while agreeing it was the role of a lifetime, was more interested in traveling with wife Betsy Drake, and steadfastly refused the role (he also turned down Roman Holiday and Sabrina). He was also concerned about Garland's reputation for unreliability; Cukor never forgave Grant for declining the role. The director then suggested either Humphrey Bogart or Frank Sinatra for the part, but Jack L. Warner rejected both. Garland suggested John Hodiak (with whom she had previously worked in The Harvey Girls eight years earlier) for the part, but Hodiak was unavailable at the time. Stewart Granger was the frontrunner for a time, but withdrew when he was unable to adjust to Cukor's habit of acting scenes as a form of direction. Ultimately, James Mason was signed, and filming began on October 12, 1953. As the months passed, Cukor was forced to deal not only with constant script changes but an unstable leading lady, who was plagued by chemical dependencies, significant weight fluctuations, illnesses, and hypochondria. After eight days of filming, including both standard and CinemaScope versions of "The Man That Got Away," studio executives decided the film should be the first Warner Brothers motion picture to use CinemaScope. In March 1954, a rough cut still missing several musical numbers was assembled, and Cukor had mixed feelings about it. When the last scene was filmed in the early morning hours of July 28, 1954, Cukor had already departed the production and was unwinding in Europe. The long "Born in a Trunk" sequence was added after Cukor had left, supervised by Garland's professional mentor Roger Edens. The first test screening the following month ran to 196 minutes, and despite ecstatic feedback from the audience, Cukor and editor Folmar Blangsted trimmed it to 182 minutes for its New York premiere in October. The reviews were excellent, but Warner executives, concerned the running time would limit the number of daily showings, made drastic cuts without Cukor, who had departed for India to scout locations for Bhowani Junction. At its final running time of 154 minutes, the film lost two major musical numbers and crucial dramatic scenes; Cukor called it "very painful" to watch. A Star Is Born cost more than $5 million to produce, making it one of the more expensive films made in Hollywood at that time. Release On October 22, 1954, it was reported that Warner Bros. had removed 27 minutes from