Content Warning: This article touches on the topic of suicide and domestic violence which may be triggering for some readers.
While A Star is Born (1937) can’t claim to be the first silver screen tale about fame and its effect on love – that accolade goes to What Price Hollywood?, which debuted five years earlier – it is arguably the most famous story of a doomed romance between a young ingénue and her hard-living beau that ends in tragedy. And its popularity is such that it’s been remade three times.
The original film starred Janet Gaynor as Esther Blodgett, a farm girl from North Dakota who’s long dreamed of becoming a famous actress. As the well-worn narrative goes on, a chance encounter with acclaimed actor Norman Maine (played by Fredric March) leads to a screen test and ultimately a small role – the first of many for Esther.
In true cinematic style, the two fall in love and marry. But Norman’s dependence on alcohol ultimately sees his career prospects dwindle while Esther’s goes from strength to strength. It’s a problem that haunts their marriage. Faced with a choice between stardom and her soulmate, Esther decides to give up her career to care for him. It’s a move that tragically pushes the ever-proud Norman to take his own life.
No matter how many times you watch it, the gut-wrenching emotion is palpable. And it’s made even more so when you consider that the woeful story of love and loss is widely believed to be based on a real-life doomed romance. That of tragic Hollywood couple Barbara Stanwyck and Frank Fay.
Rubies, riches and crowns
Barbara was born Ruby Stevens in Brooklyn, New York in 1907. The youngest of five children, she was just four years old when her mother died in a streetcar accident. Shortly after, her father left the family home. Having travelled with her elder sister Millie – a vaudeville star – between stints in foster homes, Ruby longed for the glamour of the stage from an early age.
Hers was a turbulent upbringing, yet one that instilled guts and resilience. “Growing up in one foster home after another didn’t give me any excuse for whining, protesting, demanding. Besides, why whine?” she once said. After dropping out of school at 14 and lying about her age, she found work as a chorus girl in New York’s speakeasies alongside Joan Crawford.
In 1926, Ruby appeared as Barbara Stanwyck for the first time on stage in The Noose. A year later, she made her Broadway debut in Burlesque. It was while Barbara was starring in the latter play that pianist and actor Oscar Levant took her to watch comedian Frank Fay. This was a man who would play a key role in her life and trajectory to global stardom.
Frank was 16 years her senior and one of the most revered comics at the time. “Of all the great vaudevillians, I admired Frank the most,” James Cagney once said. His brand of comedy – likened to the stand-up comedy of today – set Frank apart from his peers, who delivered more slapstick routines. His distinctive, almost effeminate style of walking and charming arrogance also played a part in Frank making his mark on the industry – and on Barbara.
The two began dating in 1928, reportedly becoming close following the death of her former lover and co-star Rex Cherryman. They would then go on to marry in August of the same year.
Frank, my dear, doesn’t give a damn
The newlyweds moved to Los Angeles soon after the wedding. Frank used his connections at Warner Bros. to secure his new wife – still a relatively unknown actress – a screen test.
Barbara went on to star in a couple of movies for the studio. But it wasn’t until Ladies of Leisure in 1930 that her career really began to take off. A review that appeared in Photoplay noted that the actress’ performance was “thrilling” and that “a star’s been born”.
Barbara was always quick to credit Frank for teaching her “everything I know of etiquette, of books and art and people and the world around me.” She would tell reporters to call her Mrs Frank Fay. However, friends such as Walda Mansfield, Barbara’s former roommate, recall some red flags in the early days of the relationship. “He wanted Barbara all to himself,” said Walda. “I thought it was awful, but she put up with it. She didn’t mind.”
While Frank was a hit with audiences when he first met Barbara, he wasn’t always popular among his fellow showmen. A mean drunk, he was notorious for introducing his follow-up acts in a patronising and at times sabotaging manner. Milton Berle once said, “Fay’s friends could be counted on the missing arm of a one-armed man.”
Frank’s cantankerous attitude and heavy drinking undoubtedly affected his marriage. Cracks appeared as Barbara’s career began to eclipse his own – and his drinking spiralled out of control. The couple had adopted a 10-month-old boy, Tony, shortly after moving to Hollywood, but there were times when Frank’s actions endangered his son’s welfare. He reportedly once got so drunk that he threw Tony in the pool. On another occasion, he nearly set fire to the boy’s bedroom.
In a desperate attempt to revive Frank’s career and distract him from drinking, Barbara co-produced and co-starred in Tattle Tales, in which the pair toured the country in 1933. But it failed to achieve the success they hoped for.
The final act
Barbara filed for divorce seven years after she and Frank were married, and was awarded sole custody of Tony. However, she struggled with the demands of motherhood and sent her son away to boarding school and military school, leaving him with feelings of resentment.
If life were to preempt art, we’d see Frank tragically take his own life at this stage, unable to bear the success of his lover while his own best years were behind him. However, in reality, that story is only half true.
Frank lived until he was 69 and, despite finding a measure of success again with the 1944 Broadway play Harvey. He passed away a fallen star in 1961. Barbara, meanwhile, enjoyed a stellar Hollywood career – a “pompous” term for a job she was “privileged to be paid for,” according to her – and was the highest-paid woman in the United States in 1944.
She would go on to marry Robert Taylor; a marriage that would last twice as long as her first union. When Barbara passed away in 1990, aged 82, she was celebrated as one of Hollywood’s hardest-working actors and a true star.
A Star is Born (Over & Over)
The original 1937 William A. Wellman movie sees Esther (Janet Gaynor) go from farm girl to film star while her love interest, legendary actor Norman (Fredric March), succumbs to alcohol, leading to his suicide.
Following on from the original success came the first remake in 1954. Directed by George Cukor, this musical version features Judy Garland as Esther, an aspiring singer, and James Mason as Norman, a former matinee idol, in the story of doomed love.
Arguably the most famous remake was in 1976. Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson star as the young singer whose star is on the rise and the self-destructive rock star who becomes increasingly reckless as his wife’s career takes off.
Finally and most recently, we received the 2018 remake starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. Bradley plays a hard-drinking musician who falls in love with Lady Gaga’s character, a singer. The movie was Bradley’s directorial debut and earned an Academy Award for the song Shallow.
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is always available. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit their website, or call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit their website.
