Trivia / A Star Is Born (1937)

• Channel Hop: The film was owned by David O. Selznick and released by United Artists. In 1943, Selznick International Pictures dissolved leaving the film's rights to financier John Hay Whitney. Whitney then sold the movie to Film Classics, Inc. in the same year. Due to a decrease in rerun earnings, Film Classics decided to put the film up for sale to producer Edward L. Alperson, to create a remake of the film. However, rather than remaking the film, Alperson sold the entire copyright of the film, including the film itself, the story, screenplay, and score, to Warner Bros. in 1953, which financed the film's first remake. In 1965, the film entered the public domain in the United States because Warner did not renew its copyright registration in the 28th year after publication.
• Stillborn Franchise: Plans were announced in 1938 for a sequel entitled Heartbreak Town, about a child actor but it was never made.
• What Could Have Been:
  • George Cukor was asked to direct, but he declined. He did direct A Star Is Born (1954).
  • John Barrymore was considered for Norman Maine, but due to alcoholism, he had memory lapses and therefore had trouble remembering his lines. When Barrymore was told that he had to use a blackboard on set with his lines written on it, he refused the part. Had Barrymore accepted the role, it would have been Harsher in Hindsight due to his death in 1942.
• Working Title: It Happened In Hollywood.

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