With the recent film release of Judy, a biographical drama about singer and actress Judy Garland, following her as she arrives in London in 1969 for a run of sell-out concerts at the Talk of the Town, let’s celebrate the life of one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century, and yet Judy Garland will be forever associated with one film and one song – Wizard of Oz and Over the Rainbow.
Known as the little girl (she was only 4’11) with the big voice, Garland also held her own with such great dancers as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire although she had no formal training in that area, and was Oscar-nominated twice in acting categories.
She was born in 1922 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, as Frances Ethel Gumm. The youngest of three daughters, baby Frances was singing and dancing almost from the time she could walk and talk, and was brought into their vaudeville act “The Gumm” sisters when she was only two-years-old.
Her Hollywood career took a while to bloom, as MGM signed her in 1935 and she was too old to be a child star, but too young and awkward to be a glamorous leading lady, and they weren’t quite sure how to use her.
However, Garland performed “You Made Me Love You” at Clark Gable’s birthday party in 1937 and her career soon took off.
She was paired with Mickey Rooney in a series of musicals, notably “Girl Crazy” and “Babes in Arms”, as well as several Andy Hardy films. In 1939, Garland reached a new level of fame and sealed her legendary status as Dorothy Gale in “The Wizard of Oz”, receiving a special juvenile Oscar the following year.
The girl-next-door image followed Garland into her adult years, and she longed to be glamorous like fellow stars Lana Turner. Her first adult role was in “Little Nellie Kelly” in 1940, but it wasn’t until 1944 that she finally got a somewhat glamorous role. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, who would become her second husband, “Meet Me in St Louis” was her first colour feature since “Oz” and became another iconic performance. In her 15 years at MGM, Garland battled with negative body image and demanding shooting schedules, leading to a lifelong addiction problem. She appeared in 28 films at MGM before her erratic behaviour led to her contract being terminated.
Four years after her dismissal, Garland made a spectacular comeback in “A Star Is Born” with James Mason. Although the film was notoriously butchered to cut down on run time, Garland was considered a shoo-in for the Best Actress Oscar after a Golden Globe win. However, she famously lost to Grace Kelly for “The Country Girl”.
Garland appeared in only three more films, most notably “A Judgment in Nuremberg”, for which she received another Academy nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actress. Although her film career declined, she found success in television and in concert appearances. In 1962, she became the first woman to win a Grammy for Album of the Year for her live recording “Judy at Carnegie Hall” – which is also only one of two live recordings to win this award. She hosted the Emmy-nominated “The Judy Garland Show” (1963-1964) and made record-breaking concert appearances.
Her short life was plagued by negative body image, addiction, five troubled marriages as well as other sad love affairs, and financial concerns. However, most who knew Garland speak of her sense of humour and the fact that she loved to entertain and bring joy to others.

Judy’s Top 10 Films:

The Wizard of Oz, 1939 with Terry the dog, billed as Toto; Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton.
Meet Me in St. Louis, 1944 with Mary Astor and Margaret O’Brien
A Star Is Born, 1954 with James Mason
Easter Parade, 1948 with Fred Astaire
The Harvey Girls, 1946 with Angela Lansbury and Cyd Charisse
Summer Stock, 1950 with Gene Kelly
For Me and My Gal, 1942 with Gene Kelly
In the Good Old Summertime, 1949 with Van Johnson
The Pirate, 1948 with Gene Kelly
Strike Up the Band, 1940 with Mickey Rooney

The Wizard of Oz’s true magic

For veteran director Victor Fleming, 1939 represented the pinnacle of his career. Not only did Gone with the Wind claim the Best Picture Oscar, but also his other big feature, The Wizard of Oz, took its first steps towards becoming one of American cinema’s best-known and most beloved motion pictures.
When anyone thinks of The Wizard of Oz, they see Judy Garland and hear “Somewhere over the Rainbow”.
The story opens by introducing us to Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), a young girl in Kansas who finds her wanderlust stirred by dreams of going “somewhere over the rainbow.” When a tornado strikes the farm where she lives with her aunt and uncle, she is knocked unconscious. Upon waking up, she finds herself in the magical land of Oz, where she journeys in the company of a Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a Tin Man (Jack Haley), and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) to defeat the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) and find the all-powerful Wizard (Frank Morgan), who has the power to send her home. But is this a real trip, or is it all a dream? A strong case can be developed for either possibility, although it’s ultimately up to each viewer to make up his or her own mind. Whichever way you lean, it doesn’t detract from the movie’s boundless capacity to entertain.
The special effects in The Wizard of Oz do not look like the special effects that are now used in films. No computer animation was used, so they’re far less elegant. In many cases, they look like special effects. You can see where the yellow brick road ends and the matte painting begins. When the Scarecrow has been torn apart, you know exactly where Bolger’s body is. The Wizard’s balloon is clearly not real. It doesn’t matter, though. These effects are good enough to sketch the outline; our minds fill in the rest.

The Judy Garland Show

Judy Garland didn’t deserve to have a failed television series on her resume. But there it was – so much promise that came to a crashing halt in less than a year – and there was plenty of blame to go around.
The personal problems of the temperamental and insecure Garland no doubt contributed to the demise of The Judy Garland Show after just one season. She reluctantly agreed to do a weekly series to get herself from under financial debt.
The original concept was a fun, relaxed hour with an incredibly talented woman and a few of her deserving guest stars. The final episodes were the closest to Judy at her best – belting out a song, with no skits or big production numbers. By then, Garland and CBS were estranged, and The Judy Garland Show ended after just 26 episodes.
Although she had made her mark in both recorded music and film, the former child star was going through a difficult time by the mid 1950’s. Several divorces, insecurities and her long-time battle with prescription drugs and alcohol had taken a toll. Her much lauded performance in the 1954 film “A Star Is Born” was passed over for an Oscar and her production company lost money on the project. In 1955, Garland made her television debut on the inaugural episode of CBS’ anthology Ford Star Jubilee. Soon after, Garland signed a three-year, $300,000 deal with CBS for more specials. The first show, airing in 1962, was simply called The Judy Garland Show, and featured her good friends Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin as her guests. The episode that aired October 6th, 1963 was a show of riches. Garland’s guests that night was the veteran Broadway star Ethel Merman and an up-and-coming singer named Barbra Streisand (who would become a household name in 1964 with her career – making portrayal of entertainer Fanny Brice in the Broadway musical “Funny Girl”). Streisand was nominated for an Emmy for her appearance on The Judy Garland Show.

Judy Garland’s Legacy

By the time of her death in 1969, Garland had appeared in more than 35 films. She has been called one of the greats of entertainment, and her reputation has endured. Her Technicolor musicals defined the genre. The songs she introduced were Oscar gold. Her film career frames the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals. Turner Classic Movies dubbed Garland “history’s most poignant voice”. The American Film Institute named her eighth among the greatest female stars of the Golden Age Hollywood cinema.
Garland’s live performances towards the end of her career are still remembered by fans that attended them as peak moments in 20th-century music. She has been the subject of over two dozen biographies since her death, including the well-received Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir by her daughter, Lorna Luft, whose memoir was later adapted into the television miniseries, Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows, which won Emmy Awards.
Garland was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. Several of her recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. These include “Over the Rainbow”, which was ranked as the number one movie song of all time in the American Film Institute’s “100 Years…100 Songs” list. Four more Garland songs are featured on the list: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (No. 76), “Get Happy” (No. 61), “The Trolley Song” (No. 26), and “The Man That Got Away” (No. 11). She has twice been honoured on U.S. postage stamps, in 1989 (as Dorothy) and again in 2006 (as Vicki Lester from A Star Is Born). Garland identified “Over the Rainbow” as her favourite of all the songs she had ever recorded and her career would remain inextricably linked to it.

Source: www.ranker.com, www.goldderby.com, televisionheaven.co.uk and en.wikipedia.org