The Gumm Sisters traveled to Chicago in 1934 to perform at the World's Fair. While in Chicago, they appeared at the Oriental Theatre where George Jessel (a well-known comedian of the era) was headlining the bill. When Jessel introduced the Gumm Sisters to the audience, he noticed some quiet laughter, and later suggested to the girls that they change their name to Garland. Frances took the name "Judy" some time later because she liked the peppy sound of it, and she liked the Hoagy Carmichael song of the same name.

In 1935, Susie got married, breaking up the act. Ethel began pushing Judy toward a movie career, arranging for auditions at nearly every studio in town. In September 1935, thirteen-year-old Judy auditioned for MGM, and was signed immediately. She sang "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", and was accompanied by Roger Edens (of the MGM music department) at the piano. He would become the most influential person of her career, and would be closely associated with Judy throughout her tenure at MGM and beyond. Judy was said to be the only person ever contracted at MGM without a screen test. Judy's contract officially started on October 1, 1935. Her starting salary was $100.00 per week.

Judy was in a total of 43 films. Five of these were shorts she made before signing with MGM. At MGM, she made a total of 31 movies, 27 of which were feature films. From 1939 to 1950 she made 22 feature films. That's an average of two a year. She was the reigning "queen of the musicals" during that period, making more musicals than any other actress.

It is certainly true that many Hollywood stars made more movies than Judy, but it must be remembered that: a) nearly all of Judy's movies were musicals, which are the most demanding of movies - requiring not only acting but also singing and dancing; b) Most of her movies were made in the 13 year period from 1937 to 1950; and c) her movies were really only a small part of her career. While making movies, Judy also cut records, appeared at many, many benefits, appeared on hundreds of radio shows, appeared on dozens of television shows, and performed at over 1000 concert and nightclub engagements! Another point - nearly all of Judy's movies at MGM were major hits. All of her films broke all box office attendance records (including her own) with only a few exceptions.

Judy was officially elevated to star status by MGM in December 1938 while she was filming Oz. She had just completed her sixth feature film, Listen, Darling. Judy emerged from Oz as a superstar. After Oz was released, Judy was just about the most popular young actress on earth, receiving more fan mail than any star at MGM, and she was on the box office top ten list that year with not one, but two films in the top ten: The Wizard of Oz and Babes in Arms. Oz is certainly Judy's best remembered film today (it has been seen by more people than any other film ever made), but many of her films have become classics and now rank among the best movie musicals ever made, including Meet Me in St. Louis, Easter Parade, The Harvey Girls, A Star Is Born, In the Good Old Summertime and The Pirate.

Judy left MGM in 1950, after filming Summer Stock. Her illness had become steadily worse since about 1947, and she was no longer able to function at the pace which MGM demanded of her. She was nearly constantly under medical supervision, but MGM was not overly sympathetic with her plight. She was suspended several times in 1950, and finally both MGM and Judy had all they could handle. L.B. Mayer and Judy both agreed it would be best to terminate her contract at that time. Judy's problems with MGM were front-page news, and Judy even wrote an open letter to her fans, which can be found right here on the Judy Garland Databse.

After leaving MGM, she began her concert career, under the management of Sid Luft, who became her third husband. In 1951, she reopened the Palace Theater on Broadway, and broke all attendance records with a show which was held over for 21 weeks. In 1954 she returned to movies with a contract with Warner Brothers to produce A Star Is Born - her personal masterpiece of film work (and certainly one of her best films). During the remainder of the 1950s, she continued her concert touring, with many very successful tours in the US, England and Europe. She also appeared in several television specials. In 1960, she renewed her film career, appearing in another series of films, including Judgement at Nuremberg, for which she received another Academy Award nomintion. In 1963/64 she had her own television series on CBS, The Judy Garland Show. The show was a critical success, but did not score well in the ratings (primarily because CBS refused to move her spot which was across from "Bonanza" on NBC - one of the most popular series ever). After her TV series failed, Judy found herself financially in ruins with her health failing rapidly. She continued to perform concerts and nightclubs, and her life seemed to spiral out of control as she married and remarried within a period of 3 years, broke many concert and night club engagements, and was in court battling over lawsuits with night club owners and producers. Most of the money she did make was taken by the IRS for back taxes. Her home was seized by the IRS, and she found herself homeless. She had to work, but was really too ill to perform. She finally found the ultimate peace on June 22, 1969, less than two weeks after her 47th birthday, when she was found dead in her bathroom by her latest husband, Mickey Deans. Judy made one last "comeback" as more than 22,000 people paid their respects at her final appearance at Campbell's Funeral Chapel in New York on June 27, 1969...

Here are some Judy Garland caricatures I shamelessly stole from some dude's web page. They are pretty cool, no? I especially like the one by Al Hirschfeld who has done covers for TV Guide including the 4-part cover to TV Guide depicting Seinfeld characters Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer that was issued the week of the last episode of Seinfeld. I hope you know what I am talking about. @.@

Judy in "A Star is Born" (1954)
drawn by Jacques Kapralik

Judy on the cover of
"Showtime"in 1962. Also
pictured are Dean Martin
right, and Frank
Sinatra left. Artist unknown.

Judy on the cover of TV Weekly
for Judy Garland TV Special
1962. Again, there's Dean and Frank
with her. Artist unknown, but it's
probably the same person who made
the previous picture.

An advertisement that appeared in
newspapers for The Judy Garland Show
in 1963. Artist unknown.

A picture drawn by Al Hirschfeld
in 1974, five years after Judy's death.

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