Taglines: Taglines: The evergreen Oscar winner ablaze with music and stardust.
A Star Is Born movie storyline. Talented rock star John Norman Howard (Kris Kristofferson) has seen his career begin to decline. Too many years of concerts and managers and life on the road have made him cynical and the monotony has taken its toll. Then he meets the innocent, pure and very talented singer Esther Hoffman (Barbra Streisand). As one of his songs in the movie says “I’m gonna take you girl, I’m gonna show you how.” And he does. He shows Esther the way to stardom while forsaking his own career. As they fall in love, her success only makes his decline even more apparent.
A Star Is Born is a 1976 American musical romantic drama film about a young singer (Barbra Streisand) who meets and falls in love with an established rock and roll star (Kris Kristofferson), only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline. Other starring are Gary Busey, Paul Mazursky, Joanne Linville, Oliver Clark, Venetta Fields, Clydie King, Sally Kirkland, Marta Heflin, Rita Coolidge ünd Susan Richardson.
The film is a remake of the 1937 original drama starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, which had also been adapted in 1954 as a musical starring Judy Garland and James Mason. The story was again adapted in 2018 starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.
About the Production
Directed by Frank Pierson, the film updates the original story and screenplay of William A. Wellman and Robert Carson with additional contributions by Pierson, John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion. It also features Gary Busey and Sally Kirkland. Venetta Fields and Clydie King perform as Streisand’s backing vocalists “The Oreos”. Kristofferson’s then-wife Rita Coolidge and Tony Orlando appear briefly as themselves.
The earlier films had portrayed the behind-the-scenes world of Hollywood filmmaking. However, this version adapted the story to the music business. For example, the 1937 and 1954 films each portrayed the lead female character winning an Academy Award, while the 1976 and 2018 versions depicted the heroine winning a Grammy Award instead.
A Star Is Born was co-produced by Streisand and her then-partner Jon Peters for Barwood Films and Warner Brothers, with Peters and Streisand as producers and Streisand as executive producer. Among actors considered for the male lead were Neil Diamond and Marlon Brando. Streisand and Peters wanted Elvis Presley for the role: they met with Elvis and discussed the film, and he was interested in taking the part, thinking it would revive his film career.
Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker, insisted Elvis have top billing and asked for a substantial sum of money for the role, even though he had not had an acting role since 1969, and people were unsure what kind of box office draw he would be. This effectively ended Elvis’s involvement with the project. Parker also did not want to have Elvis portrayed as having a show business career in decline because this was far from the truth, with Elvis playing to packed auditoriums wherever he toured in the States. Diamond, who knew Streisand and had attended high school with her at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, was also seriously considered but had to decline due to his extensive concert commitments, and Kristofferson got the part of John Norman Howard.
Kristofferson denied modelling his character on Jim Morrison: “That’s a good idea but it’s not true. I don’t think I ever met Morrison. A lot of people said we looked alike – shirts off, beards – but that washed-up rock star was more about me.”
The film cost around $6 million to produce. Its soundtrack album was also an international success, reaching number 1 in many countries and selling nearly 15 million copies worldwide. It featured the ballad “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)”, which became one of the biggest hits of Streisand’s career, spending three weeks at number one in the United States, and peaking at number three in the United Kingdom.
The filming locations included many in Arizona such as downtown Tucson, Tucson Community Center, Sonoita and Tempe, including Sun Devil Stadium. Streisand’s wardrobe was selected from her own personal clothing. The film credit reads: “Miss Streisand’s clothes from… her closet”. The film was choreographed by David Winters of West Side Story fame, who worked closely with Streisand to perfect the movie’s dancing sequences.
A Star Is Born (1976)
Directed by: Frank Pierson
Starring: Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson, Gary Busey, Paul Mazursky, Joanne Linville, Oliver Clark, Venetta Fields, Clydie King, Sally Kirkland, Marta Heflin, Rita Coolidge, Susan Richardson
Screenplay by: Frank Pierson, John Gregory Dunne, Joan Didion
Production Design by: Polly Platt
Cinematography by: Robert Surtees
Film Editing by: Peter Zinner
Costume Design by: Seth Banks, Shirlee Strahm
Set Decoration by: Ruby R. Levitt
Art Direction by: William Hiney
Music by: Roger Kellaway
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: December 19, 1976 (United States)
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