A Star Is Born (1937)
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100% of critics liked it
(11 reviews) -
72% of users liked it
(2,447 ratings)
A Star is Born came into being when producer David O. Selznick decided to tell a "true behind-the-scenes" story of Hollywood. The truth, of course, was filtered a bit for box-office purposes, although Selznick and an army of screenwriters based much of their script on actual people and… More A Star is Born came into being when producer David O. Selznick decided to tell a "true behind-the-scenes" story of Hollywood. The truth, of course, was filtered a bit for box-office purposes, although Selznick and an army of screenwriters based much of their script on actual people and events. Janet Gaynor stars as Esther Blodgett, the small-town girl who dreams of Hollywood stardom, a role later played by both Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand in the 1954 and 1976 remakes. Jeered at by most of her family, Esther finds an ally in her crusty old grandma (May Robson), who admires the girl's "pioneer spirit" and bankrolls Esther's trip to Tinseltown. On arrival, Esther heads straight to Central Casting, where a world-weary receptionist (Peggy Wood), trying to let the girl down gently, tells her that her chances for stardom are about one in a thousand. "Maybe I'll be that one!" replies Esther defiantly. Months pass: through the intervention of her best friend, assistant director Danny McGuire (Andy Devine), Esther gets a waitressing job at an upscale Hollywood party. Her efforts to "audition" for the guests are met with quizzical stares, but she manages to impress Norman Maine (Fredric March), the alcoholic matinee idol later played by James Mason and Kris Kristofferson. Esther gets her first big break in Norman's next picture and a marriage proposal from the smitten Mr. Maine. It's a hit, but as Esther (now named Vicki)'s star ascends, Norman's popularity plummets due to a string of lousy pictures and an ongoing alcohol problem. The film won Academy Awards for director William Wellman and Robert Carson in the "original story" category and for W. Howard Greene's glistening Technicolor cinematography. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- William A. Wellman, Jack Conway
- Written By
- Dorothy Parker, Alan Campbell, Robert Carson
- Genres
- Drama, Classics
PG,
- In Theaters
- Apr 20, 1937 Wide
- On DVD
- Nov 16, 2004
- Studio
- Image Entertainment Inc.
Critic Reviews
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Starring Janet Gaynor and Frederic March in Oscar-nominated roles, this first version of the famous Hollywood story was directed by William Wellman; it was remade in 1954 with Judy Garland, and in 1976 with Barbra Streisand.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Judy Garland, for all her personal problems, shows on the screen why she's a star.
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
William A. Wellman's original 1937 A Star Is Born is the essential Hollywood cautionary tale.
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Cast
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Janet Gaynor
as Esther Blodgett
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Fredric March
as Norman Maine
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Adolphe Menjou
as Oliver Niles
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May Robson
as Lettie
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Andy Devine
as Danny McGuire
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Lionel Stander
as Matt Libby
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Elizabeth Jenns
as Anita Regis
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Edgar Kennedy
as Pop Randall
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Owen Moore
as Casey Burke
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Clara Blandick
as Aunt Mattie
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A.W. Sweatt
as Esther's Brother
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Peggy Wood
as Miss Phillips a clerk
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Arthur Hoyt
as Ward
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Vince Barnett
as Otto Friedl
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Irving Bacon
as Station Agent
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Jane Barnes
as Waitress
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Wade Boteler
as Cop
- Helene Chadwick
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George Chandler
as Delivery Boy
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Billy Dooley
as Painter
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Pat Flaherty
as Cuddles
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Trixie Friganza
as Waitress
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Carlton Elliott Griffin
as Cameraman
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Jonathan Hale
as Night Court Judge
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Harry Hayden
as Makeup man
- Robert E. Homans
- Ken Howell
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Olin Howland
as Rustie
- I. Stanford Jolley
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Eddie Kane
as People at Burke's Party
- Claude King
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Carole Landis
as Girl in beret (Santa Anita bar)
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Chris-Pin Martin
as Prisoner
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Edwin Maxwell
as Voice Coach
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Ferdinand Munier
as Headwaiter
- David Newell
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J.C. Nugent
as Theodore Smythe
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Robert E. O'Connor
as Bartender at Santa Anita
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Franklin Pangborn
as Billy Moon
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Lee Phelps
as Bailiff
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Jed Prouty
as Artie Carver
- Adrian Rosley
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Paul Stanton
as Academy Awards Speaker
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Fred 'Snowflake' Toones
as Black Prisoner
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Lana Turner
as Marion (Santa Anita bar)
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Gayne Whitman
as Announcer at Chinese Theater
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Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams
as Posture Coach
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Clarence H. Wilson
as Justice of the Peace
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Francis Ford
as Prisoner
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Marshall Neilan
as Bert
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Dennis O'Keefe
as Party Guest
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Charles Williams
as Assistant Cameraman
- Ursula Kent
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Leonard Walker
as Orchestra Leader at Hollywood Bowl
- Billy Coe
