Harold Arlen

Selections from A Star Is Born

Harold Arlen's first collaboration with Ira Gershwin brought 'Life Begins at 8:40' in 1934. This second collaboration, a film musical, was intended to be the vehicle for Judy Garland's return, having been absent from film for 4 years. Since Judy Garland would do all of the singing, except for some incidental choral work, the songs were naturally projected with her in mind. Arlen and Gershwin knew they had to create a dramatic song for Judy Garland that allowed her to not only demonstrate her fine singing abilities, but also her flair for acting. The song that they created was 'The Man That Got Away'.A Star is Born opened in October 1954 and was hailed by the Times as 'one of the greatest heartbreak dramas that has drenched the screen in years....'.