April 20, 1937: "A Star Is Born" Premieres

Janet Gaynor and Frederic March

April 20, 1937: A Star Is Born, directed by William Wellman, premieres. Among the people contributing to the script was Dorothy Parker, the writer, poet and critic associated with the Algonquin Round Table.

Janet Gaynor plays Esther Victoria Blodgett, a farm girl who wants to be a film star. She meets film star Norman Maine, played by Frederic March. He's impressed with her, and gets her a screen test. She gets a role, and a stage name: Vicki Lester.

They get married, but as her star rises, so does his drinking, and his star falls. He ends up committing suicide. Vicki wants to drop out of show business, but her grandmother, who funded her trip to Hollywood, convinces her to stick with it. Later, interviewed for the newsreels outside her next film premiere, she pays tribute to the man she loved, the man who gave her her big break, telling the crowd, "Hello, everyone: This is Mrs. Norman Maine."

James Mason and Judy Garland

It's been remade 3 times. In the 1954 version, James Mason keeps Norman as an actor, but Judy Garland plays Esther/Vicki as an aspiring singer. In 1976, both halves of the couple are singers: Kris Kristofferson plays John Norman Howard, and Barbra Streisand plays Esther Hoffman, who takes his name upon marriage but doesn't change her given name. A variation is that John doesn't drown himself, but rather drinks, drives, and crashes.

Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand

And in 2018, again, both were singers: Bradley Cooper as Jackson Maine, and Lady Gaga as Ally, whose maiden name is not revealed. And Jackson hangs himself. This film led to rumors of Cooper and Gaga becoming a real couple, which both have denied.

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga

So there have been gaps of 17 years, 22 years, and 42 years. That's an average of 27 years. So, look for another remake around 2045 or so.

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April 20, 1937 was a Tuesday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Washington Senators, 3-2 at Yankee Stadium. Monte Weaver outpitched Lefty Gomez. Former Philadelphia Athletics star Al Simmons went 3-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs for the Senators.

* The New York Giants beat their arch-rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4-3 at Ebbets Field. Pitcher Hal Schumacher helped his own cause by driving home George "Kiddo" Davis with the winning run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the 9th inning. Mel Ott went 0-for-4.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 11-5 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 2-0 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Johnny Mize doubled home the winning run in the top of the 10th inning. Dizzy Dean allowed 13 hits, but kept the shutout through all 10 innings.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 4-3 at Navin Field in Detroit. (The ballpark was renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938, and Tiger Stadium in 1961.) Elden Auker outpitched Mel Harder. Lyn Lary and Roy Hughes each had 3 hits for the Indians. But Gerald "Gee" Walker went 4-for-4 with a solo home run for the Tigers. Hank Greenberg went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-0 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Cy Blanton pitched a 5-hit shutout. Paul Waner went 2-for-4. His brother, Lloyd Waner, did not play.

* The Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Browns were rained out at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The game was made up as part of a 4th of July doubleheader. The ChiSox swept, 4-2 and 9-5.

* And the Boston Bees (as the Braves were known from 1936 to 1940) and the Philadelphia Phillies were not scheduled.