When a young actress (Janet Gaynor) arrives in Hollywood with hopes of stardom, a chance encounter places her under the wing of older actor Norman Maine (Fredric March). Adopting the stage name Vicki Lester, she co-stars with Norman in a major motion picture, but his success is clearly fading even as her career begins. After the couple wed, Vicki's fame continues to grow, but Norman descends into alcoholism, and she must decide between pursuing her dream and caring for him. Winner of Best Original screenplay and nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor , Best Actress, and Best Director at the **Academy Awards**. Nominated for Best Foreign Film at the **Venice Film Festival**. *"One of the year's best ... good entertainment by any standards, including the artistic, and convincing proof that Hollywood need not travel to Ruritania for its plots; there is drama aplenty in its own backyard." - Frank S. Nugent, **The New York Times***