemporary reviews were overwhelmingly positive. Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times lauded it as "one of the year's best shows" and praised its engaging narrative, asserting that "Hollywood need not travel to Ruritania for its plots; there is drama aplenty in its own backyard." Variety echoed this sentiment, calling it "a smash which unquestionably will rate among the half dozen best of the season," and highlighting the film's convincing and distinguished storytelling. Harrison's Reports described it as "a powerful human interest drama" and "great entertainment," while Film Daily commended its superb execution in all aspects. John Mosher of The New Yorker found it to be "a pleasant movie" with "many nice touches."

Box office performance for "A Star Is Born" was strong, earning $2.37 million in worldwide theater rentals, including $1.43 million domestically. By the end of 1939, the film had generated a profit of $181,000, proving that movies about Hollywood could be both critically acclaimed and commercially successful.

The film received multiple nominations at the 10th Academy Awards, reflecting its critical acclaim:

• Outstanding Production: David O. Selznick (Nominated)

• Best Director: William A. Wellman (Nominated)

• Best Actor: Fredric March (Nominated)

• Best Actress: Janet Gaynor (Nominated)

• Best Original Story: William A. Wellman and Robert Carson (Won)

• Best Adaptation: Alan Campbell, Robert Carson, and Dorothy Parker (Nominated)

• Best Assistant Director: Eric Stacey (Nominated)

• Academy Honorary Award: W. Howard Greene (Won for his color cinematography)
  

The film also earned a place among the National Board of Review's Top Ten Films, ranking 9th, and received a nomination for Best Foreign Film at the Venice International Film Festival.

Beyond its awards and box office success, "A Star Is Born" has left an indelible mark on Hollywood, inspiring multiple remakes and becoming a seminal story about the trials and tribulations of fame. Its legacy is a testament to the powerful human drama and timeless themes it portrays, securing its place in the annals of cinematic history.

REMAKES: The enduring legacy of "A Star Is Born" is highlighted by its multiple remakes, each bringing a new interpretation to the classic tale of fame and tragedy. The original 1937 film has inspired four significant adaptations, each set in different eras of Hollywood and music, reflecting the changing landscape of the entertainment industry.

Television Adaptation: The first remake was a 1951 television adaptation starring Kathleen Crowley and Conrad Nagel. While not as widely remembered, this version marked the story's first transition to a new medium, showcasing its adaptability.

Musical: The 1954 version, directed by George Cukor, is perhaps the most celebrated of the remakes. This musical adaptation starred Judy Garland as Esther Blodgett and James Mason as Norman Maine. Garland's performance was critically acclaimed, and the film introduced iconic songs such as "The Man That Got Away." The 1954 adaptation received six Academy Award nominations, though it did not win. Garland's portrayal of the ambitious singer revitalized her career and remains a definitive role in her filmography.

Rock Musical: The 1976 adaptation took a different turn, setting the story in the world of rock music. Directed by Frank Pierson, this version starred Barbra Streisand as Esther Hoffman and Kris Kristofferson as John Norman Howard. Streisand's contributions to the soundtrack, including the hit song "Evergreen," earned the film its only Academy Award win for Best Original Song. The 1976 remake resonated with the era's cultural milieu, highlighting the rock 'n' roll lifestyle and its excesses.

Modern Retelling: The most recent remake in 2018, directed by Bradley Cooper, featured Lady Gaga as Ally and Cooper himself as Jackson Maine. This contemporary retelling was both a critical and commercial success, praised for its performances, direction, and music. The film received eight Academy Award nominations and won Best Original Song for "Shallow," performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. The 2018 version brought the story into the 21st century, addressing modern themes of fame, addiction, and the music industry.

CAST:

• Janet Gaynor as Esther Blodgett / Vicki Lester

• Fredric March as Norman Maine

• Adolphe Menjou as Oliver Niles

• May Robson as Grandmother Lettie

• Andy Devine as Danny McGuire

• Lionel Stander as Matt Libby

• Owen Moore as Casey Burke

• Peggy Wood as Miss Phillips

• Elizabeth Jenns as Anita Regis

• Edgar Kennedy as Pop Randall

• J.C. Nugent as Mr. Boldgett

• Guinn “Big Boy” Williams as posture coach
  

CREW:

• Director: William A. Wellman

• Producer: David O. Selznick

• Writers: Dorothy Parker, Alan Campbell, Robert Carson (screenplay), William A. Wellman, Robert Carson (story)

• Cinematographer: W. Howard Greene

• Editor: James E. Newcom

• Music: Max Steiner

• Art Director: Lyle R. Wheeler
  

Production Company: Selznick International Pictures
Distributor: United Artists

Release Date: April 27, 1937
Country of Origin: United States
Running Time: 111 minutes
Budget: Approximately $1.2 million
Box Office Return: $1.43 million (domestic), $2.37 million (worldwide)

IMDB Rating =  7.3 / 10

TRIVIA:

• "A Star Is Born" was the first Technicolor film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

• The film is considered one of the first major Hollywood movies to depict the darker side of fame and the entertainment industry.

• Janet Gaynor was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Esther Blodgett.

• Fredric March's portrayal of Norman Maine was inspired by several real-life Hollywood actors who struggled with alcoholism, most notably John Barrymore.

• "A Star Is Born" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

• The film's depiction of the rise and fall of a Hollywood star resonated with audiences and critics alike, cementing its status as a classic.

• David O. Selznick's commitment to the project ensured high production values, making "A Star Is Born" one of the most polished and visually stunning films of its time.

• This is widely considered to be the first Technicolor film that was a bona-fide critical and box office success. Until "A Star Is Born" and "Nothing Sacred" (1937), color films had been garish, over-saturated and, as many critics complained, headache-inducing. Producer David O. Selznick insisted on muted, realistic color, and it was the success of these two films that paved the way for his Technicolor masterpiece "Gone with the Wind" (1939).

• When the drunken Norman Maine character raucously interrupts the Oscar presentation, it was déja vu for Janet Gaynor. She had brought her sister to the Academy Awards ceremony in 1928, when she won the first Best Actress Oscar ever awarded, for "7th Heaven" (1927). Her sister became very drunk and completely out of control, thoroughly embarrassing Gaynor.

• The Oscar that Janet Gaynor receives in the film is her own Oscar, which she won for her role in "7th Heaven" (1927).

• Early in the film, when Esther stops at Grauman's Chinese Theater to see the stars' footprints, the second one she visits is Harold Lloyd, which is to the right of Janet Gaynor's own prints from 1929, a portion which is visible on screen, including the "r" in her signature.

• When this film was re-released in 1945 by Film Classics, it was not deemed important enough to be reprinted in Technicolor and so prints were struck in the less expensive and far inferior Cinecolor process. This was the only way it was to be seen for the next 30 years, until the Technicolor restoration in the 1970s.

• In the wrap party scene, Esther does impressions of Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, and Mae West.

• 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.

• Plans were announced in 1938 for a sequel entitled "Heartbreak Town," about a child actor, but it was never made.

• During Esther's screen test, she is dressed in an antebellum costume and surrounded by other actors in Civil War uniforms. Producer David O. Selznick had recently bought the rights to adapt Margaret Mitchell's novel "Gone With the Wind" and was undergoing a highly publicized national search for an actress to play Scarlett O'Hara. In a February 1973 article in The Atlantic, Gavin Lambert wrote that Selznick actually offered the role to Janet Gaynor, but she refused it because she had decided to retire from acting. Indeed, Gaynor made only two more movies after the release of "A Star Is Born" ("The Young in Heart" (1938) and "Three Loves Has Nancy" (1938)) and then did not appear onscreen again until 1953, 15 years later.

• The only one of the four movies of this story (this one, "A Star Is Born" (1954), "A Star Is Born" (1976), and "A Star Is Born" (2018)) where the lead female character is not a singer (but rather an actress), and the movie itself is ostensibly not a musical.

• Helene Chadwick, the first wife of the movie's director William A. Wellman, appears briefly in the movie as an extra; it was her last movie appearance.

• The original title for the movie was "It Happened In Hollywood."

• The motion picture playing at the Chinese Theatre when Esther Blodgett arrives in Hollywood is the David O. Selznick production, "The Garden of Allah" (1936), with Marlene Dietrich prominently displayed on the posters.

• The music heard at the Hollywood Bowl scene is "Les Préludes" by Franz Liszt.

• Other movie couples that may have inspired the story besides Barbara Stanwyck and Frank Fay are director Bernard J. Durning and his wife Shirley Mason; producer John McCormick and actress Colleen Moore; and John Gilbert and Virginia Bruce.

• The character of Oliver Niles was partly based on Paramount producer B.P. Schulberg, whose career was ruined by alcoholism; his son Budd Schulberg was one of the script writers on the movie.

• Sometimes erroneously stated as Lana Turner's film debut as an extra in the scene at Santa Anita, but Turner's daughter Cheryl Crane has confirmed that Turner did not appear in this film.

• The only film to be nominated for Best Actor and Actress Oscars that year.

• John Barrymore was considered for the role of Norman Maine, but due to alcoholism he had memory lapses and therefore had trouble remembering his lines. When Barrymore was told that he had to use a blackboard on set with his lines written on it, he refused the part.

• David O. Selznick originally rejected the story, as films about Hollywood had generally failed, but was persuaded to do the film by his wife Irene Mayer Selznick. Writer-director William A. Wellman had alternately suggested a sequel to "The Public Enemy" (1931), titled "Another Public Enemy."

• The signature of the producer, Oliver Niles, on Vicki Lester's contract is David O. Selznick's handwriting.

• The notice "No Cowboys!" in the rooming house indicated the popularity of western films at the time. As talking pictures grew in popularity, so did the advent of singing cowboys, and Hollywood was home to numerous studios cranking out these films. Scores of rootin' tootin' cowpokes swarmed into town for extra work. Their stories can be seen in the film "Hearts of the West" (1975).

• Included among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the 400 movies nominated for the Top 100 Greatest American Movies.

• "Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60-minute radio adaptation of the movie on September 13, 1937, with Janet Gaynor, Lionel Stander, and May Robson reprising their film roles.

• It seems odd that when Esther picks up her Oscar, there are no other nominees and no winner is announced. Early in Oscar history, the winners were all announced BEFORE the actual ceremony. In "A Star Is Born" (1954), Esther is up against other nominated actresses.

• The movie appears to have borrowed its story-line from "What Price Hollywood?" (1932), released five years earlier.

• "Academy Award Theater" broadcast a 30-minute radio adaptation of the movie on June 29, 1946, with Fredric March reprising his film role.

• Norman gulps down a concoction while in the commissary that includes a raw egg and seasoning. It was a common remedy for a hangover and went by many names. 

• Although Norman's relationship with his temperamental companion Anita isn't scrutinized, the brief party shot of her wrist, encased in a sparkling diamond bracelet, would indicate she was likely his mistress. The Production Code would not have allowed for much more than a hint back then.

• The final scene at Grauman's Chinese Theater was recreated in the 1954 version.

• Somewhat ironically, "A Star Is Born" (1937) had almost nothing to do with the Hollywood talent machine that took a young woman from obscurity to fame. Janet Gaynor was one of Hollywood's biggest stars of the 1930s, having already won an Academy Award and numerous other nominations before starring in this film. On the other hand, Fredric March had already won an Oscar and was an established star by the time he starred in this film.

"A Star is Born" remains a timeless classic of Hollywood's golden age, celebrated for its poignant portrayal of fame, ambition, and love in the entertainment industry, continuing to resonate with audiences for its compelling narrative and standout performances.