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Vaudeville performer by the age of 3, legendary star of such
classics as The Wizard of Oz , Babes In Arms ,
Meet Me in St. Louis , Ziegfeld Follies of 1946 ,
Easter Parade , and A Star Is Born , among
many others, Judy Garland was called the "reigning queen of the
musicals" during the peak of her career. Considered by many to be
Hollywood's first true Diva, she died tragically of a drug
overdose at the age of 47.
"Hollywood is a strange place if you're in trouble. Everybody
thinks it's contagious." So said the movie star, who had more than
her fair share of trouble during, what can only be described as,
an extraordinary and tumultuous career. Born Frances Ethel Gumm on
June 10, 1922 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, she was the youngest of
three sisters, and given the nickname of "Baby Gumm". Her parents
were former vaudeville performers and, in keeping with the family
tradition, the three young girls performed as "The Gumm Sisters
Kiddie Act" in various theatres and events around the country .
The comedian George Jessel, who was headlining an act at the
Chicago World's Fair in 1934 where they were performing, suggested
the surname of Garland after taking notice of the slight giggles
from the audience at the mention of their name. The young Frances
would eventually choose the first name of Judy because, as she
said, "I liked the peppy sound of it." Soon after this event, the
newly christened Judy Garland would audition for MGM studios by
singing, "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", and a star was
truly born.
Her starting salary as a stock player for MGM was $100 per week,
which included a seven year option. Three years later, in 1938,
she landed the plum role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz , beating
out another child star, Shirley Temple, solidifying her status as
an icon. She was paid $500 a week to play the girl from Kansas,
and she was given a special juvenile Oscar for her performance.
(An interesting side note, her signature song, "Over The Rainbow"
almost didn't make the final cut of the film, as the studio felt
it was too long and bogged down the storyline.) Garland's
subsequent films for MGM were huge box office successes, and her
salary reached $3,000 a week for the last two years of her option,
a considerable sum at the time. She stayed with MGM until 1950
when, during the filming of Annie Get Your Gun , she was replaced
due to emotional problems brought on by her constant drug usage at
the time. It was common for actresses during this era to be given
Benzedrine ("bennies" for short) to help them keep up with their
unrelenting schedules and maintain their weight. They were then
given sleeping pills to come down from the high. The studios
enabled this destructive cycle of addiction and dependence, and
Judy was no exception. In fact, one could say, she eventually
became it's most prominent victim.
After leaving MGM, Judy embarked on a successful concert career
and made a series of television appearances. By this time, she was
earning a substantial amount of money for these performances,
however, over-spending and financial mismanagement was soon to
take its toll. She made a brief comeback on the silver screen in
A
Star Is Born , which earned her an Oscar nomination, however, the
triumph was short-lived. She would never again achieve the status
she enjoyed earlier in her career, and the mounting debts were
starting to haunt her life. By the early 1960's, Judy's royalty
checks from the record companies were being garnished to pay back
taxes and salary advancements. Her divorce in 1965 from her third
husband, left her in default for money owed to him for managerial
services. Her salary was even being garnished by her attorney for
the money she owed from the divorce work. To make matters worse,
there were child-custody battles, lawsuits, and additional tax
liens. Her excessive spending only compounded the problem. Judy
Garland, the superstar, was known to leave posh hotels in the
middle of the night to avoid paying the bills she couldn't afford,
and more than one department store in Beverly Hills canceled her
line of credit. It got so bad, that she eventually moved to
England to avoid the hounding by her creditors.
By the time she died, Judy Garland was over $4 Million in debt.
Her body was stored in a temporary crypt for over a year, because
no money was available to transfer her to a final resting place.
Eventually, her daughter Liza Minelli raised the money for a
proper burial. Judy Garland spent her whole life on the stage and
screen, giving us some of the most memorable performances of the
20th Century. Unfortunately, there didn't appear to be much left
for her at the end of the yellow brick road.
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