“A RISE AND A FALL IN TECHNICOLOR”

By Raymond Benson

A Star is Born has been made many times—as four Hollywood feature films, one television movie, and one Bollywood picture. The 1937 original, produced by David O. Selznick, directed by William A. Wellman, is often forgotten amongst the more recent versions, such as the celebrated 2018 remake starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

For this reviewer’s money, the 1937 A Star is Born is superior to them all. Granted, it is obviously dated and one must place oneself within the context of the period in which the movie was released. It is also not a musical, as all the others are. The first version also deals exclusively with the motion picture industry. The second one, released in 1954 and starring Judy Garland and James Mason, did as well… but following adaptations went more into the music professions of the characters and incorporated Grammy Awards rather than Oscars. If you want A Star is Born without musical numbers, and there is ample support that the piece works more realistically without them, then the 1937 version is for you.

The Oscar winning story, by William A. Wellman and Robert Carson, was the basis of all the remakes, but here it was the origin, turned into a screenplay by Carson, Dorothy Parker, and Alan Campbell. The tale is by now familiar ground—a young woman becomes a star overnight while simultaneously her husband experiences ruin. A rise and a fall, all in lovely Technicolor!

Esther Blodgett (Janet Gaynor) is an innocent but bright-eyed farmgirl who is intent on making her way to Hollywood to become an actress. Against her father and aunt’s wishes, but encouraged by her grandmother, Esther leaves the nest and goes to Tinsel Town. She quickly learns that things are not so easy. With the help of a neighbor, Danny (Andy Devine), who happens to be an assistant director, she is placed in positions where she can “meet” people. Sure enough, she encounters a big star, Norman Maine (Fredric March). Unfortunately, Norman’s glory days seem to be behind him as the bottle has dictated a gradual descent in popularity. Nevertheless, Norman is struck by Esther and finagles a screen test for her with his producer, Oliver Niles (Adolphe Menjou). Oliver immediately sees Esther’s potential, gives her the more marketable name of “Vicki Lester,” and she is off and running. Promising to quit drinking, Norman asks Esther to marry him, and she accepts. But as Esther/Vicki becomes more successful, Norman falls off the wagon and their relationship goes off the rails.

There is one scene that exists in all the versions of A Star is Born, and that is when the husband embarrasses his wife during her moment of triumph at an awards ceremony—here the event is the Oscars, as it is in the 1954 edition. The moment is powerful and excruciating, and it is one of the reasons both Gaynor and March were nominated for Best Actor and Actress for the film.

Producer Selznick was known for overseeing lavish, gorgeous productions, and A Star is Born fits the bill. Beautifully photographed in that distinctive, vivid 1930s Technicolor by W. Howard Greene (who received an Honorary Oscar for his achievement), the picture displays the glitz and glamour of that bygone, mythical Hollywood era. Director Wellman was nominated for his efforts, and the movie was up for Best Picture (the category was called Best Production then).

Gaynor is especially good, and March is always brilliant. The supporting cast—Menjou, Devine, May Robson, Lionel Stander, and Edgar Kennedy—is stellar.

The picture, while assuredly a drama that takes a hard look at the alcoholism destroying Maine, is also striking for the amount of humor it contains. There are many Hollywood in-jokes, such as when Gaynor impersonates several leading actresses of the day when she is waitressing at a star-studded party. Stander, Devine, and Kennedy, known for their comedic turns, also provide much of the levity.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray is a new, meticulous 4K restoration from the original nitrate Technicolor camera negative, and it looks absolutely fantastic. In keeping with Warner disks that employ “A Night at the Movies” supplements, this one contains a treasure trove of extras. The 1938 cartoon, “A Star is Hatched,” is one of those Looney Tunes that features Hollywood star caricatures, and it’s hilarious. A 1937 comic short featuring Joe Palooka and Shemp Howard, “Taking the Count,” is amusing, and two other vintage shorts—“Mal Hallett and His Orchestra” and “Alibi Mark”—are also entertaining and indicative of the type of fare one would see at the theater in those days. The disk also incudes two different Lux Radio Theater broadcasts of the story—one from 1937 featuring Janet Gaynor and Robert Montgomery, and one from 1952 starring Judy Garland and Walter Pidgeon. The theatrical trailer rounds out the package.

This new region-free Blu-ray edition from Warner Archive is a must for fans of any version of A Star is Born. The 1937 original, though, is and will always be grand entertainment. Highly recommended.

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