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A Star Is Born Overview:

A Star Is Born (1937) was a Drama - Film directed by William A. Wellman and Jack Conway (uncredited) and produced by David O. Selznick.

SYNOPSIS

The archetypal Hollywood tragedy, this depicts the star-crossed romance of two silver-screen stars, one just starting to shine, the other falling to earth. March plays an aging matinee idol whose battle with the bottle has made him a risk to studio executive Menjou and a constant problem for PR man Stander. At a party, March offhandedly offers to make Gaynor, a young hopeful waiting for her big break, a movie star. After their first screen appearance together, March's offer is fulfilled, and Gaynor becomes adored as he becomes unemployable, falling first to a sanitorium, then to jail, and, finally, to suicidal despair. The marvelous, fully imagined characters borrow aspects of the lives of classic-era stars such as John Gilbert, John Barrymore, and Wallace Reid. The script was worked by many hands, but the biting dialogue bears the stamp of famed wit Dorothy Parker. This fascinates film fans for its insider's look at the making of a star and life at the '30s-era studios. It also inspired three remakes, in 1954, 1976 and 2018.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Academy Awards 1937 --- Ceremony Number 10 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorFredric MarchNominated
Best ActressJanet GaynorNominated
Best DirectorWilliam A. WellmanNominated
Best PictureSelznick International PicturesNominated
Best WritingWilliam A. Wellman, Robert CarsonWon
Best WritingDorothy Parker, Alan Campbell, Robert CarsonNominated
Special AwardTo W. Howard Greene for the color photography of A Star Is Born. (This Award was recommended by a committee of leading cinematographers after viewing all the color pictures made during the year.)Won
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A Star Is Born BlogHub Articles:

ONE MOVIE, THREE QUOTES: A Star is Born (1954)

By Carol Martinheira on Jun 13, 2022 From The Old Hollywood Garden

ONE MOVIE, THREE QUOTES: A Star is Born (1954) On June 13, 2022 By CarolIn Uncategorized Image from Pinterest June 2022, the 10th to be precise, marks the centenary of Judy Garland’s birth. The BFI in my city is having a Judy season and I am, logically, there like ... Read full article

Five Fun Facts: A Star is Born (1937)

By Annmarie Gatti on May 15, 2022 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

Five Fun Facts: A Star is Born (1937) 1) Pick a number, four or five… So, how many versions of this movie are there, really? Well, most classic film fans would say a definite ‘four,’ end of story — which would be the 1937 film starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March... Read full article

Free Streaming in August on the CMH Channel at Best Classics Ever – A Star is Born, Penny Serenade, House on Haunted Hill and More

By Annmarie Gatti on Aug 10, 2020 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

Our August picks for the Classic Movie Hub ChannelMore than 40 Titles Streaming Free All Month Long! As we announced in June, we are thrilled to have partnered with Best Classics Ever (BCE), a mega streaming channel dedicated to classic films and TV shows! And, we are proud to have our own Class... Read full article

Bette Davis in Of Human Bondage (1934) – a star is born

By Carol Martinheira on May 24, 2019 From The Old Hollywood Garden

Bette Davis in Of Human Bondage (1934) – a star is born On May 24, 2019 By CarolIn Uncategorized Sometimes it’s hard to believe there was a time when Bette Davis was not a star. Yet, between 1930 and 1933 she was mostly a supporting player with little scree... Read full article

A Star is Born (2018)

By Alyson on Jan 23, 2019 From The Best Picture Project

A Star is Born is a story that seems to be revived every couple decades. The first film was in 1937. A remake with Judy Garland and James Mason came in 1954. And another came to be with Barbara Streisand in 1976. Now, with Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper stars and has made his directorial debut with his n... Read full article

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A Star Is Born Quotes:

Grandmother Lettie: Tragedy is a test of courage. If you can meet it bravely, it will leave you bigger than it found you. If not than you will have to live all you life as a coward, because no matter where you may run you can never run away from yourself.
Esther Blodgett: Some day you won't laugh at me! I'm going out and have a real life! I'm gonna be somebody!
Grandmother Lettie: Esther, everyone in this world who has ever dreamed about better things has been laughed at, don't you know that? But there's a difference between dreaming and doing. The dreamers just sit around and moon about how wonderful it would be if only things were different. And the years roll on and by and by they grow and they forget everything, even about their dreams. Oh yes, you want to be somebody, but you want it to be easy. Oh you modern girls give me a pain!
Matt Libby: That's a charming match. A nice girl like Vicki and Public Nuisance Number One.
Norman Maine: Do you think I'm slipping?
Oliver Niles: Can you take it?
Norman Maine: Yeah, go ahead.
Oliver Niles: The tense is wrong. You're not slipping - you've slipped.
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A Star Is Born Facts
"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.
The funeral scene was inspired by the funeral of Irving Thalberg, where fans swarmed around his widow Norma Shearer outside the church. A similar scene occurred at Jean Harlow's funeral two months after the film's release.
The Oscar that Janet Gaynor receives in the film is her own Oscar, which she won for her role in 7th Heaven.
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.
Plans were announced in 1938 for a sequel entitled Heartbreak Town, about a child actor but it was never made.
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