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A Star Is Born: The Making of the 1954 Movie and Its 1983 Restoration
There is no book about Hollywood as riveting as this documentary. - Allan Carr Vanity Fair There is no question that the 1954 version of A STAR IS BORN holds a special place in the pantheon of classic movies. It was director George Cukor's first foray into musicals his first color film and it was without a doubt Judy Garland's greatest screen performance.With incredible detail and color Ronald Haver gives us the fascinating story of the making marketing and restoration of this groundbreaking classic. Here is how producer Sid Luft orchestrated the deal for his wife how Cukor was selected to direct how James Mason was cast to co-star and how Moss Hart's script was developed. Here are the myriad techincal problems the clashes of personalities and the shocking emotional ups and downs of the film's star. Here finally is the author's own mission to restore the film to its original length and glory in the 1980s.
346 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 26, 2018
I bought this for the tidbits on Judy Garland but stayed for Haver's fascinating account of the making of a film.
There was certainly information about Garland and her behavior during the making of this film but that is not the focus of the book at all. Instead, it is an in-depth look at all the aspects of the difficulties involved in making this film--the studio's support, than opposition and destructive interference, the brilliance of the director (George Cukor) along with an analysis of that brilliance and so much information about the various aspects of film making, including lighting, costuming, and even the use of color.
The information about the 1983 restoration is as exciting as any mystery story only filled with the painstaking hunt for material and the restoration of what was found.
I learned so much from this book, not only about this movie but about film making and the film industry in general.
It took a while for me to get used to the tone. I was expecting a light, gossipy type of prose but this is dryer and more of a scholarly one. Once I adjusted my expectations, however, I found the information fascinating and the prose more than serviceable.
This is an excellent book for those of us who are fans of Garland and this version of A Star is Born as well as being of interest to any one interested in the details of making a film, the obstacles, the triumphs, the disappointments and the general excitement of so many talents coming together to create a work of art.
There was certainly information about Garland and her behavior during the making of this film but that is not the focus of the book at all. Instead, it is an in-depth look at all the aspects of the difficulties involved in making this film--the studio's support, than opposition and destructive interference, the brilliance of the director (George Cukor) along with an analysis of that brilliance and so much information about the various aspects of film making, including lighting, costuming, and even the use of color.
The information about the 1983 restoration is as exciting as any mystery story only filled with the painstaking hunt for material and the restoration of what was found.
I learned so much from this book, not only about this movie but about film making and the film industry in general.
It took a while for me to get used to the tone. I was expecting a light, gossipy type of prose but this is dryer and more of a scholarly one. Once I adjusted my expectations, however, I found the information fascinating and the prose more than serviceable.
This is an excellent book for those of us who are fans of Garland and this version of A Star is Born as well as being of interest to any one interested in the details of making a film, the obstacles, the triumphs, the disappointments and the general excitement of so many talents coming together to create a work of art.
October 29, 2023
Outstanding film history study of the making of George Cukor's 1954 masterpiece "A Star is Born" - its troubled production, botched release and subsequent neglect to its reconstruction and restoration some thirty years later by an amazing team of dedicated film lovers headed by Ronald Haver.
August 28, 2021
I love this movie. I loved it in the shortened version, when I didn't know it was missing things. Then in 1983 when it came to Dallas, pieced back together, I fell in love with it all over again! And to read this book (which is mostly about what went on back in 1953-4) was a real.pleasure. It would not be nearly as enjoyable if you didn't know the film...the snippets of dialogue and scene descriptions were all so familiar to me that it made the book fun to read.
November 30, 2007
This behind-the-scenes exploration of the making of the 1954 classic, and then the 1893 restoration, is so compelling that it's impossible to put down. That elements of the film continue to be found is nothing short of amazing, and the minute details that Haver uncovered made for page-turning reading.
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August 4, 2011This is the first book about the making of a movie that I've read. A Star Is Born is my all-time favorite movie. Before reading this book, I was hopeful that it would be honest and insightful about the movie and the people who made it. The book did not disappoint. My only regret is that I was not alive in 1954 to see the original full-length version of the movie.
September 19, 2019
A superb book, not just a making-of (and an unmaking-of, and a remaking-of), but also a Hollywood history lesson, detective story and love story, as Haver chronicles the production of a mammoth, crucial piece of cinematic art, its partial destruction, and the campaign to find and restore its missing reels – which brings him front and centre. Beginning with a second-person tour that walks you around the Tinseltown in 1954 – and evokes the city better than anything else I have ever read – it captures a moment in history, as Fox’s CinemaScope captures the national imagination, and Jack Warner and his stumbling studio scramble to react. Their solution: to bank everything on the re-emergent popularity of difficult, Dexedrine-addicted former child star, Judy Garland.
I imagine that you have to be pretty interested in A Star Is Born to get as much out of this as I did – but who isn’t interested in A Star Is Born, it’s amazing – and the book contains a wealth of material about everything from on-set dynamics to production obstacles, symbolism and director George Cukor’s colour consultant, George Hoyningen-Heuse (whose work on the film is astounding, and a generally overlooked element). That material, drawn from new interviews, old interviews and the production file, could so easily feel either dry or incomplete, and yet so rarely does: Haver is uncommonly good at putting you in the room. The correspondence between screenwriter (and frequent Broadway playwright) Moss Hart and Cukor is also a particular joy, full of wit and warmth. At one point, Hart pays Cukor a compliment, follows it with the ‘50s version of a ‘that’s what she said’ joke, and concludes fondly with, “I don’t know why people say you’re not as good as Lucky Humberstone’ – the B-movie hack and one-take specialist who cut his teeth on Philo Vance and Charlie Chan films.
Haver is fonder of Warner and (domestic abuser) Sid Luft than many others, but is for the most part even-handed in his treatment of his subjects, from Garland to beleaguered editor Folmar Blangsted, who bore the brunt of Cukor’s fury from then on – as the man who took his scissors to the movie - but was merely acting under orders from Warner, a high-up who was quickly forgiven by the director. The story of the film’s desecration is well-researched, affecting and persuasive, and then Haver himself enters the story, charting his nascent obsession with A Star Is Born, depicting the hellscape of Hollywood when he arrived in the ‘60s, and then trying to re-assemble the lost slice of Hollywood history that was the original 181m version of the film. That final section of the book, which includes an extended case for film preservation, is perhaps of less consistent interest – at least to a general audience; do you need to know how he assembled and shot certain stills to cover gaps in footage? – but the emotional beats of the story are there, as Haver trawls through every film can at Burbank, and Cukor thaws, and there’s an extremely funny story about how the final missing number, ‘Lost That Long Face’ came back into circulation.
I’ve enjoyed a couple of similar books – Paul Seydor’s stern, analytical one on Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Josh Karp’s caper-ish tome on The Other Side of the Wind – but this is better than either, with a stronger conception of context, a more powerful evocation of its period, and a particularly poignant undercurrent. A world was vanishing, a portion of A Star Is Born went with it, and so – after the Academy were shown the shorter cut of the film – did the Oscar win that might have turned around Garland’s career.
As soon as I’d finished the final page, I put the film on.
I imagine that you have to be pretty interested in A Star Is Born to get as much out of this as I did – but who isn’t interested in A Star Is Born, it’s amazing – and the book contains a wealth of material about everything from on-set dynamics to production obstacles, symbolism and director George Cukor’s colour consultant, George Hoyningen-Heuse (whose work on the film is astounding, and a generally overlooked element). That material, drawn from new interviews, old interviews and the production file, could so easily feel either dry or incomplete, and yet so rarely does: Haver is uncommonly good at putting you in the room. The correspondence between screenwriter (and frequent Broadway playwright) Moss Hart and Cukor is also a particular joy, full of wit and warmth. At one point, Hart pays Cukor a compliment, follows it with the ‘50s version of a ‘that’s what she said’ joke, and concludes fondly with, “I don’t know why people say you’re not as good as Lucky Humberstone’ – the B-movie hack and one-take specialist who cut his teeth on Philo Vance and Charlie Chan films.
Haver is fonder of Warner and (domestic abuser) Sid Luft than many others, but is for the most part even-handed in his treatment of his subjects, from Garland to beleaguered editor Folmar Blangsted, who bore the brunt of Cukor’s fury from then on – as the man who took his scissors to the movie - but was merely acting under orders from Warner, a high-up who was quickly forgiven by the director. The story of the film’s desecration is well-researched, affecting and persuasive, and then Haver himself enters the story, charting his nascent obsession with A Star Is Born, depicting the hellscape of Hollywood when he arrived in the ‘60s, and then trying to re-assemble the lost slice of Hollywood history that was the original 181m version of the film. That final section of the book, which includes an extended case for film preservation, is perhaps of less consistent interest – at least to a general audience; do you need to know how he assembled and shot certain stills to cover gaps in footage? – but the emotional beats of the story are there, as Haver trawls through every film can at Burbank, and Cukor thaws, and there’s an extremely funny story about how the final missing number, ‘Lost That Long Face’ came back into circulation.
I’ve enjoyed a couple of similar books – Paul Seydor’s stern, analytical one on Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Josh Karp’s caper-ish tome on The Other Side of the Wind – but this is better than either, with a stronger conception of context, a more powerful evocation of its period, and a particularly poignant undercurrent. A world was vanishing, a portion of A Star Is Born went with it, and so – after the Academy were shown the shorter cut of the film – did the Oscar win that might have turned around Garland’s career.
As soon as I’d finished the final page, I put the film on.
May 12, 2022
A very interesting and well-written book, especially for “Star is Born” fans, old movie fans, Garland/Cukor fans and those interested in film preservation. It got a bit technical for me at times, but this didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book too much. Most of the book focuses on the making of the original film, from the original idea/concept, to casting and getting the crew set up, to the writing and the songs, through the often fraught production and the screenings of the final product. The second section goes faster and is fascinating, as Haver looks everywhere for missing footage that was cut out of the original print shortly after the first previews, and believed to be irretrievably lost.
(I got interested in this film and its restoration after finding it by accident on TCM, and wondering about the reconstructed portions and how they got there. It’s well worth watching this restored version both before and after reading this book.)
(I got interested in this film and its restoration after finding it by accident on TCM, and wondering about the reconstructed portions and how they got there. It’s well worth watching this restored version both before and after reading this book.)
November 29, 2018
This is a great book to read if you are a fan of the movies and how they are made. The book goes into great detail about the making of the 1954 "A Star is Born" and at times it read almost like a text book. I was entertained and felt like I learned quite a bit. The separate story of the restoration of the film is fascinating.
April 10, 2019
Somehow this is an exciting, almost Indiana Jones-esque, tale of cinematic archaeology, complete with villains, back-room dealing, a near-death experience, bootleggers, and more. You don’t have to be a fan of A Star Is Born — heck, you don’t need to have seen it, I hadn’t when I first read this book — to enjoy this book.
January 24, 2021
Oh wow! What a great story!
Haver is very successful in painting the society context and the emotional feelings around the moment, so it makes a very compelling read.
Some mid parts feel superfluous - a bit gossipy even, but overall it's a great book about Hollywood.
Haver is very successful in painting the society context and the emotional feelings around the moment, so it makes a very compelling read.
Some mid parts feel superfluous - a bit gossipy even, but overall it's a great book about Hollywood.
August 18, 2019
Some technical details about making films made this a bit of a slog. Wish o had a copy of the movie to follow along with scenes as described. When is the next time it will be shown on TCM?
May 23, 2021
Very interesting read on the making of the movie classic, and its restoration. Now, I will have to rewatch the movie.
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August 26, 2023DNF at 60% - Amazing accounts of the making of the movie. Great details and anecdotes. I just got bored right when I got to the production part. Might come back to finish it.
June 2, 2016
he 1954 version of A star is Born, is one of my favorite films. Judy Garland as Vicki Lester and James Mason as Norman Maine give amazingly moving performances as to movie starts, one on the way to the top, and one hurtling towards oblivion in a bottle.
This book chronicles the troubled making of the film, from finding the right leading man (both Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart were approached to play Norman Maine), the script and music issues and even what format and lenses to use (CinemaScope had just arrived and Warner Brothers did not want to pay to use the 20th Century-Fox equipment but there own version was considerably inferior), and of course the absences and delays caused by Judy Garland.
However, not all of the overspend on the film can be attributed to Garland, and Ronald Haver explains that large amounts were wasted after Warners decided to junk footage shot in the normal screen ratio and reshoot in CinemaScope. George Cukor spent thousands of printing as many shots as he could, he wanted the best picture possible, and when the film was finally complete it ran for 182 minutes, in order to recoup the cash and show the film as many times a s possible per day the film was cut to 154 minutes, and this was the version that was shown for many years. Sadly the cutting was done so badly and with little thought to character and plot development that once cut, the film didn't work as well, had is been cut by Cukor (they wouldn't let him) it would have been done more sensitively.
The book then goes on to explain how the missing footage was found and restored where possible and if not how photos were used to link the narrative.
It is a well written book and extremely interesting and demonstrates how little the film industry valued it's product then. Of course in the 1950's, television was the enemy and there were no home video players.
If you are interested in Hollywood history and film restoration or a fan of Mason, Garland and the film, then this book is worthy of a space on your bookshelf.
This book chronicles the troubled making of the film, from finding the right leading man (both Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart were approached to play Norman Maine), the script and music issues and even what format and lenses to use (CinemaScope had just arrived and Warner Brothers did not want to pay to use the 20th Century-Fox equipment but there own version was considerably inferior), and of course the absences and delays caused by Judy Garland.
However, not all of the overspend on the film can be attributed to Garland, and Ronald Haver explains that large amounts were wasted after Warners decided to junk footage shot in the normal screen ratio and reshoot in CinemaScope. George Cukor spent thousands of printing as many shots as he could, he wanted the best picture possible, and when the film was finally complete it ran for 182 minutes, in order to recoup the cash and show the film as many times a s possible per day the film was cut to 154 minutes, and this was the version that was shown for many years. Sadly the cutting was done so badly and with little thought to character and plot development that once cut, the film didn't work as well, had is been cut by Cukor (they wouldn't let him) it would have been done more sensitively.
The book then goes on to explain how the missing footage was found and restored where possible and if not how photos were used to link the narrative.
It is a well written book and extremely interesting and demonstrates how little the film industry valued it's product then. Of course in the 1950's, television was the enemy and there were no home video players.
If you are interested in Hollywood history and film restoration or a fan of Mason, Garland and the film, then this book is worthy of a space on your bookshelf.
July 18, 2014
I didn't want this book to end ... Living in Hollywood at the same time when the Restoration took place and everything lost frame that was found
is remarkable .. Buying tickets for the first showing of the Original directors print at The Academy of Motion pictures on Wilshire Blvd was a happening James Mason spoke Judy Garlands 3 children where there As Excited as everyone else ...Then Hearing that Voice in Stereophonic sound gave the hairs on back of ones neck attention
is remarkable .. Buying tickets for the first showing of the Original directors print at The Academy of Motion pictures on Wilshire Blvd was a happening James Mason spoke Judy Garlands 3 children where there As Excited as everyone else ...Then Hearing that Voice in Stereophonic sound gave the hairs on back of ones neck attention
April 11, 2013
A great read. A journal of the production and an interesting overview of the 1983 restoration. I hope there's still material to be uncovered. But at least now I have a satisfying explanation why the restoration version lasts175 min compared to the full-length of 181 min of the 1954 version.
August 27, 2011
Great read about this classic movie!
May 30, 2016
A thorough, intelligent and obviously devoted look at the making of A Star is Born and the restoration.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews