A Star Is Born

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Cast

Judy Garland
as Vicki Lester/Esther Blodgett

James Mason
as Norman Maine

Jack Carson
as Matt Libby

Charles Bickford
as Oliver Niles

Tommy Noonan
as Danny McGuire

Lucy Marlowe
as Lola Lavery

Amanda Blake
as Susan Ettinger

Irving Bacon
as Graves

James Brown (II)
as Glenn Williams

Hazel Shermet
as Libby's Secretary

Lotus Robb
as Miss Markham

Joan Shawlee
as Announcer

Dub Taylor
as Driver

Kathryn Card
as Landlady

Rex Evans
as Academy Awards Emcee

Emerson Treacy
as Justice of the Peace

Bob Jellison
as Eddie

Chick Chandler
as Man in Car

Blythe Daly
as Miss Fusselow

Mae Marsh
as Party Guest

Frank Ferguson
as Judge

Nadene Ashdown
as Esther (age 6)

Heidi Meadows
as Esther (age 3)

Henry Kulky
as Cuddles

Jack Harmon
as Dancer #1

Don McCabe
as Dancer #2

Eric Wilton
as Valet

Grady Sutton
as Carver

Henry Russell
as Orchestra Leader

Charles Robert Dumas
as Drummer

Laurindo Almeida
as Guitarist

Bobby Sailes
as Dancer

Percy Helton
as Drunk

Charles Watts
as Harrison

Pat O'Malley
as Man at Race Track

Samuel Colt
as Man at Race Track

Charles Halton
as Studio Employee

Joseph Mell
as Studio Employee

Stuart Holmes
as Spectator

Grandon Rhodes
as Producer

Frank Puglia
as Bruno

Wilton Graff
as Shrine Auditorium Emcee

Tristram Coffin
as Director

Phil Arnold
as Agent #3

Rudolph Anders
as Mr. Ettinger

Bess Flowers
as Academy Awards Ceremony Attendee

Allen Kramer
as Bit Part

Louis Jean Heydt
as Director - Ocean Scene

Leonard Penn
as Director - Train Station Scene

Olin Howland
as Charley

Willis Bouchey
as McBride - Director

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News & Interviews for A Star Is Born

Critic Reviews for A Star Is Born

Audience Reviews for A Star Is Born

• Oct 07, 2018

  Forget the 1937 version, this is a much superior remake that does right everything (except for that awful last line) that the original film did wrong (at least for later standards), with Garland in a stellar performance especially during her "Someone at Last" number in the living room.
  Carlos M Super Reviewer
• Mar 30, 2014

  Its basically just an expanded version of the original, designed to be mostly a showcase for Garland . . . not that I mind because she's truly fantastic in every single moment. I think its the best version of this story. Cukor and Hart wisely jettison most of the soft hitting satire in favor of making something of a tragic, semi-musical comedy. As great as Garland is, she's equally matched by Mason.
  

  Alec B Super Reviewer
• Oct 13, 2013

  A has-been actor introduces and later marries a singer/actress. An epic, grandiose, and timeless tale, George Cukor's remake of A Star Is Born is a fantastic tour de force for its stars and is a visual delight. The film's actors, Judy Garland and James Mason, are in top form (though I can't help noting how singularly similar Garland is to her daughter, Liza Minnelli; at times I didn't know whom I was watching). The spectacle of some of the musical numbers, which at times might be over-long, is beyond compare, and at its heart, the film is a very human story. Oddly feminist, the film privileges Vicki Lester's success over that of her husband, but at the same time there is no doubt that she could not have made it on her talent alone. Is this a condemnation of the business or latent misogyny? Overall, whatever the film's meandering flaws may be, it is nonetheless a classic for a very good reason.
  Jim H Super Reviewer
• Jan 23, 2013

  What a very long boring movie. "A Star Is Born" reminds me of "What's Love Got To Do With It" taking place in 1954. James Mason plays the Ike Turner character Norman Maine and Judy Garland is the Tina Turner character Esther Blodgett / Vicki Lester. Maine is an alcoholic, meets Esther and wants to make her a risin acting star. Esther is reluctant at first because she belongs to a music group and is profesional singer. Should Esther throw her music career away in order to follow Norman Maine's wishes? She does and things don't go smoothly at first. Esther does a few odd jobs to make ends meet. Later on Esther meets Maine and this time he tries to get her a deal with the studio which he does, the two fall in love and then the picture goes into this melodramtic heartbreak. This film kinda annoyed me with the distracting restoration editing techniques, Judy Garland's melodramtic acting, and the obvious things that was going to happen to Norman. "A Star Is Born" is a very long movie which didn't need to be. George Cuckor is a great filmmaker but im not sure if this material was suited for him. Great musicals were known to be epic and exciting, this film goes the opposite way making me wonder as to when on earth is this film going to end?
  Brian R Super Reviewer

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