Trivia / A Star Is Born (1976)

• Creator Couple: Kris Kristofferson's then-wife Rita Coolidge appears as herself.
• Directed by Cast Member: According to several Barbra Streisand bios, she directed a few minor scenes herself, after she and Frank Pierson disagreed over the necessity of those scenes.
• Foiler Footage: At one point, there were two versions of the ending, in one of which it was clear that the car crash that kills John was an act of suicide and one version in which the cause of the fatal accident was not clear. When the film's premiere West Coast engagements were booked at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and the Fox Village in Westwood, Barbra Streisand suggested having one ending play in Hollywood and the other version be shown in Westwood to see which one played better with audiences. After several preview showings, Warner Bros. insisted on the "ambiguous" ending play at both venues.
• Follow the Leader: It was made after the success of Nashville.
• Hostility on the Set:
  • Director Frank Pierson was so angered by his experience working with Barbra Streisand on this film, that he wrote a first-person account, published in both New York and New West magazines, detailing what a horrible experience it had been. Pierson portrayed his star as egocentric, manipulative, and controlling. The article was published just before the film's release in December 1976 and Streisand and Pierson never worked together again.
  • Kris Kristofferson also didn't get along with the director. According to Kris, Pierson, himself a World War II veteran, looked down on Kristofferson for being in the Army, but not going to war in Vietnam. Kristofferson later said: "I was too drunk to give a shit."
  • Regarding his leading lady, Kristofferson said: "Filming with Streisand is an experience which may have cured me of the movies".
• Hypothetical Casting: Barbra Streisand and Jon Peters wanted Elvis Presley to play John Norman Howard. They met with Elvis and he was interested in taking the part, thinking it would revive his film career. Colonel Tom Parker insisted that Elvis had top billing and asked for a substantial sum of money for the role, even though he had not had an acting role since 1969, and people were unsure what kind of box office draw he would be. This effectively ended Elvis' involvement with the project. Parker also did not want to have Elvis portrayed as having a show business career in decline because this was far from the truth, with Elvis playing in packed auditoriums wherever he toured in the States.
• Reality Subtext: As noted elsewhere on the page, Kris Kristofferson's character mirrored his state at the time, particularly his heavy drinking (although Kristofferson's real-life drinking didn't seem to be as bad as his character's), responding to claims that his character was based on Jim Morrison saying that it "was more about me."
• Real-Life Relative: Barbra Streisand's sister Roslyn Kind plays an uncredited Grammy Awards table guest.
• What Could Have Been:
  • The role of John Norman Howard was originally written for James Taylor, but he'd had enough of movies after his "torturous" debut in Two-Lane Blacktop. Neil Diamond, whom Barbra Streisand knew and attended high school with, was seriously considered but had to decline due to extensive concert commitments. Kenny Loggins was offered the role, but he was busy touring with Loggins and Messina Marlon Brando and Mick Jagger were also considered.
  • Diana Ross was considered for Esther Hoffman, but Berry Gordy refused to release her from her Motown contract. Cher, Liza Minnelli and Carly Simon were also considered.
  • Ed Asner was considered for Brian.
  • Peter Bogdanovich was approached with the property as a potential vehicle for his then-girlfriend Cybill Shepherd, but he wasn't interested.
  • Hal Ashby was asked to direct. Robert Altman and Sidney Lumet were also considered.
  • Streisand also approached Grammy Award-winner Janis Ian ("At Seventeen") about working on the film's music. Ian recalled later that their initial phone conversation did not go well, as she didn't understand that Streisand wanted to collaborate on the songs (as opposed to having Ian do it all herself) because she didn't think of Streisand as a songwriter.
• Working Title: Rainbow Road.

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