A Star Is Reborn - by Robert Hofler (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the 1976 classic film version starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, a riveting, juicy exploration of the history and popularity of Hollywood's favorite story about itself, from its 1937 technicolor drama starring Janet Gaynor and the 1954 version with Judy Garland, through 2018's blockbuster Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper remake.

A Star is Born is one of the most popular entertainment legends of all time--the story of a fading male star who falls in love with an ingénue whose fame quickly eclipses his own. It's been a showcase for some of the most talented female artists of their time--Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Lady Gaga--yet it is also a fascinating rumination on the nature of fame and the fragility of the male ego.

Now, Robert Hofler offers a riveting behind-the-scenes journey through the movie's history, starting with 1932's What Price Hollywood?, based on the rocky real-life Hollywood marriage of silent movie star Colleen Moore and producer John McCormick. That storyline was reworked by producer David O. Selznick into 1937's A Star is Born, starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March in the first of four versions.

From Cary Grant's refusal to star opposite Judy Garland due to her substance abuse (a problem that would cause the 1954 musical to go wildly over-schedule) to attempts to woo Elvis Presley to star in the 1976 blockbuster that eventually paired Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, How a Star is Reborn delves into the juicy tales behind the scenes. Hofler also traces the evolution of the story itself, as successive versions pivoted away from Hollywood and towards the world of rock music, culminating in 2018's wildly successful Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga remake.

Captivating and superbly researched, How a Star is Reborn combines shrewd insights, little-known details, and Hofler's storytelling flair in this must-read for every fan of modern cinema.

Review Quotes

Praise for A STAR IS REBORN

"Robert Hofler conducts a revealing backstage joyride of another classic film phenomenon with A Star Is Reborn. His signature blend of insight, sharply observed detail, and love of the movies illuminates the often brilliant, sometimes reckless artistry and studio decision-making that go into four generations of one of Hollywood's greatest epics." --Bob Spitz, author of Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child

"A Star is Born has always been a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of stardom (and also the lack of it), but at the same time it's served as a vehicle to catapult various dazzling women into greater fame. Critic-author Robert Hofler pulls the tinsel even farther back and gives us a detailed peek at the way each Star is Born envisioned the Hollywood dream machine, both on screen and off. Great job--there's not a fact that got away." --Michael Musto, author of Manhattan on the Rocks

"Every Hollywood generation can't seem to resist gazing at itself in the cracked mirror of A Star Is Born, the love story of a doomed fading star and the talented young woman who worships him yet cannot rescue him from self-destruction. Robert Hofler jumps nimbly and authoritatively from What Price Hollywood?, the little-remembered 1932 original, to its four A Star Is Born reincarnations, capturing the raging ambition, narcissism and vulnerability at the heart of Hollywood's obsession with itself." --Glenn Frankel, author of Shooting Midnight Cowboy

"The many lives of the four screen versions of A Star Is Born are explored with stunning detail and skillful analysis in Robert Hofler's exhaustively researched and hypnotically readable A Star is Reborn: Gaga & Streisand & Gaynor & Garland. The plot of the rising star and her falling star lover may be a Hollywood trope, but Hofler takes the reader down lively side paths, reveals, and entertaining tangents that literally every page has something new. It's a must-read not only for fans of the movies but also for friends of Dorothy." --Nat Segaloff, author of The Exorcist Legacy

About the Author

Robert Hofler is the lead theater critic at TheWrap and author of bestselling, critically acclaimed biographies, including Money, Murder, and Dominick Dunne: A Life in Several Acts; The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson; Party Animals; and the Lambda Literary Award nominated Sexplosion: From Andy Warhol to A Clockwork Orange, How a Generation of Pop Rebels Broke All the Taboos. The recipient of the 2020 Los Angeles Press Club Award for Best Theater Reviews, he previously has been an editor and writer for Life, Us Weekly, and Variety. He lives in New York City and can be found online at RobertHofler.com.