This movie sucks

1. It's already sort of apparent that he's on his way out at the party where he meets Esther. While it is true that he was responsible for discovering her, he's also sort of using her to keep himself at the top of the heap. So long as he's dating the newest Hollywood starlet, his name will be in the papers (which seems to be his plan, since he tries to get a lot of girls screen tests). He also seems increasingly resentful that she becomes more famous than him.

2. I think the grandma says that to remind Esther that it isn't all about her, that she has others to think about (such as her fans). The grandma was right in saying that if Esther gave up, then the money would've been wasted because she would have chosen to fail, whereas the grandma still kept going after her own husband was murdered.

3. Danny's basically the prototype for the gay best friend. I too would have loved to have him in more of the movie.

4. It was a lot easier to become a star back then once you got a contract. Since the studios had to pay the actors whether they were working or not and they had to supply their own movie theaters, there were a lot more films that were made, meaning more chances to get a bit part. Also, since stars were more or less exclusive to one studio, there were fewer stars for a studio to choose from, so they had to be replaced more often once the public got bored of them, and why not just pick from within the people who were already forced to work for you at a certain price and couldn't negotiate for a higher salary even though it was a bigger part?

5. He was sent to rehab to sober up and she tried to arrange work for him to keep him occupied. He only fell off the wagon when it was extreme, unforeseeable circumstances.

"I wanna, I gotta be adored."

#1. Something in the movie that I thought that was very essiential for the viewer to know was that it was NORMAN that got Ester to where she was.
That seemed very obvious to me in all three versions.


#2. Something that kind of angered me about this movie was the ending when Esther's grandmother showed up after Norman died. Grandma Lettie showed she was full of piss and vinegar from the start when she told Esther she was pretty in the past, and then said she was prettier than Esther. She was a prickly old coot so her actions in the end of the film seemed to fit.

#3. The lack of Danny's character.
I agree. He had a good presence and could have been used more. May have been a casuality of a script reduction.

#4. One thing I was unhappy about was...I guess the fact that I want to become an actress, and it really is NOT that easy. Esther seemed to easily cheat her way into the system,
Huh? I think the storyline painted a picture of hopelessness in breaking into the buisness in the standard process and reflected exactly how it happened for many people who made it. It was who you knew and who they knew that got people in, plus a lot of determination and luck. I saw nothing shady in what she did.

#5. Surely Esther would've known how horribly messed up her husband was.
I think the film portrayed Esther as knowing how messed up he was. She was there for him in all the ways she knew how to be. She was leaving her career to be his guardian. In those times, most spouses would leave.

Great screenplay. Some truly hilarious moments in the first half of the film and some clever writing.

I totally agree with OP's point #2. I really liked Granny at the beginning, that first speech she gave about pioneer life hooked me on viewing the rest of the movie. But her speech at the end was SO wrong!!

Connections are vitally important for success, but not everything. Vicki did owe most of her success to Norman.

BTW, and maybe it's just me, but I find Janet Gaynor extremely unattractive!!!

Norman was seriously messed up before he met Vicki, but like so many Hollywood idols, he continued his destructive substance abuse.
The whole time I watched him, I kept thinking of Charlie Sheen!