A Star is Born | William A. Wellman and Robert Carson | Books in Sound

Season 2 Episode 25

"A Star is Born" is a novel written by American author William A. Wellman and Robert Carson. First published in 1937, it tells the story of a young woman's rise to fame in Hollywood and the struggles she faces as her career blossoms while her husband's career begins to decline.

The plot revolves around Esther Blodgett, a talented but unknown singer with dreams of making it big in the entertainment industry. She meets the famous and troubled actor Norman Maine, who becomes infatuated with her talent and helps her launch her career. As Esther gains recognition and achieves success under the stage name Vicki Lester, Norman's career takes a downward spiral due to his alcoholism and personal demons.

The novel explores the themes of love, ambition, and the price of fame. It delves into the challenges faced by artists in the competitive world of show business, as well as the sacrifices and compromises required to achieve success. Esther's journey is a poignant portrayal of the highs and lows of stardom, while Norman's struggles highlight the dark side of celebrity and the toll it can take on one's personal life.

The radio presentation of "A Star is Born" through the "Academy Award Theater" occurred on November 30, 1946. It was adapted into a radio play and featured renowned actors and actresses of the time, such as Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, reprising their roles from the 1937 film adaptation. The radio presentation aimed to bring the story to a wider audience through the medium of radio, allowing listeners to experience the drama and emotions of the original story.

Books in Sound is a free podcast series that presents a collection of hundreds of the world’s greatest books through the magic of the performing arts.

Different from audiobooks: Instead of having a single narrator read an audiobook, these performances have a full cast of actors, suitable background music, and special effects that help define the drama.

Most presentations are from old time radio theater broadcasts that have been remastered to remove most of the hissing, clicking and volume fluctuations. Many of the presentations are from the 1930's and 1940's, so a significant amount of work went into the remastering process.

Most presentations are about one hour, some are multiple hours, and some are abbreviated presentation that last about half an hour, making this series wonderful for bedtime stories, self-improvement by learning about literature, or simply as a very imaginative form of entertainment.

The episodes are not sequential, but we do recommend listening to the complete collection starting with the first episode so that you can grow and benefit from the wide assortment of styles and content.

For more information visit https://www.booksinsound.com