A behind-the-scenes look at Judy Garland’s comeback in 1954’s ‘A Star is Born’

“A Star is Born” premiered this week in 1954. The film, a mu­sic­al re­make of the 1937 film of the same name, served as a comeback vehicle for star Judy Gar­land, who had fallen on hard times after her not­able early ca­reer. The film was nom­in­ated for six Academy Awards, in­clud­ing noms for Gar­land and cost­ar James Ma­son, and was later se­lec­ted for pre­ser­va­tion in the U.S. Na­tion­al Film Re­gistry. The story was re­told once again in 1976 with Bar­bra Streis­and and Kris Kris­tof­fer­son, and a new ver­sion is cur­rently in the works with Lady Gaga and Brad­ley Cooper. In an Aug. 29, 1954, art­icle, The Times’ Philip K. Sch­euer pre­viewed the film, not­ing that Gar­land’s per­form­ance was be­ing lauded as a tour de force by at­tendees of sneak-pre­view screen­ings.