James Mason for "A Star is Born" (re-release) 1983 - Bobbie Wygant Archive

For more interviews and stories go to www.bobbiewygant.com and www.nbcdfw.com

[@mike48877]

What a gentleman he was. He spoke very well of Judy and his experience on the film. Wonderful speaking voice. R.I.P. Mr Mason. ❤

[@earthart2010]

Thank you James Mason for standing up for Judy Garland.

[@Spiderman7Bob7]

I am seeing this for the first time and I really enjoued it , but of course it made me sad . One year after this interview James Mason passed away and I saw the restoration of "A Star Is Born' at the McCormick Place here in Chicago , Il. and they spoke of James Mason's passing and that he had planned to come to Chicago for this event . But of course that was not to be . Maybe I'm 'old fashioned , but I feel like they don't have these great stars like James Mason , Judy Garland anymore . A Star Is Born is my all-favorite movie . In those days we always called them MOVIES not films .

[@peterraymond8470]

Sadly he passed away the following year. He's such a great interview. You can tell he's a fan of film and film-making in general which I think is really cool.

[@cinemaster9012]

What a brilliant actor and great orator

[@richardfuchs3690]

Judy Garland may have had the flashier role, but James Mason gave an astonishingly good performance in ASIB that just gets better and better. Grateful for this interview.

[@rosemaryraynor4891]

I have just seen A Star is born for the first time. Judy Garland was wonderful if course but James Masons performance blew me away.what an actor he was.

[@Meltdown555]

Fantastic man !

[@lenwelch2195]

I love his deportment. Very interesting lligent great actor.

[@kathleenharris3403]

How complimentary he is of his Co star. I love his performance and Judy was truly amazing as well. Must have been a bit tiring though to mainly be asked about Judy's personal go in ons during the shoot. Bravo, Mr Mason, you are a good friend to Judy and her memory.

[@melisagalvalizi6982]

he seemed rather cold toward judy to me.

[@mike48877]

I don't think so. Maybe it's just his British reserve you are hearing. He's always spoken kindly of Judy. You know, he gave the eulogy at her funeral.

[@melisagalvalizi6982]

@@mike48877 i don't understand why he gave the eulogy.

[@johnflynn9619]

Bobbie is Wonderful. James was a Great Actor. RIP

[@thomasbarrientos6234]

Mason had a very distinctive speaking voice besides being a fantastic actor.

[@JM-lw3nx]

He still looks the same here. Always a favorite, so good in that picture.

[@MusicFilmGeek]

A wonderful actor a private man a honorable man who refused to fight during the second world war and I don't him , my father fought came home to a broken marriage left with 3 children to bring up on his own got 3 medles and look at the state of the world today ....a mess ! Anyhow , Mason was a craftsman with a voice like silk . We don't have actors like him anymore 😔

[@angiedawn4579]

That voice!!

[@stephaniestanley8041]

❤❤

[@jillroberts7551]

Sorry he didn't mention Ron Haver whose herculean efforts to find the missing footage made the restored version possible. His book, A Star is Born: The Making of the 1954 Movie and its 1983 Restoration, documents his quest and in the process reads like a detective story while providing film buffs with the minutiae they crave.

[@gabe-po9yi]

George Cukor had told Jack Warner that if it was decided the movie was too long that he would edit it at no charge and if he wasn't available because he was in China, he had somebody qualified to do it and would send them immediately.

[@TheOlivier59000]

Je vous aime M. James Mason.

[@faith2461]

Wonderful interview- I just wish Wygant had asked Mason more about his other films, but I also understand that the theme of the interview was ‘83’s re-release of “A Star is Born,” so I suppose that’s implied.

[@gregman1715]

Judy's And James' Greatest Movie Ever

[@sandrashevey8252]

The extra footage distracts from the storyline and bogs down the film. That said this version of `A Star is Born` is in my opinion one of the classic films of all time. The merging of drama with music (which Judy Garland is so expert at), the bravura performance of Mr. James Mason, the support of Charles Bickford and others, the Oscar deserved performance of Miss Judy Garland..my G-d! To see it is to live. Mason is a favourite of mine; also of my mother. In this role, in this film he is self-surpassing.

[@akrenwinkle]

My fantasy movie: "A Star Is Born" starring Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. Imagine the beautiful singing and heart-wrenching acting. Of course, no director could pull it off. And Frank would have had had Sid in cement shoes within a week. Just a fantasy!

[@HolgerRuneFan]

I love Frankie, but he was nowhere near the actor that James Mason was, and he was the perfect Howard Maine. Sinatra would never have pulled off this role.

[@akrenwinkle]

@@HolgerRuneFan Norman's twin brother was rarely mentioned in the film. Maybe in crowd scenes, so it doesn't matter.

[@GrayFoxROU]

"Give Mr. Kaplan a drink, Leonard".

[@jimgarrison7340]

"A pleasant journey sir."

[@jubalcalif9100]

And Leonard obliged...though they had to force open Roger Thornhill's gullet to pour it in.

[@jubalcalif9100]

@@jimgarrison7340 James Mason's "Mr Van Damm" is one of cinema's most suave & sophisticated villians !

[@stevers62]

It would have been interesting to get his real thoughts on Judy. Jack Paar tells a story about being with Judy, spotting James Mason, and Mason trying to unsuccessfully hide. Of course Mason gave the eulogy at Judy’s funeral…and they didn’t recognise him until the last minute because he’d grown a beard.

[@melisagalvalizi6982]

that's why i dont like mason. He wasn't friends with judy

[@Lovethemseventies]

He looks ill here, I wasn't surprised when I read he died the following year. I heard his first wife played around on him but filed for divorce citing his adultery. There was also a huge fight over his will when both children were cut out of it after his second wife inherited everything, a shame as he seemed a dignified and honourable man. Wonderful actor.

[@melisagalvalizi6982]

Dignified??? He cut his own children off Also, he always seemed pretentious to me like EVERY English actor

[@DeeJay003]

​@melisagalvalizi6982 No, you are mistaken. He is the real thing. You are correct on the subject of his children, however.

[@CraigSlivka]

interviewer needs to do better research, Judy was let go from Metro in 1950 and A Star is Born came out in 1954, so how does she get five years.

[@melisagalvalizi6982]

always asking about the ups and downs of judy, the press is sickening.

[@har8397]

Bill hader brought me here

[@melisagalvalizi6982]

he talks very coldly about judy.

[@HolgerRuneFan]

Did you even listen to this interview? He praises her to the heavens!

[@melisagalvalizi6982]

@@HolgerRuneFan but he is very cold, in another interview he said she wasn't a great actress. He sound pretentious-

[@sandrashevey8252]

Interesting question about sustained friendship? I read somewhere despite their rather passionate relationship when making the film when Garland `bumped into` Mason at an airport he did his best to avoid any confrontation. Her comments about the `snub` were poignant because she, like the rest of us, including Bobbie Wygant, probably fell under his spell. ABOUT CUKOR..damn good job directing the film. But luckily Luft was around. Cukor could be a bitch as Marilyn discovered when making `Something`s Gotta Give`. I interviewed Cukor who was also a great gossip..told me alot. I have the audio and play sound bites when booked as a speaker on Hollywood. [e-mail]

[@sandrashevey8252]

@@Stephenoid He probably was cue-ing her pretty good during the film. So what if she expected a short reprise? Too hard on women, too easy on men.

[@melisagalvalizi6982]

If he loved her so much why didn't he helped her??? Soooo many prople abandonded her. I don't think they remained Friends. He is lying.

[@melisagalvalizi6982]

Where did she mention that?

[@sandrashevey8252]

@@melisagalvalizi6982 It was quoted in one of the biographies.

[@melisagalvalizi6982]

@@sandrashevey8252 WERE THEY LOVERS?