The Gallery
happily announces
a celestial event…
David O. Selznick and director William Wellman took a true story about a real Hollywood couple, filtered it through several scriptwriters and come up with a romantic drama that would last through three incarnations. However, the story of Vicki Lester and Norman Maine still so strongly resembled the troubled union of Barbara Stanwyck and Frank Fay that Selznick hired lawyers to make sure the screenplay wasn’t liable to court action. Another real life event was also used for Norman Maine’s final scenes…John Bower’s death by drowning in November of 1936. Just before the film was ready to roll, Budd Schulberg and Ring Lardner, Jr. were asked to write additional dialogue. It included Vicki Lester’s final words “This is Mrs. Norman Maine” a line so successful it was also included in the 1954 version.
“A Star Is Born” (1937)…The Drama! |
 South Dakota farm girl Esther Blodgett has her heart set on becoming a movie star so, with Grandma Lettie’s help, she heads west. A waitress job at a Hollywood party brings her face to face |
| Note: This film was nominated for 7 Academy Awards…including Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Director. It won for Best Screenplay with a special Oscar for Technicolor Cinematography. |
Janet Gaynor… |
Born: October 6, 1906 in Philadelphia, PA. Died: September 14, 1984 in Palm Springs, California at 77 Cause of death: pneumonia Real name: Laura Augusta Gainor Marriages: Three. The first to Jess Lydell Peck lasted less than 3 years before ending in divorce. The second to designer Adrian lasted 20 years until his death (one child). The third to producer Paul Gregory lasted 20 years until her death. Remarks: Janet was the first and only actress to win the Oscar for multiple roles (“Seventh Heaven”, “Street Angel” and “Sunrise: A Song For Two Humans”) in 1927. She was nominated for Best Actress for this film but lost to Louise rainier in “The Good Earth”. Janet made over 62 films. The last one as Mrs. Ruth Nelson in “Bernardine” in 1957. She also appeared on television in guest appearances including a “Love Boat” episode in 1981. Also see the Gallery in Issue#32 for more on Janet Gaynor |
| Born: August 30, 1897 in Racine, Wisconsin Died: April 14, 1975 in Los Angeles, California at 77 Cause of death: prostate cancer Real name: Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel Marriages: Two. The first to Ellis Baker lasted 4 years before ending in divorce. The second to Florence Eldridge lasted 48 years until his death. They had 2 children. Remarks: Frederic was a banker who accidentally became an actor in 1920 when he filled in as an extra in “The Great Adventure”. But his first success as an actor was on the Broadway stage. March went on to win two Oscars …one in 1931 for “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and another in 1946 for “the Best Years of Our Lives”. Frederic’s last role was Harry Hope in the 1973 version of Eugene O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh” with Lee Marvin and Robert Ryan. |
 Frederic March… …as Norman Maine |
 Adolphe Menjou …. ….as Oliver Niles |
Born: February 18, 1890 in Pittsburgh, PA. Died: October 29, 1963 in Beverly Hills, California at 73 Cause of death: chronic hepatitis Real name: Adolphe Jean Menjou Marriages: Three. Both the first to Katherine Tinsley and the second to actress Kathryn Carver ended in divorce. The third to actress Veree Teasdale lasted 29 years until his death. They adopted one child. Remarks: Born to a French-American family in the restaurant business, Adolphe elected to get an engineering degree before tackling acting. It was his role as Pierre Ravel in Charles Chaplin’s “A Woman in Paris” that forever stamped him as the suave, debonair man-about-town but the sartorial splendor was his own idea. His voice carried him from silent to sound films where he also played some great father-figures including Sorrowful Jones in “Little Miss Marker” with Shirley Temple. His last picture was “Pollyanna” with Hayley Mills in 1960. |
| Born: April 19, 1858 in Melbourne, Australia Died: October 20, 1942 in Beverly Hills, California at 84 Cause of death: natural causes Real name: Mary Janette Robison Marriages: Two, both leaving her a widow. She had 3 children. Remarks: May was the oldest actress ever nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her leading role in the 1931 film “Lady for a Day”. She came to this country in her early teens, married at 22 and became a widow with 3 small children at 25. So she began making jewelry and clothes for actresses and soon found herself on stage. For much more on plucky May see the Character Actor page in Issue #33. |
 May Robson… …as Grandma Lettie |
“A Star Is Born” (1954)… The Musical!
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| Note: this film was cut by 30 minutes to appease theaters owners. In 1983 all but 5 minutes of the lost film was restored, using production stills to fill the gaps. |
In this version, Esther is a band singer who meets matinee idol Norman Maine when he blunders , drunk and disorderly, onto the Shrine Auditorium stage where she is performing. Thinking on her feet, she saves his face by including him in her act to the delight of the audience. Norman thanks her by drawing a heart with their initials on the wall with her lipstick. Later he can’t forget her and tracks her down at an after hours club. After a few missteps he convinces her to try a movie career and gets the studio to give her a small part in a musical after a make-over and a name change… (“You must have been born with that name. You couldn’t have made it up”) Esther Blodgett became “Vicki Lester” and exploded on the screen. Off screen they marry but their careers take different tracks with Vicki’s soaring and Norman’s contract cancelled. The story follows along to the inevitable tragic ending. Norman’s death drives Vicki into seclusion but her friend Danny convinces her that she is throwing away everything that Norman died to save. At a charity show in the Shrine Auditorium Vicki sees the heart that Norman had drawn for them. With tears in her eyes, she goes to the microphone and announces “Hello, everybody. This is Mrs. Norman Maine!” 
Born: June 10, 1922 in Grand Rapids, Michigan Remarks: Many feel this was Judy’s finest hour. She was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar but lost to Grace Kelly in “Country Girl”. But despite the success of the film, Warners cancelled Judy’s contract and it was 1961 before she appeared in another film. It was a supporting role but a critically acclaimed one in “Judgment at Nuremberg”. For more on Judy Garland, see Issue #9’s Spotlight. |
 Judy Garland … …as Esther Blodgett/Vicki Lester |
 James Mason…. ….as Norman Maine |
Born: May 15, 1909 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England. Died: July 27, 1984 in Lausanne, Switzerland at 75 Cause of death: heart attack Real name: James Neville Mason Marriages: Two. The first to actress Pamela Mason lasted 23 years and produced 3 children before ending in divorce. The second to Australian actress Clarissa Kaye(Knipe) lasted 13 years until his death. Remarks: This British actor gave up architecture to become one of the world’s great actors. He made over 100 films, had 3 Oscar nominations and won a Best Actor Golden Globe for this film. Mason was imitated by a score of comedians for his distinctive manner of speaking and was also heralded for his best-selling book….on cats. The actor’s pacifist beliefs caused problems with both his family and his country and Mason took up permanent residence in Switzerland. James Mason’s final film was “The Shooting party” in 1984. |
| Born: January 1, 1891 in Cambridge, Massachusetts Died: November 7, 1987 in Los Angeles, California at 76 Cause of death: blood infection Real name: Charles Ambrose Bickford Marriages: One to Beatrice Loring. They had 2 children. Remarks: One of America’s fine character actors, Charles Bickford became a star after playing Greta Garbo’s lover in “Anna Christie” in 1931. However, after being severely mauled by a lion during the filming of “East of Java’ in 1935, Bickford’s scars ended his career as a leading man. A veteran of silent and sound films, he also starred in television’s “The Virginian”. He died shortly after filming one of the episodes in 1967. Charles Bickford lies in an unmarked grave near a fence in Woodlawn Cemetery waiting for the recognition he richly deserves. |
 Charles Bickford…. ….as Oliver Niles |
 Jack Carson…. …as Matt Libby |
Born: October 27,1910 in Carman, Manitoba, Canada Died; January 2, 1963 in Encino, California at 52 Cause of death: stomach cancer Real name: John Elmer Carson Marriages: Four, three ending in divorce. Two were to actresses… the second toKay St.Germaine Wells (1940 – 1950) produced 2 children…the third to Lola Albright (1952 – 1958). Remarks: Jack began his career at RKO but spent most of it with Warner Brothers. He was an excellent character actor and comedian who also did straight dramatic parts but excelled in the “nice guy who lost the girl anyway” roles. Jack also did radio and television and partnered with old pal Dennis Morgan in several buddy films. As Matt Libby, Norman Maine’s publicist, he was perfect as the object of Maine’s drunken tirades. |
“A Star Is Born” ….The Musical II ! |
 Here the scene changes to the music industry, concerts, Grammy Awards, new names and a totally new soundtrack. Esther (now Hoffman) is a struggling singer backed up by the Oreos whose performance is interrupted by rock singer John Norman Howard who weaves drunkenly into the club. The story follows the same route as both of the preceding versions just changing everything into contemporary settings and adding drugs and rock mania to the mix. The director complained there was too much interference from Streisand, the critics complained there wasn’t enough real romance between the two and too much about Esther. The only award (Oscar for Best Song) went to “Evergreen” the theme song for the movie. |
Born: April 24, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York |
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Barbra Streisand ….
 Kris Kristofferson…. ….as John Norman Howard |
Born: June 22, 1936 in Brownsville, Texas |