Is ‘A Star Is Born’ Based on a True Story? Well, Sort Of

On Wednesday, Warner Bros. released the trailer for A Star Is Born, the latest remake of the classic tale about a rising talent and a fading star who cross paths and whose love is destroyed by Hollywood. A tale as old as time (or at least as old as the film industry). This time around, it’s Bradley Cooper playing grizzled country singer Jackson Maine, with Lady Gaga as the rising star, Ally. It’s Cooper’s directorial debut, and the aesthetic feels very Crazy Heart/Country Strong. There’s already awards buzz crackling around this one, for a few reasons. But for those who aren’t familiar with the long and storied history of A Star Is Born, it might be confusing as to why this film is such a big whoop. We’re here with answers to your questions.

Is ‘A Star Is Born’ a True Story?

The original A Star Is Born was released in 1937, from legendary producer David O. Selznick. At the time, the similarities to a previous film, called What Price, Hollywood?, nearly led to Selznick getting sued by the RKO movie studio.

Though What Price Hollywood was said to have been based on the experiences of actress Colleen Moore and director Tom Forman, when A Star Is Born came out, rumors swirled that the true story was the failed marriage of screen star Barbara Stanwyck (who, in 1937, was about to receive the first of her four Best Actress Oscar nominations, for Stella Dallas) and her husband Frank Fay.

How Many Times Has This Movie Been Made?

Officially, the Cooper/Gaga version will be the fourth A Star Is Born, though the basic structure of the story — with a rising starlet and an aging professional falling in love as one is on the way up and on the other on the way down — has been a popular one in Hollywood. You can see shades of it in everything from Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer in Up Close and Personal to Dreamgirls to Crazy Heart.

But the three official previous versions are:

• A Star Is Born (1937), produced by David O. Selznick, starring Janet Gaynor as Esther Blodgett and Frederic March as Norman Maines
• A Star Is Born (1954), directed by George Cukor, starring Judy Garland as Esther Blodgett and James Mason as Norman Maines. *This is the alpha version, the one that is best remembered and most respected, with Garland delivering one of her signature film performances.
• A Star Is Born (1976), directed by Frank Pierson, starring Barbra Streisand as Esther Hoffman and Kris Kristofferson as John Norman Howard.

At one point earlier this decade, Clint Eastwood was reported to have wanted to remake the movie with Beyoncé as his lead, but Blue Ivy got in the way of that by being conceived.

Bradley Cooper’s character in the 2018 version is named “Jackson Maine” as an homage to the original character. Lady Gaga’s character is credited on IMDb as “Ally,” but we can hope her middle name is revealed to be “Esther.”

Does Bradley Cooper Sing in ‘A Star Is Born’?

Not only does Bradley Cooper sing in A Star Is Born, he sings LIVE. According to reports, Lady Gaga insisted that the film wouldn’t rely on pre-recorded tracks, so instead, the performers (primarily her and Cooper) sang live during filming.

Is This Really an Awards Contender?

If it isn’t, it would be a first for the series. The 1937 version was nominated for 7 Oscars, including Outstanding Production (the precursor to Best Picture), though it lose to The Life of Emile Zola. The 1954 version was nominated for six Oscars, losing all six, including the Best Actress award that many film scholars (and any homosexual over the age of 50) feel should have been Judy Garland’s. The 1976 Barbra Streisand version was a bit more divisive, but it still snagged four nominations, winning for Stresand’s original song “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born).”

So the early buzz on the 2018 A Star Is Born is not without historical precedent. There’s also the fact that Bradley Cooper is already a three-time Oscar nominee and Hollywood has a history of throwing Oscars at A-List actors who direct (Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson, and Ben Affleck all have Best Picture statues on their mantles). It’s still very early — the film isn’t out until October — but everybody’s got their eye on this one.

Where to stream A Star Is Born (1937)

Where to stream A Star Is Born (1954)

Where to stream A Star Is Born (1976)