A Star Is Born: How the 1954 Version’s Premiere Went

On September 29, 1954, the Hollywood Pantages Theatre hosted the premiere of the musical drama A Star Is Born. It is the second of four official film versions of the story. George Cukor directed the film from a screenplay by Moss Hart, with Judy Garland and James Mason in the lead roles.

For Garland, the film marked a return to cinema after leaving MGM, and it was promoted precisely as a comeback. For her role as Esther Blodgett, the actress was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Mason also received a nomination, for Best Actor. It was the first time a pair of actors were nominated for the same roles as the previous pair: Janet Gaynor and Fredric March in the 1937 version.

Four versions of the story

Besides the 1954 film, the story was adapted three more times. The first version came out in 1937 with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, the third in 1976 with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, and the fourth in 2018 with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

Runtime

The premiere version ran 182 minutes. For its theatrical release the film was cut to 154 minutes: the edits were made without Cukor, and the film lost two musical numbers and important dramatic scenes. Later, the deleted fragments were sought out and partially restored in a restored version, but several minutes of suitable film stock were never found.

Production cost more than $5 million, which made A Star Is Born one of the most expensive Hollywood films of its time. At the box office in the United States and Canada it grossed about $6 million, but because of the costs it brought Warner Bros. no profit. Garland and Mason received Golden Globes for these roles, and in 2000 the film was added to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry as culturally, historically and aesthetically significant.

Image: Eric Carpenter for en:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Public domain

Translation editor: Ловушкин А.