What is the real story behind A Star Is Born?

The 2018 film A Star Is Born featuring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga is not based on a true story but is a remake of a 1976 film which is remake of a 1954 film which is a remake of a 1937 film. The three remakes all involve a declining alcoholic Rockstar who helps a woman who is an aspiring singer launch her career. The original is different in that the heroine is not a singer but an actress. She is a North Dakota farm girl who aspires to become an actress in Hollywood. She is able to convince her relatives to let her go to Hollywood but is unable to find work as an actress.

She ends up befriending another actor who is at the end of his career and rather upset about it and has taken to drinking. They eventually fall in love and he helps her become an actress.