The Star (1952) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

A faded film star fights to hold on to her past glamour despite failing finances.

Cast & Crew

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Stuart Heisler

Bette Davis

Margaret Elliott

Sterling Hayden

Natalie Wood

Warner Anderson

Minor Watson

Photos & Videos

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Star, The (1952) -- (Movie Clip) It's Paid For

Star, The (1952) -- (Movie Clip) Pick My Bones!

Star, The (1952) -- (Movie Clip) Girls Don't Climb Trees

Film Details

Genre

Drama

Classic Hollywood

Release Date

Mar 1952

Premiere Information

Los Angeles opening: 25 Dec 1952; New York opening: 28 Jan 1953

Production Company

Thor Productions, Inc.

Distribution Company

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.

Country

United States

Location

Los Angeles, California, United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 29m

Sound

Mono

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.37 : 1

Film Length

10 reels

Synopsis

On the night that her possessions are being auctioned to satisfy her creditors, faded movie star Margaret Elliott's bumps into her agent, Harry Stone, and berates him for not getting her any work. Harry advises Margaret that she no longer has the "fresh, dewy quality" desired by moviegoers, but Margaret pleads with him to approach producer Joe Morrison, who is preparing a new film, The Fatal Winter , on which Margaret once held an option. After Harry demurs and counsels Margaret to ask her now-wealthy ex-husband, John Morgan, for money, as she had supported him during their marriage, Margaret reluctantly drives to the Morgan's mansion. There she is greeted by her devoted, teenage daughter Gretchen, and John's second wife, Peggy. After quarreling with Peggy, who stole John from her, Margaret reassures Gretchen that she is still a big star, despite the disparaging remarks of Gretchen's classmates. Margaret then returns to her apartment, where her landlady, the sympathetic Mrs. Adams, warns her that the rental agency is demanding her back rent. Waiting in her apartment are Margaret's parasitic sister Faith and brother-in-law Roy, on whom Margaret has lavished gifts and money throughout her career. When Roy asks for their monthly check, Margaret yells at him that she is bankrupt and orders them to leave. Margaret then grabs her Best Actress Academy Award and goes on a drunken binge. She is eventually arrested, and after spending a miserable night in jail, is bailed out by shipyard owner Jim Johannson. Margaret questions Jim about his actions and he replies that she once did him a good turn when she picked him from obscurity to co-star in one of her films. Jim, who was happy to leave acting for the Army, and now loves to work with his hands, escorts Margaret home, only to discover that she has been locked out of her apartment. Jim then takes her to his loft and tells her that with rest, she will feel better. When Margaret awakens, she discovers news of her arrest plastered across the front page and hurriedly calls Gretchen to assure her that it was just a publicity stunt. Margaret then tells Jim that she is broke because she invested her own money in three pictures that failed to break even. Margaret bitterly blames the "big companies" who failed to give her films "a decent release," but Jim muses that perhaps she destroyed her career herself. Later, when Jim remarks that Margaret tried to kill herself with her drunken driving, she insinuates that he was trying to buy her by bailing her out of jail. Although Jim admits that he was in love with her when they were filming their movie, he now accuses her of "being a career" rather than a woman. Margaret dashes out and at a nearby pharmacy, steals a bottle of perfume. Upset by her behavior, Margaret accepts Jim's advice that she find a "real" job. Summoning her acting skills, Margaret sails through an interview at a local department store and begins work as a saleslady. Her newly found confidence is shattered, however, when she overhears two gossiping customers complaining that the store should not have hired a "jailbird." Determined to regain her stardom, Margaret storms into Harry's office and demands that he contact Morrison. The producer agrees to see her, although she is dismayed to learn that he wants her to audition for the role of the frumpy older sister, rather than that of the heroine. The night before the test, Margaret rehearses her lines with Jim, and he questions her decision to play the part much younger than it is written. Margaret airily states that she knows how to handle the director, Keith Barkley, but the next day, he also instructs her not to play the part in such a coy, flirtatious fashion. Margaret insists on continuing with her interpretation, and that night, tells Jim that she is certain Morrison will offer her the heroine's role because her test went so well. The next morning, however, when Harry and Margaret visit Morrison, Margaret watches her audition reel and is horrified by how foolish she appears. Hoping to calm the overwrought Margaret, Harry takes her to his home to rest, although he has forgotten that he and his wife Phyllis are hosting a party that evening. When Margaret awakens, Phyllis encourages her to attend the party, and there Margaret meets screenwriter Richard Stanley. Stanley describes his latest script, which he believes would be perfect for Margaret, as it is about an actress who is so driven by ambition that she cannot accept the end of her career. When Stanley states that the lead character will be pitied because she will have given up "her birthright: the privilege and glory of just being a woman," Margaret runs off. She then picks up Gretchen and returns to Jim, who welcomes them both with open arms and gives Margaret a tender kiss.

Director

Stuart Heisler

Cast

Bette Davis

Margaret Elliott

Sterling Hayden

Natalie Wood

Warner Anderson

Minor Watson

June Travis

Paul Frees

Richard Stanley

Robert Warrick

R. J., Party guest

Barbara Lawrence

Barbara Lawrence

Fay Baker

Herb Vigran

Katherine Warren

Kay Riehl

Barbara Wooddell

David Alpert

Tom Irish

Charles Victor

Robert Dane

George, cameraman

Helen Spring

O. Z. Whitehead

Waiter at open air café

Edna Mae Jones

Waitress at open air café

Marie Blake

Annie, the maid

Byron Foulger

Crew

Katherine Albert

Original Screenplay

Del Armstrong

Makeup Supervisor

Edward Boyle

John Carter

David Commons

Special Effects

Sid Cuttner

William Edwards

Dale Eunson

Original Screenplay

Bert E. Friedlob

Bert E. Friedlob

Weslie Jones

Script Supervisor

Ernest Laszlo

Director of Photography

Boris Leven

Don Loper

Otto Ludwig

Editing Supervisor

Orry Kelly

Miss Davis' gowns Designer

J. Paul

Prod Supervisor

Ann Peck

Jack Rabin

Special Effects

Jane Romeyn

Leo Shuken

Leo Taub

Assistant to the prod

Robert Vreeland

Assistant Director

Victor Young

Music Composition and Conducting

Videos

Star, The (1952) -- (Movie Clip) Pick My Bones! Opening scenes, Bette Davis as "Margaret Elliott" bumps into former agent Harry (Warner Anderson), in The Star, 1952, from an original screenplay by Joan Crawford pals Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert.

Star, The (1952) -- (Movie Clip) Girls Don't Climb Trees Considering asking her ex-husband for money, down-and-out actress Margaret Elliott (Bette Davis) encounters her daughter Gretchen (Natalie Wood) and the new wife (Katherine Warren), in The Star, 1952.

Star, The (1952) -- (Movie Clip) It's Paid For First appearance of Jim Johannson (Sterling Hayden), having bailed struggling actress Margaret Elliott (Bette Davis) out of jail after a bender, then discovering more problems, in The Star, 1952.

Film Details

Genre

Drama

Classic Hollywood

Release Date

Mar 1952

Premiere Information

Los Angeles opening: 25 Dec 1952; New York opening: 28 Jan 1953

Production Company

Thor Productions, Inc.

Distribution Company

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.

Country

United States

Location

Los Angeles, California, United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 29m

Sound

Mono

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.37 : 1

Film Length

10 reels

Award Nominations

Best Actress

1953

Bette Davis

Articles

The Star

April 7, 2010

In The Star (1952), Bette Davis plays Margaret Elliot, an Academy Award winning actress who has not worked in several years. Margaret's life takes a downward spiral as she is forced to sell her belongings at an auction, is arrested for drunk driving, and is fired from a job at a department store for getting into a fight with the customers. A former co-star of Margaret's who has left show business (Sterling Hayden), tells her he is in love with her and tries to help the fading star find true happiness. But the actress can't give up being a star just yet and auditions for another role.

The Star did not do well at the box office, but Bette Davis described it as "one of the best scripts ever written about a movie mad actress." Davis particularly enjoyed that it was written about Joan Crawford. In 1983, Davis told Playboy, "Oh, yes, that was Crawford. I wasn't imitating her, of course. It was just that whole approach of hers to the business as regards the importance of glamour and all of the offstage things. I adored the script."

The Star was written by close friends of Joan Crawford's, Katherine Albert and Dale Eunson. The couple's twenty-five year friendship with the actress ended in 1952 as filming on the movie began. Eunson stated that contrary to popular belief, Crawford was never approached to do the film, "Frankly, it was a little too close to her, which is one reason Bette liked it. Bette could play Joan Crawford to the hilt."

According to Shaun Considine in Bette and Joan, Joan Crawford was aware the film was about her. Considine adds the actress found a way to take revenge on the authors. Joan Crawford was godmother to Katherine Albert and Dale Eunson's daughter. During the filming of The Star, the 17-year-old girl decided she wanted to get married. The Eunsons asked Crawford to talk to the girl. But instead of talking her out of marriage, Crawford arranged the wedding in her house and later called the Eunsons to tell them their daughter was married. According to Dale Eunson, "She set the whole thing up behind our backs. She called the judge, and the press. She didn't invite us to our own daughter's wedding."

Fourteen-year-old Natalie Wood played Bette Davis' daughter in The Star. The two developed a life-long friendship during the filming, thanks in part to one incident. The young Natalie Wood could not swim and was frightened of the water. All along she had told the director she would not be able to do a scene that called for her to jump off a boat and into the ocean. The teen was in tears when Bette Davis appeared. According to Natalie Wood's sister Lana, Davis said Natalie would not do the scene and "if any more orders to the contrary were attempted, Miss Davis would walk off the set and close down the picture." Lana states her sister, "always said that it was Bette Davis who first caused her to realize that speaking up and out wasn't a bad thing to do."

Bette Davis was nominated for Best Actress, but lost out to Shirley Booth for her role in Come Back, Little Sheba. Davis had been offered the Shirley Booth role after The Star but turned it down. Davis later said turning down that role was "one of the really great mistakes of my career."

Director: Stuart Heisler
Producer: Bert E. Friedlob
Screenplay: Katherine Albery and Dale Eunson
Cinematography: Ernest Laszlo
Art Direction: Boris Leven
Music: Victor Young
Cast: Bette Davis (Margaret Elliot), Sterling Hayden (Jim Johannson), Natalie Wood (Gretchen), Warner Anderson (Harry Stone), Minor Watson (Joe Morrison), June Travis (Mrs. Morrison), Barbara Lawrence (Herself).
BW-91m.

by Deborah Looney

The Star

In The Star (1952), Bette Davis plays Margaret Elliot, an Academy Award winning actress who has not worked in several years. Margaret's life takes a downward spiral as she is forced to sell her belongings at an auction, is arrested for drunk driving, and is fired from a job at a department store for getting into a fight with the customers. A former co-star of Margaret's who has left show business (Sterling Hayden), tells her he is in love with her and tries to help the fading star find true happiness. But the actress can't give up being a star just yet and auditions for another role. The Star did not do well at the box office, but Bette Davis described it as "one of the best scripts ever written about a movie mad actress." Davis particularly enjoyed that it was written about Joan Crawford. In 1983, Davis told Playboy, "Oh, yes, that was Crawford. I wasn't imitating her, of course. It was just that whole approach of hers to the business as regards the importance of glamour and all of the offstage things. I adored the script." The Star was written by close friends of Joan Crawford's, Katherine Albert and Dale Eunson. The couple's twenty-five year friendship with the actress ended in 1952 as filming on the movie began. Eunson stated that contrary to popular belief, Crawford was never approached to do the film, "Frankly, it was a little too close to her, which is one reason Bette liked it. Bette could play Joan Crawford to the hilt." According to Shaun Considine in Bette and Joan, Joan Crawford was aware the film was about her. Considine adds the actress found a way to take revenge on the authors. Joan Crawford was godmother to Katherine Albert and Dale Eunson's daughter. During the filming of The Star, the 17-year-old girl decided she wanted to get married. The Eunsons asked Crawford to talk to the girl. But instead of talking her out of marriage, Crawford arranged the wedding in her house and later called the Eunsons to tell them their daughter was married. According to Dale Eunson, "She set the whole thing up behind our backs. She called the judge, and the press. She didn't invite us to our own daughter's wedding." Fourteen-year-old Natalie Wood played Bette Davis' daughter in The Star. The two developed a life-long friendship during the filming, thanks in part to one incident. The young Natalie Wood could not swim and was frightened of the water. All along she had told the director she would not be able to do a scene that called for her to jump off a boat and into the ocean. The teen was in tears when Bette Davis appeared. According to Natalie Wood's sister Lana, Davis said Natalie would not do the scene and "if any more orders to the contrary were attempted, Miss Davis would walk off the set and close down the picture." Lana states her sister, "always said that it was Bette Davis who first caused her to realize that speaking up and out wasn't a bad thing to do." Bette Davis was nominated for Best Actress, but lost out to Shirley Booth for her role in Come Back, Little Sheba. Davis had been offered the Shirley Booth role after The Star but turned it down. Davis later said turning down that role was "one of the really great mistakes of my career." Director: Stuart Heisler Producer: Bert E. Friedlob Screenplay: Katherine Albery and Dale Eunson Cinematography: Ernest Laszlo Art Direction: Boris Leven Music: Victor Young Cast: Bette Davis (Margaret Elliot), Sterling Hayden (Jim Johannson), Natalie Wood (Gretchen), Warner Anderson (Harry Stone), Minor Watson (Joe Morrison), June Travis (Mrs. Morrison), Barbara Lawrence (Herself). BW-91m. by Deborah Looney

Bette Davis in The Star on DVD

June 8, 2005

Here's a role that many might think would terrify an actress in Bette Davis' position - the tale of a washed-up big-time glamour star incapable of realizing that the Hollywood 'sleigh ride' is over. Davis attacks it with the sincerity she gave all of her film work. The movie verges on melodrama, but Davis emerges as strongly as ever.

Synopsis: Fabled movie star Margaret Elliot (Davis) hits the skids. The millions are gone and she's deeply in debt with her agent Harry Stone (Warner Anderson); she has to scream to get her chiseling relatives to realize that the cash well has run dry. After a wild car ride with her Oscar® and a scandalous night in the Beverly Hills drunk tank, Margaret is at her wit's end. Her bail is paid by Jim Johanssen (Sterling Hayden), a boat mechanic who once played opposite her in an old movie. He tries to make her face up to facts, but she stubbornly gives her illusions one more try. In a screen test for a frowzy 'older sister' role, Margaret foolishly makes a play for the leading part: an 18 year-old ingénue.

Margaret Elliot of The Star isn't modeled after Bette Davis, who obviously didn't go broke and had loving relationships with her relatives. It was written more with a Joan Crawford type in mind, the kind of star that thrived on glamorous illusions and would do anything to stay on top of the Hollywood heap. Elliot talks about once having been labeled 'box office poison,' which was Joan's problem, not Bette's.

The Star charts the descent of a proud woman who finds that her associates and friends either won't or can't help her. Salvation comes in the form of an old admirer Jim. (Sterling Hayden, soon before becoming a Hollywood dropout, is clearly enjoying his sailing scenes). With a conventional marriage Margaret can attend to her family responsibilities with her daughter Gretchen (an amusingly kittenish Natalie Wood), but Jim's biggest contribution is to encourage Margaret to reevaluate herself. After she confronts the harsh truth of her age in her grossly misjudged screen test, the final blow comes from Paul Frees' plain-speaking screenwriter. "I have the perfect part for you," Frees purrs, and proceeds to basically describe the concept for the movie we're watching ¿ a tragedy. Margaret sees the light and runs back to Jim as fast as her feet can take her, cured of her illusions.

Katherine Albert and Dale Eunson's script is less critical of Hollywood than most inside stories, but it does make some good points. Barbara Lawrence plays the newer, younger star that Margaret feels has stolen her spotlight. Margaret's inability to face any reality that doesn't acknowledge her as a top attraction shows that the problem is with her, not Lawrence or some cruel system. Sterling Hayden's character turns out to be a carpenter pushed into acting because of good looks. Like many co-stars for powerful female figures, he was basically a piece of stage furniture that wouldn't compete for the camera's attention ¿ something we've long suspected about many a star's leading men, even those of Bette Davis.

The Star was an independent acquired for release by Fox, which had just enjoyed a huge success with Davis in All About Eve. It doesn't have the look or polish of a studio picture and Davis adapts well to being photographed in harsh outdoor lighting with a real breeze messing up her hair. She's attractive because she still has those eyes, and hasn't forgotten how to play a convincingly imperfect character. Always the actress, Davis maintained a high level of quality to the end of her career.

Warners' DVD of The Star is a fine transfer of a rather plainly photographed film. The sharp image allows us to read the street signs on the authentic Los Angeles locations. The pretty theme song My Foolish Heart has probably enjoyed a longer life than the film itself.

Extras are a trailer and an efficient featurette that uses the opinions of biographers and critics to separate Davis' image from that of the fictional Margaret Elliot. Unlike many another acting diva, Bette Davis' glowing opinion of her talents was never an exaggeration.

For more information about The Star, visit Warner Video. To order The Star, go to TCM Shopping.

By Glenn Erickson

Bette Davis in The Star on DVD

Here's a role that many might think would terrify an actress in Bette Davis' position - the tale of a washed-up big-time glamour star incapable of realizing that the Hollywood 'sleigh ride' is over. Davis attacks it with the sincerity she gave all of her film work. The movie verges on melodrama, but Davis emerges as strongly as ever. Synopsis: Fabled movie star Margaret Elliot (Davis) hits the skids. The millions are gone and she's deeply in debt with her agent Harry Stone (Warner Anderson); she has to scream to get her chiseling relatives to realize that the cash well has run dry. After a wild car ride with her Oscar® and a scandalous night in the Beverly Hills drunk tank, Margaret is at her wit's end. Her bail is paid by Jim Johanssen (Sterling Hayden), a boat mechanic who once played opposite her in an old movie. He tries to make her face up to facts, but she stubbornly gives her illusions one more try. In a screen test for a frowzy 'older sister' role, Margaret foolishly makes a play for the leading part: an 18 year-old ingénue. Margaret Elliot of The Star isn't modeled after Bette Davis, who obviously didn't go broke and had loving relationships with her relatives. It was written more with a Joan Crawford type in mind, the kind of star that thrived on glamorous illusions and would do anything to stay on top of the Hollywood heap. Elliot talks about once having been labeled 'box office poison,' which was Joan's problem, not Bette's. The Star charts the descent of a proud woman who finds that her associates and friends either won't or can't help her. Salvation comes in the form of an old admirer Jim. (Sterling Hayden, soon before becoming a Hollywood dropout, is clearly enjoying his sailing scenes). With a conventional marriage Margaret can attend to her family responsibilities with her daughter Gretchen (an amusingly kittenish Natalie Wood), but Jim's biggest contribution is to encourage Margaret to reevaluate herself. After she confronts the harsh truth of her age in her grossly misjudged screen test, the final blow comes from Paul Frees' plain-speaking screenwriter. "I have the perfect part for you," Frees purrs, and proceeds to basically describe the concept for the movie we're watching ¿ a tragedy. Margaret sees the light and runs back to Jim as fast as her feet can take her, cured of her illusions. Katherine Albert and Dale Eunson's script is less critical of Hollywood than most inside stories, but it does make some good points. Barbara Lawrence plays the newer, younger star that Margaret feels has stolen her spotlight. Margaret's inability to face any reality that doesn't acknowledge her as a top attraction shows that the problem is with her, not Lawrence or some cruel system. Sterling Hayden's character turns out to be a carpenter pushed into acting because of good looks. Like many co-stars for powerful female figures, he was basically a piece of stage furniture that wouldn't compete for the camera's attention ¿ something we've long suspected about many a star's leading men, even those of Bette Davis. The Star was an independent acquired for release by Fox, which had just enjoyed a huge success with Davis in All About Eve. It doesn't have the look or polish of a studio picture and Davis adapts well to being photographed in harsh outdoor lighting with a real breeze messing up her hair. She's attractive because she still has those eyes, and hasn't forgotten how to play a convincingly imperfect character. Always the actress, Davis maintained a high level of quality to the end of her career. Warners' DVD of The Star is a fine transfer of a rather plainly photographed film. The sharp image allows us to read the street signs on the authentic Los Angeles locations. The pretty theme song My Foolish Heart has probably enjoyed a longer life than the film itself. Extras are a trailer and an efficient featurette that uses the opinions of biographers and critics to separate Davis' image from that of the fictional Margaret Elliot. Unlike many another acting diva, Bette Davis' glowing opinion of her talents was never an exaggeration. For more information about The Star, visit Warner Video. To order The Star, go to TCM Shopping. By Glenn Erickson

Quotes

Come on, Oscar, let's you and me go get drunk!
- Margaret Elliott

Trivia

In the scene where a drunken Margaret Elliot takes her Oscar for a ride in her car, Bette Davis used one of her own Oscars.

Notes

Although Hollywood Reporter news items include Susan Morrow and Herbert Deans in the cast of this film, their appearance in the completed picture has not been confirmed. Fritz Feld is also included in the cast by a Hollywood Reporter news item, but does not appear in the released film. According to a August 14, 1952 Los Angeles Times news item, locations for the film included the Griffith Park Zoo, the West Los Angeles jail and producer Bert E. Friedlob's own home in Los Angeles, CA. A January 1953 Daily Variety item reported that, in an unusual advertising stunt, Friedlob had "earmarked $1,000 for a telephone ballyhoo bombardment here to hypo the film at the box office" and had seven women calling "all residences in Greater Los Angeles" to publicize the picture.
Bette Davis received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, but lost to Shirley Booth, who was nominated for her role in Come Back, Little Sheba. Ida Lupino and Edmond O'Brien starred in a radio broadcast of The Star for Lux Radio Theatre on April 19, 1954, and Mary Astor and William Hopper appeared in the Lux Video Theatre version of the story on February 9, 1956. The Star marked actress June Travis' first film appearance since the 1938 Republic production Federal Man-Hunt (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40).

Miscellaneous Notes

Wide Release in United States February 1953

Wide Release in United States February 1953

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