In George Cukor's remake, fading matinee idol Norman Maine helps young singer and actress Esther Blodgett find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career on a downward spiral.In George Cukor's remake, fading matinee idol Norman Maine helps young singer and actress Esther Blodgett find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career on a downward spiral.In George Cukor's remake, fading matinee idol Norman Maine helps young singer and actress Esther Blodgett find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career on a downward spiral.
- Nominated for 6 Oscars
- 7 wins & 13 nominations total
Tommy Noonan
- Danny McGuire
- (as Tom Noonan)
John Alban
- Academy Awards Attendee
- (uncredited)
Laurindo Almeida
- Guitarist
- (uncredited)
Leon Alton
- Usher
- (uncredited)
Rudolph Anders
- Mr. Ettinger
- (uncredited)
David Armstrong
- Soundman
- (uncredited)
Phil Arnold
- Agent #3
- (uncredited)
Nadine Ashdown
- Esther - Age 6
- (uncredited)
Gertrude Astor
- Racetrack Spectator
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaGeorge Cukor offered Marlon Brando the role of Norman Maine on the set of Julius Caesar (1953). "Why would you come to me?" asked Brando. "I'm in the prime of my life... If you're looking around for some actor to play an alcoholic has-been, he's sitting right over there"- pointing at his costar James Mason, who got the part.
- GoofsAfter Vicki comes home and she performs in her house for Norman, the doorbell rings and he goes to the door to accept a package for Vicki. His hair is all mussed-up when he goes to the door, but after he closes it and the camera goes back to him, there isn't a hair out of place. Then he walks over to where Vicki is and his hair is all mussed-up again.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Vicki Lester: Hello, everybody. This is Mrs. Norman Maine.
- Alternate versionsContrary to popular belief, the film was not originally at 181 minutes, but rather 196 (3hrs. and 16mins.) at a post-premiere shown on August 8, 1954 in Huntington Park, California. After its second post-premiere - the very next day - two scenes of 15 minutes total were deleted; making the film run its original world debut length at 181 minutes. One was a number called "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street" that came after Judy's take of "I'll Get By" in the 'Born in the Trunk' sequence, the other was a scene where Garland and James Mason's characters (Vicki and Norman) were picnicking on the beach; production stills and promotional advertisements are the only thing left in existence of the footage. After its world premiere on September 29, 1954, 27 minutes was cut, bringing it down to a mediocre 154 time length. Those scenes were:
- 1) Esther quitting the band
- 2) The Trinidad Coconut Oil Shampoo
- 3) Esther working at a drive-in
- 4) Norman being driven away drunk in his car
- 5) Norman inquiring Esther's old landlady
- 6) Spotting Esther on the TV commercial
- 7) Tracking down Esther at her new boarding residence
- 8) Driving down the strip - Esther getting sick
- 9) "Here's What I'm Here For" musical number - Norman proposes
- 10) "Lose That Long Face" musical number - Vicki breaks down
- ConnectionsFeatured in Film Night: Film Night Special: Forty Years in Hollywood (1970)
- SoundtracksGotta Have Me Go with You
(uncredited)
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Performed by Judy Garland with Jack Harmon & Don McKay
Featured review
Sing Melancholy Baby
Is it possible to watch this fictional story without digressing to thoughts about the real life story of Judy Garland? For me it isn't. Both are permanently intertwined. And it's not just the parallel between fiction and fact, but also the dark, brooding, melancholy mood they engender, like ghosts calling out to us from a Hollywood that no longer exists.
The film's storyline is well known. I won't belabor it here, except to say that it communicates an honest and introspective indictment of the entertainment industry as it once was. The story can be thought of as a kind of archetypal Hollywood memoir, expressed as a musical.
But musicals are supposed to be upbeat, lighthearted, fun. This one isn't. Moments of humor and joy are swept away in a cascade of emotional pain and tragedy. Fiction mimics real life. How appropriate that the film's signature song "The Man That Got Away" is one that is so uncompromisingly serious, poignant, and smoldering ... a perfect vehicle for Judy Garland.
Some say she had the greatest singing voice of any entertainer in the twentieth century. This film lends credence to that assertion. Every song she sings is performed with such consummate verve, such emotional commitment that she seems to be singing not just for her contemporaries, but also for generations to come. Indeed, she is. My personal favorite is the "Born In A Trunk" segment, all fifteen minutes of it. Surrounded by sets of true cinematic art, she belts out one tune after another, including, of course, the poignant "Melancholy Baby".
Judy's singing and the music itself are what make the movie so memorable. But she also demonstrates her considerable acting talent. And the acting of other cast members is fine, especially the performances of James Mason and Jack Carson. I do think that the film was, and still is, too long, the result of an overly ambitious screenplay.
That Judy Garland was denied the Best Actress Oscar is poignant. But her talent was so massive, her uniqueness was so special, maybe fate required a compensatory level of pain and tragedy, as a prerequisite of legend.
The film's storyline is well known. I won't belabor it here, except to say that it communicates an honest and introspective indictment of the entertainment industry as it once was. The story can be thought of as a kind of archetypal Hollywood memoir, expressed as a musical.
But musicals are supposed to be upbeat, lighthearted, fun. This one isn't. Moments of humor and joy are swept away in a cascade of emotional pain and tragedy. Fiction mimics real life. How appropriate that the film's signature song "The Man That Got Away" is one that is so uncompromisingly serious, poignant, and smoldering ... a perfect vehicle for Judy Garland.
Some say she had the greatest singing voice of any entertainer in the twentieth century. This film lends credence to that assertion. Every song she sings is performed with such consummate verve, such emotional commitment that she seems to be singing not just for her contemporaries, but also for generations to come. Indeed, she is. My personal favorite is the "Born In A Trunk" segment, all fifteen minutes of it. Surrounded by sets of true cinematic art, she belts out one tune after another, including, of course, the poignant "Melancholy Baby".
Judy's singing and the music itself are what make the movie so memorable. But she also demonstrates her considerable acting talent. And the acting of other cast members is fine, especially the performances of James Mason and Jack Carson. I do think that the film was, and still is, too long, the result of an overly ambitious screenplay.
That Judy Garland was denied the Best Actress Oscar is poignant. But her talent was so massive, her uniqueness was so special, maybe fate required a compensatory level of pain and tragedy, as a prerequisite of legend.
Helpful•1179
- Lechuguilla
- Jan 17, 2005
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Zvijezda je rodjena
- Filming locations
- Church of the Good Shepherd - 505 North Bedford Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA(Norman Maine's funeral)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $5,019,770 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $4,335,968
- Gross worldwide
- $4,349,352
- Runtime2 hours 34 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.55 : 1
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