The Constance Bennett Version - Esther, by Any Other Name

The genesis of "A Star Is Born" goes back to 1932 when George Cukor directed a film called "What Price Hollywood?" for RKO Studios. And even though the heroin's name is not Esther, many actually consider "What Price Hollywood?" to be the first version of "A Star Is Born."

"What Price Hollywood?" stars Constance Bennett as Mary Evans, a waitress at Hollywood's Brown Derby who meets film director Max Carey, played by Lowell Sherman. With just a few differences (and an additional sub-plot), the story line of "What Price Hollywood?" follows the traditional outline of "A Star Is Born." In "What Price Hollywood?", director Max Carey arranges for Mary Evans to take a screen test. She quickly becomes a success as a Hollywood actress while Max's excessive drinking drives his own career into decline. Mary decides it's best to leave Max.

[The Sub-Plot: Mary subsequently meets and marries a polo player. They have a child together. Jealousy over Mary's success takes a toll on their marriage. Mary and the polo player divorce].

At the apex of her career, Mary wins an Academy Award. After picking up her Oscar, Max reenters her life when Mary learns that he has been arrested for drunk driving. Mary rushes to his side. Despondent at the downward spiral of his own life, Max commits suicide.

In 1936, "What Price Hollywood?" producer David O. Selznick approached George Cukor about directing a new film called "A Star Is Born" starring Janet Gaynor. Cukor would have nothing to do with it, recognizing the uncanny similarities between his "What Price Hollywood?" and Selznick's proposal for the new film. RKO and Selznick Pictures soon become embroiled in a legal tussle over plagiarism, although threatened lawsuits never materialized.

Years later, with cooler heads prevailing, Cukor actually agreed to direct the Judy Garland version of "A Star Is Born." When all was said and done, Cukor's 1954 version of the film proved to be a masterpiece of epic proportion.
 

The Janet Gaynor Version - "A Star Is Born" Gets Its First Oscar

After George Cukor turned down the offer to direct, William Wellman was hired to helm the Janet Gaynor version of "A Star Is Born." Gaynor costarred opposite screen legend Fredrick March in the second version of this classic fable, the first to be titled "A Star Is Born" and the first to introduce its heroine as "Esther."

In the 1937 version, Esther Blodgett is a simple farm girl who moves to Hollywood with dreams of finding fame and fortune. Her ambitions are soon realized after she meets Norman Maine, a successful star of the silver screen. Maine takes Esther under his wing and she becomes an enormous success using the stage name Vicki Lester. The story line follows the familiar track. The two marry. Esther's success is countered by Norman's excessive drinking as his career heads into a tailspin. He commits suicide in the final reel. A bereaved Esther is coaxed into coming out of self imposed seclusion to attend a Hollywood premiere. On the red carpet, Esther addresses a radio audience and delivers the film's most famous line: "Hello everybody. This is Mrs. Norman Maine."

There are no musical numbers to propel the story (the actors did that all by themselves), and the Janet Gaynor and Fredrick March performances were so good that each was nominated for an Oscar in their respective leading categories (Gaynor was previously honored by the Academy for 1929's "Wings" - becoming the first woman in history to win a Best Actress Oscar). William Wellman received two nominations, Best Director and Best Writing (original story). Ironically, the only Oscar this version of "A Star Is Born" took home was for its story, one that nearly ignited a nasty studio battle over plagiarism five years earlier.
 

The Barbra Streisand Version - The Most Successful

It was Jon Peters who first championed the idea of remaking "A Star Is Born" as a musical vehicle for Barbra Streisand. Peters, who was only aware of the previous Judy Garland version, was surprised to learn (presumably from Barbra) that the picture had been done several times before. During her interview at The Actors Studio, Barbra confessed that she initially nixed the whole idea, but ultimately agreed to do the picture to fulfill the commitment to her production company, First Artists. Though Barbra was initially hesitant about recreating a role so closely associated with her friend Judy Garland, her decision to move forward with the project resulted in the most commercially successful film of her career up 'till then.

Barbra's version of "A Star Is Born" stayed true to the basic premise of the story. However, the Streisand version would employ a few subtle changes. The character of Esther becomes a successful recording artist (not a film star) whose biggest triumph happens on Grammy night. Esther does not succumb to the pressures of assuming a stage name, choosing instead to keep true to her own identity as "Esther Hoffman" ("Why would I change my name? I'd have to get a new driver's license, new stationary. I mean it would really be a bother"). Esther's love interest is John Norman Howard as opposed to the traditional character of Norman Maine. When John Norman dies in the end, as is called for in the story, audiences were left to decide whether his death was an accident or an apparent suicide. One additional departure from the tradition of "A Star Is Born" comes at the end of the picture. When Esther Hoffman emerges from seclusion to perform at a benefit, she does not speak the line made so famous in earlier versions of "A Star Is Born." How wonderful it would have been had Barbra been given this dialogue: "Hello everybody. I am Mrs. John Norman Howard."

Barbra Streisand's involvement in "A Star Is Born" was a pivotal and important moment in her career. Despite luke-warm notices from critics, word of mouth turned the film into a monster hit, generating nearly $125 million in world-wide box office receipts for Barbra's own production company, "First Artists" (for a Streisand film, only "Meet the Fockers" would generate more revenue). The popularity of "A Star Is Born" was further boosted by a dynamic performance from Kris Kristofferson, massive amounts of publicity from Barbra and Jon Peters, a best selling soundtrack album and a runaway #1 single, "Evergreen."

Perhaps the most important outcome from "A Star Is Born" was that it reinvented the Barbra Streisand persona and introduced her to an entirely new audience. People who had perhaps never seen any of Barbra's earlier, more traditional screen performances suddenly became aware of Barbra Streisand through this film. She was contemporary and relevant, the film was cool and hip, and for Barbra, her own star enjoyed a rebirth that would continue to shine upon her career for decades to come.