A Star Is Born...Again: All the Divas Who Brought This Tale to Life
| 10/01/18
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She was a top-ranked draw at the box office and Oscar's first-ever Best Actress winner, but Gaynor's popularity was waning before A Star Is Born came along, partly a studio scheme to reboot her career. It worked: The film netted Gaynor her second Oscar nod.
The whopping three-hour remake of Gaynor's film was a game changer for Garland, too--a comeback vehicle that surfaced four years after she left MGM. Her performance is widely thought to be the best of her adult life, and her take on "The Man That Got Away" joined "Over the Rainbow" as one of her signature ballads.
Babs didn't need A Star Is Born as much as her predecessors--she was well-established and she was booked, banging out musicals and screwball comedies after her 1969 Oscar win for Funny Girl. This all helped to give the icon pre-Yentl power: She didn't just star in this '70s update; she produced it, too.
Gaga was at acting auditions before selling out stadiums, so that Golden Globe win for AHS: Hotel was no mere starfucker stunt. Her work in the new ASIB revamp (out Oct. 5) might have her trading her disco stick for a golden statuette.