Judy Garland Biography Page
by Patrick McAndrews:
Judy Garland
Judy Garland, a performer who charmed audiences and inspired
emotion, was a tortured soul whose excesses led to an untimely end.
She was America's girl next door. She was the rags to-to-riches story.
She was also a hard dose of reality in her later years, in contrast to the
wholesome screen image of her younger years.
She was born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922 in Grand
Rapids, Minnesota. Her parents and her two older sisters traveled as a
vaudeville act, touring as the "Four Gumms." At the tender age of two,
"Baby Frances" joined the group and soon after became it's star
attraction. The family soon migrated west into the Los Angeles area and
renamed the act "The Gumm Sisters." In 1934, the sister act caught the
eye of comedian George Jessel and he suggested a name change to
"The Garland Sisters". After a successful engagement at Grauman's
Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, the 12-year-old Frances "Garland" was
auditioned by MGM chief, Louis B. Mayer. Even before she had a
screen test, Mayer signed her to an exclusive contract. It was also
Mayer who gave her the name "Judy" to go with Jessel's "Garland." In
1936, she made her screen debut in a musical short called "Every
Sunday" co-starring Deanna Durbin. Also that year, at age 14, she cut
her first record, "Stompin' At The Savoy" with Bob Crosby and his
Orchestra. This would be the first of over 90 records with Decca and
12 albums with Capitol.
In 1938, she had her first taste of real stardom with her third film,
"Broadway Melody Of 1938" with Clark Gable, where she tugged at
the audiences heartstrings with "You Made Me Love You." Her Andy
Hardy movies with Mickey Rooney followed. In 1939 she was chosen
for the lead of "Dorothy", over Shirley Temple, in "The Wizard Of Oz".
It was a role that would put her among the elite actresses in Hollywood.
The film went on to achieve legendary cinematic status as well defining a
lasting image of Judy Garland.
She still was only 17 when she was propelled into the Hollywood fast
lane, making fast friends, and working a fast-paced film and recording
schedule. At this point that she was given amphetamines and
barbiturates by studio people to keep her weight in check and her
energy level high. Soon after, she became a full-blown drug addict.
Numerous rehearsals and recording sessions were juggled amongst
problems with her parents' stormy relationship, her skyrocketing fame,
and maintaining a rigorous shooting schedule.
In 1941, at age 19 and against the advice of her family, she married
composer David Rose, and became pregnant. Her mother and MGM
brass convinced her to have an abortion. In spite of all this going on, her
career continued to soar. On radio she had a hit with "I'm Nobody's
Baby" (1940), among others. In 1942 she co-starred with Gene Kelly
in Busby Berkeley's "For Me And My Gal", and its title track was also
a hit recording. In 1943, she went on to star in "Presenting Lily Mars",
"Thousands Cheer" and "Girl Crazy". In 1944, she had another hit
movie "Meet Me In St. Louis", directed by Vincente Minnelli. Also
another hit recording, "The Trolley Song"" came from that film.
The following year, 1946, she divorced Rose to enter into a marriage
of convenience with Minnelli. Soon after, in 1946, she gave birth to her
first child, daughter Liza. Liza was so named because the best man at
the Minnelli's wedding was lyricist and friend, Ira Gershwin, who had a
hit song, (sung by Al Jolson) "Liza". Later on that year she starred in
"Till' The Clouds Roll By" and "The Harvey Girls", the latter yeilding
another hit recording with Johnny Mercer's "On The Atchison, Topeka
And The Santa Fe". In 1948, Garland starred with Fred Astaire in yet
another film classic "Easter Parade", then in 1949, she made "In The
Good Old Summertime".
To the casual film goer, it appeared that all was well, but in reality her
marriage to Minnelli was on thin ice. Her problems with drugs and
alcohol continued and MGM was looking for a way to get out of her
contract. By 1950 she was becoming moody and unreliable, often
absent on the set when needed. After barely completing "Summer
Stock", MGM terminated her contract. Her emotional termoil also
caused her to bow out of the Broadway Musical "Annie Get Your
Gun". Her marriage on the rocks, she split with Minnelli, and soon after
attempted suicide.
It was Sid Luft who came to her emotional rescue, whom she married,
and helped put her career back on track. It was also with Luft that her
second daughter, Lorna was born. Luft put together a pair of triumph-
ant live concerts at The London Palladium and at The Palace Theatre in
New York. In 1954, Luft convinced Warner Bros. to finance "A Star
Is Born" which got Garland an Academy Award nomination. The film's
soundtrack album, as well as her next album "Miss Show
Business" (1955), were hits. But sadly she fell prey to depression,
suffered a nervous breakdown and slipped from the public eye, except
for a few recording sessions. In 1956 she did the album "Judy", and in
1957, "Alone" and stayed away from the show business spotlight for
the remainder of the decade.
In 1960 she began a comeback in the recording studio and with
a cameo role in the movie "Pepe". In 1961, she delivered a moving
performance in the movie in "Judgement At Nuremburg", which earned
her an Oscar nomination. On April 23 of that year she sang to a sold-
out Carnegie Hall, which was made into a hit live album that topped the
charts for 13 weeks and earned 5 Grammy Awards. In 1963 she
starred in a television movie "A Child Is Waiting", and also hosted her
own TV variety show, "The Judy Garland Show" (1963-64.) The show
gave her a chance to try out new material as well as do newer versions
of her standard tunes. In 1963, she appeared in "I Could Go On
Singing" which turned out to be her final film.
By 1965, she had divorced Luft. Later in 1969, she married again, this
time to London nightclub owner Mickey Deans. During a three week
live engagement at The Talk Of The Town club in London, her erratic
performances received catcalls from the audiences that expected better.
On June 22, 1969 she was found dead in her London apartment,
apparently of an accidental overdose of barbiturates and alcohol. The
roller coaster life of a legend had prematurely ended at age 47.
Born: June 10, 1922 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota
Died: June 22, 1969 in London, England
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