Directed by William A. Wellman • 1937 • United States
Starring Janet Gaynor, Fredric March, Adolphe Menjou

The second version (after 1932’s WHAT PRICE HOLLYWOOD?) of this iconic, oft-filmed showbiz fable remains one of the best thanks to its lavish Technicolor production values and impactful direction by William Wellman. The charming Janet Gaynor plays the starry-eyed country girl Esther Blodgett whose dreams of making it as an actress bring her to Hollywood, where, against all odds, she finds both success on-screen and romance with the famous but troubled actor Norman Maine (Fredric March)—whose own career is headed for a tragic downward slide.