The very first version of A Star Is Born debuted in 1937. It starred old-Hollywood staples Janet Gaynor and Fredric March in a Technicolour romantic drama. In the original story, a Midwestern farm girl named Esther Blodgett (Gaynor) moves to Hollywood to pursue her acting dreams, but can't even get cast as an extra. When she meets alcoholic movie star Norman Maine and he takes her under his wing, she begins to ascend to stardom, but Norman's own career falls into disrepair as he starts drinking more heavily. Although there were decidedly fewer media outlets in the 1930s than there are today, the reviews were almost unanimously positive. The film was nominated for seven Oscars and ultimately won one for best original story (a now-defunct category).