50 free A Star is Born trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
A Star Is Born has been made four times: with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March in 1937, Judy Garland and James Mason in 1954, Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson in 1976 and Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in 2018, and each version has its own legends. This quiz covers all four, plus the 1932 film that started it all, What Price Hollywood?. It asks about Esther Blodgett and Vicki Lester, Norman Maine's walk into the sea, the studio butchery of the 1954 cut and its 1983 restoration, Elvis nearly playing the 1976 lead, Evergreen and Shallow, Beyoncé's departure from the 2018 remake and how Bradley Cooper found Jackson Maine's voice. Easy questions ask who directed the 2018 version and which song won its Oscar. Harder ones dig into which Oscar statuette Janet Gaynor holds on screen, what Groucho Marx telegrammed Judy Garland, whose closet supplied Streisand's wardrobe, and where the 2018 concert scenes were filmed with only eight minutes to shoot. Every answer has been checked against Wikipedia's articles on the films and their songs, and each question shows its source once you have answered.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01How many official film versions of A Star Is Born have been made?
Four
1937, 1954, 1976 and 2018; between them the four films earned 25 Oscar nominations but won only three.
Q 02Which 1932 film's plot heavily inspired the original A Star Is Born?
What Price Hollywood?
RKO considered suing David O. Selznick for plagiarism, and the 1932 film's director refused to direct the 1937 one because it was too similar.
Q 03Who starred as Esther Blodgett in the 1937 original?
Janet Gaynor
It was her only Technicolor film, and Fredric March played the fading star Norman Maine.
Q 04The 1937 original was the first of its kind nominated for the Academy's top award. What kind?
A colour production
Dorothy Parker was among its writers, and its only win was for Best Original Story.
Q 05What stage name does the studio give Esther Blodgett?
Vicki Lester
In the 1954 version she only discovers her new name when she tries to collect her paycheck.
Q 06In the 1937 and 1954 films, how does Norman Maine die?
He walks into the sea and drowns
He overhears Esther planning to give up her career to look after him; in the 1932 precursor the equivalent character shot himself.
Q 07When Esther wins her Oscar on screen in the 1937 film, whose real statuette is she holding?
Janet Gaynor's own
Gaynor had won the very first Best Actress Oscar in 1929, and the same statuette shows up on a shelf in a later scene.
Q 08With what famous line does Vicki end the 1954 film at a charity function?
'Hello, everybody. This is Mrs. Norman Maine'
The crowd gives her a standing ovation; her old bandmate Danny had coaxed her out of seclusion.
Q 09Who directed the 1954 musical version starring Judy Garland?
George Cukor
He had turned down the 1937 film, and left the production before the long 'Born in a Trunk' sequence was added.
Q 10Which actor did the 1954 film's director want as the male lead, reading the whole script with him?
Cary Grant
Cukor had directed him three times before; James Mason took the role and earned a Best Actor nomination.
Q 11Which song from the 1954 film was ranked No. 11 on the AFI's list of top movie songs?
'The Man That Got Away'
Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin wrote it, and its screening at a 1981 Gershwin tribute helped spark the film's restoration.
Q 12About how many minutes did Warner Bros. cut from the 1954 film after its premiere?
27
Executives feared the 182-minute running time would limit daily showings; Cukor was in India scouting Bhowani Junction.
Q 13Which film preservationist reconstructed the 1954 film to 176 minutes in 1983?
Ronald Haver
He was granted access to the Warner vaults, and the restored version was screened at Radio City Music Hall with James Mason and Garland's daughters present.
Q 21Which love theme from the 1976 film won the Academy Award for Best Original Song?
'Evergreen'
Streisand became the first woman to win the songwriting Oscar as a composer; Paul Williams wrote the lyrics.
Q 22How many weeks did the 1976 film's love theme spend at number one on the Billboard Hot 100?
Three
It was Streisand's second US number one after 'The Way We Were', and also won the Grammy for Song of the Year.
Q 23Which Tempe, Arizona venue hosted the 1976 film's concert scenes?
Sun Devil Stadium
Other locations included downtown Tucson and Sonoita, and David Winters choreographed the dance sequences.
Q 14Whose 1954 Best Actress Oscar win over Judy Garland did Groucho Marx call 'the biggest robbery since Brink's'?
Grace Kelly
She won for The Country Girl; the film had been promoted as Garland's comeback after leaving MGM.
Q 15The 1954 film was Judy Garland's first movie since leaving which studio in 1950?
MGM
She had negotiated her release soon after filming began on Royal Wedding.
Q 16In the 1954 film, how does Esther save a drunk Norman Maine from humiliation on stage?
She pretends he is part of the act
He takes her to dinner and to an after-hours club and convinces her she can break into movies.
Q 17The 1976 remake moved the story from Hollywood filmmaking to which world?
The music business
So the heroine wins a Grammy rather than an Oscar, a change the 2018 film kept.
Q 18Who plays fading rock star John Norman Howard opposite Barbra Streisand in 1976?
Kris Kristofferson
His then-wife Rita Coolidge appears briefly as herself presenting at the Grammys.
Q 19Which superstar did Streisand and Jon Peters want for the 1976 male lead, only for his manager to scupper it?
Elvis Presley
Colonel Tom Parker insisted on top billing and a substantial fee, though the star himself hoped the film would revive his movie career.
Q 20Where did the film credits say Barbra Streisand's wardrobe came from?
Her own closet
The credit reads 'Miss Streisand's clothes from... her closet'; she also served as executive producer.
Q 24How much did the 1976 film gross in North America against a $6M budget?
$80 million
That made it the second-highest-grossing film of the year, despite reviews that panned the screenplay and length.
Q 25Which pair of married writers co-wrote the 1976 screenplay with director Frank Pierson?
John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion
Streisand herself wrote songs for the film with Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher.
Q 26Who directed the 2018 version of A Star Is Born?
Bradley Cooper
It was his directorial debut, and he co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth and Will Fetters.
Q 27Which singer, first choice for the 2018 lead, worked with Cooper for a year before leaving?
Beyoncé
Clint Eastwood had originally been in talks to direct her in 2011; Adele was briefly considered before Cooper saw Gaga sing 'La Vie en rose' at a charity event.
Q 28What is the name of Lady Gaga's character in the 2018 film?
Ally
She is a 31-year-old waitress and songwriter whom Jackson Maine first sees performing an Édith Piaf tribute in a drag bar.
Q 29Which song from the 2018 film won the Academy Award for Best Original Song?
'Shallow'
Gaga wrote it with Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt, and it also won the Golden Globe.
Q 30Where was the scene of Ally joining Jackson on stage for the film's Oscar-winning song filmed?
The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles
It was shot in front of a live audience, and the song is heard three times in the film.