Judy Garland

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{{#if: {{{image_name|}}}| Template:! style="font-size: smaller;" Template:!Image:Judy Garland publ.jpg
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}} {{#if: {{{date_of_death|}}}| Template:!Died}} {{#if: {{{date_of_death|}}}| Template:!June 22, 1969
Chelsea, London}}
Judy Garland
Born
June 10, 1922
Grand Rapids, Minnesota

Judy Garland (June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969), born Frances Ethel Gumm, was an American film actress considered by many to be one of the greatest singing stars of Hollywood's Golden Era of musical film. She was known for her intense acting, charming wit, and great sense of humor. Garland also excelled in the ability to depict emotion in a song, and maintain her amazingly strong, quivering voice.

Contents

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Biography

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Childhood and early life

At the age of 2, the young Frances Gumm made her first appearance on stage singing the chorus of Jingle Bells, as part of a trio with her two sisters under the name of the Gumm Sisters. In 1934, the sisters performed in Chicago at the Oriental Theater with George Jessel. He encouraged the group to choose a more appealing name after "Gumm" received small laughter from the audience. They settled on the Garland Sisters, and young Frances soon afterwards picked the name Judy after a popular song of the day by Hoagy Carmichael. A rumor persists that Jessel came up with the last name Garland after Carole Lombard's character Lily Garland in the film Twentieth Century, which was currently playing at the Oriental; another rumor is that the sisters came up with the surname Garland after drama critic Robert Garland (reference: "Judy: Beyond the Rainbow", A&E/Biography television special), although Lorna Luft stated in her book Me and My Shadows that her mother chose the name when Jessel announced that the trio of singers looked prettier than 'a Garland of flowers'.

In 1935, at the age of 13, Garland was signed to a contract with MGM, allegedly without a screen test (in fact, she actually had done a test for the studio several months earlier). Garland's first notice by studio executives came after singing "You Made Me Love You" to Clark Gable at a birthday party held by the studio for the King of Hollywood. Her rendition proved so popular that MGM placed Garland and the song in their all-star extravaganza Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937).

Image:Judy Garland 1939.jpg

After a string of minor roles, at the age of sixteen she landed the role of "Dorothy" in the MGM film The Wizard of Oz (1939), and has been associated ever since with the song "Over the Rainbow". She received an honorary Academy Award for her performance in the film. After Oz, Garland became one of MGM's most bankable stars, proving particularly popular when teamed with her longtime friend Mickey Rooney in a string of "let's put on a show!" musicals. The duo first appeared together in the 1937 b-movie Thoroughbreds Don't Cry. They became a sensation and they teamed up again in Love Finds Andy Hardy, and then soon after in Babes in Arms. Garland eventually would star with Rooney in nine films.

To keep up with the frantic pace of making one movie after another, Garland, Rooney, and other young performers were constantly given amphetamines, as well as barbiturates to take before bedtime (reference: "Judy Garland: By Myself" in the American Masters series on PBS). This constant dose of drugs would lead to addiction and a lifelong struggle for Garland as well as her eventual demise. In her later life, she would resent the hectic work and she felt that her youth was stolen from her by MGM. She was plagued with self-doubt throughout her life and needed constant reassurance that she was talented, despite her ability to fill concert halls with fans eager to hear her, high critical praise, and several awards.

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Movie star

Image:Judy Garland 1947 publ.jpg

Throughout the 1940s, Garland's films increased in popularity, making her the most critically and financially successful female musical star of the time. She was given the lead in For Me and My Gal (1942), in which she was top billed over the credits for the first time. She made the direct transition from 'the girl next door' to an adult actress. One of her most successful films for MGM is the 1944 classic Meet Me in St. Louis, in which she introduced three standards: "The Trolley Song", "The Boy Next Door", and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". The Clock (1945) was her first straight dramatic film opposite Robert Walker. Though the film was critically praised and did earn a profit, most movie fans expected her to sing. Therefore, it would be many years before she acted again in a non-singing dramatic role. Nevertheless, The Clock has become increasingly popular among Garland fans and is considered to be a true War/romance classic.

Garland's other famous films of the 1940s include: Little Nellie Kelly (1940) in which she played her only onscreen death scene, The Harvey Girls (1946) (in which she introduced "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe"), The Pirate, and Easter Parade (both 1948).

In April 1947, during filming for The Pirate, Garland suffered a nervous breakdown and had to be led away from the set [1]. Following this, Garland would have a number of other breakdowns which would lead to her departure from MGM; it would also reveal the emotional turmoil that Garland suffered as a person. Two months later, Garland made her first suicide attempt.

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End of an era

Garland's relationship with MGM crumbled as the 1950s began. She was originally cast in The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) with Fred Astaire, following the success of Easter Parade. Garland, after missing rehearsals, was suspended by MGM and replaced by Ginger Rogers; she then managed to complete in In the Good Old Summertime (1949) with Van Johnson (Garland's two-year-old daughter Liza Minnelli makes a cameo at the end of the picture).

Garland was signed to appear as Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun (1950), but the film put much strain on her health. After completing two musical numbers, she was fired from the film and replaced by Betty Hutton. Garland then completed Summer Stock alongside Gene Kelly, produced by Joe Pasternak and his 'secondary' musical unit (which wasn't as high-powered as the Arthur Freed Unit [2]). Her performance of "Get Happy" in Summer Stock - dressed in the top half of a man's tuxedo, fedora, and black leotard - became another Garland milestone. When June Allyson became pregnant during the filming of Royal Wedding, Garland was her replacement, but was terminated from her MGM contract after missing rehearsals and shooting dates. She was eventually replaced by Jane Powell.

After her suspension from MGM, Garland cut her throat with a piece of glass. Although the cut was superficial, the newspapers glorified the story, and Judy was visited by many well-known celebrities who tried to bring up her spirits. Although many state that it was a suicide attempt, it was more likely a cry for help.

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Renewed stardom on the stage and television

Garland turned to live concert appearances and appeared on various television specials in the early 50s. In 1954, she made a notable cinema comeback for Warner Bros. with A Star is Born, and was nominated for Best Actress. This film is considered by many critics to be her finest performance. Directed by George Cukor and produced by her husband Sid Luft (through Garland and Luft's Transcona Enterprises), it was a large undertaking in which Garland fully immersed herself. It was also a physically demanding role that had Judy on edge and constantly worried. Upon its release, the film was cut by almost 30 minutes amid fears it was too long in length. The emotional integrity of the story as well as two Garland musical numbers were cut flawing the film beyond repair. Through Garland was believed to be the most likely winner for Best Actress, the Oscar went to Grace Kelly for The Country Girl (1954). Many fans hold that Judy was robbed of her Oscar, and should have won for Best Actress of 1954 instead of Kelly.

Although she made no other films in the 1950s, Garland's films after A Star is Born include Judgment at Nuremburg (1961) (for which she was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role), the animated feature, Gay Purr-ee (1962), A Child is Waiting (1963), co-starring Burt Lancaster, and her final film entitled I Could Go On Singing (1963), which mirrored her own life in the story of a fading singing star.

In November 1959, Garland was diagnosed with hepatitis and told that she "would never sing again" [3]. However, Garland successfully returned to both films and television; her concert appearance at Carnegie Hall on April 23, 1961 was a considerable highlight, called by many the "greatest single night in show business." The 2-record live recording made of the concert was a best seller (certified gold), charting for 73 weeks on Billboard (13 weeks at number one), and won five Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and Best Female Vocal of the Year. The album has never been out of print.

After hugely successful television specials and guest appearances in the early 1960s, CBS made a $24 million offer to Garland for a weekly television series of her own, The Judy Garland Show, which was deemed at the time in the press to be "the biggest talent deal in TV history." The television series was critically praised, but, for a variety of reasons, including the fact it was placed in the same time slot as Bonanza, lasted only one season, and went off the air in 1964, after 26 episodes. Despite this, the show won four Emmy nominations and included amazing performances by Garland as well as some of her best vocal work. The demise of the series was personally and financially devastating for Garland [4], and she never fully recovered from its failure.

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Her final years

Image:Judy Garland.jpg With the demise of her television series, Garland returned to the stage and made various television appearances. Most notably, she performed at the London Palladium with her then 17-year-old daughter Liza Minnelli in November of 1964. The concert, which was also filmed for television, was one of Garland's final appearances at the venue. Garland, having divorced Sid Luft, continued to make concert appearances and also appeared on television specials. She made guest appearances on the The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, The Hollywood Palace, The Merv Griffin Show (in which she guest-hosted an episode) and many others.

In February 1967, Garland was signed to appear as "Helen Lawson" in Valley of the Dolls for 20th Century Fox. However, she missed many wardrobe tests and rehearsals and was fired the next month. She was replaced by Susan Hayward. Returning to the stage, Garland made her last appearances at the Palace Theater in July, a sixteen-show tour, performing with her children Lorna and Joey Luft.

By early 1969, Garland's health had fallen rapidly and she made her last concert appearance in Copenhagen, Denmark.

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Untimely death

The shortcomings of Garland's childhood years became more apparent as she struggled to overcome various personal problems, including weight gain and serious drug addiction. She was found dead in her bathroom by her last husband, Mickey Deans, on June 22, 1969. The stated exact cause of death by coroner Gavin Thursdon was accidental overdose of barbiturates; pathologist Dr. R. Pocock found 4.9 mg of Seconal [5] in Garland's blood. Garland had turned 47 two weeks prior to her death. She was residing in a rented flat with her husband in the Chelsea section of London at the time of her death.

Upon Garland's inevitable premature passing, The Wizard of Oz co-star Ray Bolger commented sadly: "She just plain wore out."

Garland is interred at Ferncliff Cemetery, in Hartsdale, New York.

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Addict

Always highly-charged and emotional, Garland frequently sought refuge in the form of alcohol and prescription drugs. Historians generally agree that she was first introduced to drugs, or more specifically, to amphetamines, at MGM studios during the filming of The Wizard of Oz, where the substance was used to provide the extra energy needed to cope with the lengthy and exhausting movie-making process, as well as a way of helping curb the appetite of the then-chubby teenager. Constantly self-conscious of her image, Judy felt unattractive compared to other young stars, despite the fact that many people, both then and now, considered her to be one of the most beautiful actresses of all time. This self-loathing is clearly demonstrated in the following antidote, which came straight from Judy herself: over the course of her entire career, encompassing many decades and hundreads of apperances, only on two occasions was she satisfied with her on-screen image, Meet Me in St. Louis and The Clock. Many have identified these insecurities as being the most significant, in terms of perpetuating her life-long struggle with substance abuse.

Although her MGM-sponsored stimulant use did prove to be an exceptionally effective way to, both, reduce her weight as well as increase her energy, it created some problems of its own. In addition to carrying a large potential for addiction, the harsh amphetamine stimulation, if left untreated, will cause severe insomnia, thus, necessitated nightly use of high dose barbiturates - another highly addictive drug - for sleep. While MGM undoubtedly "created" the problem, Judy perpetuated it; adopting her new drug habits and independently acquiring her own medications. As a result, her weight fluctuated alarmingly during her tenure with MGM; at times, becoming very noticeable.

For intermittent periods during her life, Garland attempted detoxification at a private hospital or sanitarium, but these "clean" periods were short-lived. Her drug use progressively became more and more all-consuming, right up through the moment of her death, similar to that of Elvis Presley or Marilyn Monroe. Eventually, her tolerances grew so astronomically large, the effects of the drugs became paradoxical, eventually working in reverse; amphetamines, which at one point worked so well as a diet aid, began to increase her appetite, or barbiturates, which, no so long ago, did such a spectacular job of rendering her completely unconscious, began to actually increase her wakefulness, and so on.

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Legacy in Gay Rights

Garland was a gay icon;Template:Ref she always had a large base of fans in the gay community. Her concerts, during the 1950s and 1960s, became a meeting place of sorts where gay men could socialize with one another without fear of harassment. During a press conference in the 1960s, a reporter asked Garland if she was aware of her loyal gay following. "I couldn't care less," she said. "I sing to people."

Her funeral in Manhattan resulted in an outpouring of New York City fans, with more than 20,000 coming to view her body, including 12,000 gay men. Five days after her death (on the night of her funeral), gay men fought back against police during a routine raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, which set off the gay liberation movement. Today, Gay Pride commemorates the Stonewall riots and the original gay rights movement during the month of June.

Although Garland's death is often noted as a cause of one of the key events of the modern gay rights movement, it is more likely a coincidence (see also Friends of Dorothy). Nevertheless, Garland's death, funeral and its links (coincidental or not) to Stonewall have become a part of LGBT history and lore.Template:Ref

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Song of the Century

Garland's rendition of "Over the Rainbow" was placed as number 1 in the Songs of the Century project, by the Recording Industry of America Association (RIAA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). According to RIAA, the list was put together for young people to "help further appreciation for the music development process, including songwriting, musicianship, recording, performing, distributing and the development of distribution and cultural values."

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Marriages

Of Garland's five marriages, the first four ended in divorce. Her children are Liza Minnelli (now a legendary singer and actress in her own right), Lorna Luft (also an acclaimed singer), and Joey Luft (a scenic photographer, born March 29, 1955 in Los Angeles, California).

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Filmography

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Albums

Although she had recorded scores of singles of her hit songs for Decca Records since the mid-1930's, Garland began recording albums for Capitol Records in the 1950's. Her first album reached number 3 on the Billboard 200 and was very successful. Many regard Garland's Capitol recordings as her best vocal work. With each volume she perfected her craft and was praised by critics for the quality of her performances and vocal abilities. Capitol Records has recently re-released many of the albums on CD and they have proven to be a popular item for many a Garland fan. Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break

  • 1955 Miss Show Business
  • 1956 Judy
  • 1957 Alone
  • 1958 Judy In Love
  • 1959 Garland at the Grove
  • 1959 The Letter

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References

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External links

de:Judy Garland es:Judy Garland eo:Judy Garland fr:Judy Garland it:Judy Garland ja:ジュディ・ガーランド pl:Judy Garland pt:Judy Garland ru:Гарленд, Джуди fi:Judy Garland sv:Judy Garland th:จูดี การ์แลนด์

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