‘A Star Is Born’ Has Been Reborn More Than Once
Last week, I had an epiphany. I’m probably older than more than half of my co-workers. I came to this realization after I overheard a conversation between three people in our digital media department about the new Hollywood release, A Star is Born. They had just heard something about it being a reboot of a Judy Garland (below) movie from the 1950s. That’s technically true, but Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper are actually starring in the fourth version of A Star is Born.
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To be clear, I’m not so old as to have seen the first three versions in the theater. I only know the history of A Star is Born because I padded my college credits with a lot of film history courses. The original A Star is Born, featuring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, dates back to 1937. Then came the 1954 remake with Judy Garland and James Mason. That was followed by the 1976 adaptation starring Barbra Streisand (below left) and Kris Kristofferson.
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All four versions tell essentially the same story of struggle and redemption, with some variations in the plot and character names. Of course, the costumes and music changed a bit each time, too. Here’s a look at the evolution of A Star is Born:
1937
1954
1976
2018
