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A Star is Born Overview:

A Star is Born (1954) was a Drama - Musical Film directed by George Cukor and produced by Jack L. Warner, Sidney Luft and Vern Alves.

SYNOPSIS

A close remake of the fabled 1937 Hollywood tragedy (with aspects of Cukor's own 1932 What Price Hollywood?) is elevated by Garland's finest, most-esteemed performance. The feeling of impending doom is intensified for today's audience by our knowledge of Garland's own experience and career. The story follows the original, with singer Garland getting her big break by giving screen star Mason a hand onstage. The more emotional performances characteristic of the '50s make this version somewhat overwrought, with Mason's degradation more shocking than Fredric March's decline. Drastic cuts made by the studio after its initial release were restored in the early '80s, and nearly 30 minutes of additional footage are available on the laserdisc. The Harold Arlen-Ira Gershwin score introduced the Garland versions of "The Man That Got Away," "Somewhere There's a Someone," "Melancholy Baby," and "Born in a Trunk."

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

A Star is Born was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2000.

Academy Awards 1954 --- Ceremony Number 27 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorJames MasonNominated
Best ActressJudy GarlandNominated
Best Art DirectionArt Direction: Malcolm Bert, Gene Allen, Irene Sharaff; Set Decoration: George James HopkinsNominated
Best Costume DesignJean Louis, Mary Ann Nyberg, Irene SharaffNominated
Best Music - ScoringRay HeindorfNominated
Best Music - SongMusic by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by Ira GershwinNominated
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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:

Matt Libby: This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, with a whimper.
Matt Libby: [after being introduced to Esther] Esther Blodgett? Well, we'll do something about that. Anyway, nice to have you with us.
Judge George J. Barnes: Were you Norman Maine the actor?
Norman Maine: Yes.
Oliver Niles: You know Libby you missed a lot not knowing Norman Maine.
Matt Libby: Not knowing him? I spent my life knowing him. I knew what he was going to do before he did it. I knew him backwards.
Oliver Niles: You didn't know him at all. He was quite a guy.
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A Star is Born Facts
Hugh Martin, who was hired as vocal arranger, stormed off the set after a row with Judy Garland over her interpretation of "The Man That Got Away".
Norman Maine mentions the name 'Ellen Terry' to Esther Blodgett. Ellen Terry (1847 - 1928, created a Dame in 1925) was an English stage actress who became the leading Shakespearean actress in Britain during the late nineteenth century, as well as performing in plays by Ibsen, G.B. Shaw and many others.
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.
The "shield and initials" logo on the front of the orchestra's touring bus spoofs Warner Bros. own classic "WB Shield" logo.
Humphrey Bogart (one of the possible candidates for the role of Norman Maine) can be heard as the voice of the drunk requesting "Melancholy Baby" in the café.
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