Judy Garland (bornFrances Ethel Gumm; June10, 1922 – June22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strongcontralto voice, Garland was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. She achieved international recognition for her portrayal ofDorothy Gale in the musical filmThe Wizard of Oz (1939). Her rendition of "Over the Rainbow" won theAcademy Award for Best Original Song, and became Garland'ssignature song. Garland's resilience, artistic range and enduring recordings have ensured her lasting impact on popular culture and her reputation as a cultural icon.
Garland began her career at the age of two: performing with her two older sisters as avaudeville act calledthe Gumm Sisters. In 1935, aged 13, she signed a contract withMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and was initially cast in supporting roles in ensemble musicals such asBroadway Melody of 1938 (1937) andThoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937). The success ofThe Wizard of Oz propelled her into leading roles in MGM musicals, includingMeet Me in St. Louis (1944),Easter Parade (1948), andSummer Stock (1950). In the 1950s and early 1960s, she expanded her range with dramatic performances inA Star Is Born (1954) andJudgment at Nuremberg (1961), both of which earnedAcademy Award nominations and demonstrated her capacity to convey vulnerability and resilience on screen.
Garland's personal life was marked by both public fascination and private struggle. She married five times and had three children, including actresses and singersLiza Minnelli andLorna Luft. From her teenage years onward, she faced health challenges exacerbated by studio pressures on her appearance and performance. She developed dependencies on prescription medications that affected her physical and mental well-being. Financial difficulties, including substantial tax debts, added to her burdens. She died from an accidental barbiturate overdose at age 47 in 1969.
Garland was born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922, inGrand Rapids, Minnesota.[2][3] She was the youngest child of vaudevilliansEthel Marion Milne andFrancis Avent Gumm.[4] She was named after both of her parents andbaptized at a localEpiscopal church.[5] Her parents had met and married in Wisconsin, and then settled in Grand Rapids, where they operated a movie theater showcasing vaudeville acts. She was of Irish, English, Scottish,[6][7] andHuguenot[8][9] ancestry.
Garland in a costume for her debut performance
"Baby" (as she was called by her parents and sisters)[10] shared her family's flair for song and dance. Her first appearance came at the age of two, when she joined her elder sisters Mary Jane "Suzy/Suzanne" Gumm and Dorothy Virginia "Jimmie" Gumm on the stage of her father's movie theater during a Christmas show to sing a chorus of "Jingle Bells."[11] The Gumm Sisters performed there for the next few years, accompanied by their mother on piano.[10]
Garland's birthplace in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, is now a museum dedicated to her life and career.
The family relocated toLancaster, California, in June 1926, following rumors that her father had homosexual inclinations.[12] Frank bought and operated another theater in Lancaster,[13] and Ethel began managing her daughters and working to get them into motion pictures.[citation needed]
In 1928,the Gumm Sisters enrolled in a dance school run by Ethel Meglin, proprietor of theMeglin Kiddies dance troupe, and appeared with the troupe at its annual Christmas show.[14] Through the Meglin Kiddies, the sisters made their film debut in a short subject calledThe Big Revue (1929), where they performed a song-and-dance number called "That's the Good Old Sunny South." This was followed by appearances in twoVitaphone shorts the following year:A Holiday in Storyland, featuring Garland's first on-screen solo, andThe Wedding of Jack and Jill. They next appeared together inBubbles (1930). Their final on-screen appearance was in an MGMTechnicolor short entitledLa Fiesta de Santa Barbara (1935).[15]
The trio had toured the vaudeville circuit as "The Gumm Sisters" for many years by the time they performed in Chicago at theOriental Theater withGeorge Jessel in 1934. He encouraged the group to choose a more appealing name after "Gumm" was met with laughter from the audience. According to theater legend, their act was once erroneously billed at a Chicago theater as "The Glum Sisters."[16]
The Gumm Sisters, also known as the Garland Sisters, c. 1935: Top row: Mary Jane and Dorothy Virginia Gumm; bottom: Frances Ethel (Judy Garland) Gumm
Several stories persist regarding the origin of their use of the name Garland. One is that it was originated by Jessel afterCarole Lombard's character Lily Garland in the filmTwentieth Century (1934), which was then playing at theOriental in Chicago; another is that the girls chose the surname after drama critic Robert Garland.[17] Garland's daughterLorna Luft stated that her mother selected the name when Jessel announced that the trio "looked prettier than a garland of flowers."[18] In a TV special filmed in Hollywood at thePantages Theatre premiere ofA Star Is Born on September 29, 1954, Jessel stated:
I think that I ought to tell the folks that it was I who named Judy Garland, "Judy Garland." Not that it would have made any difference – you couldn't have hid[den] that great talent if you'd called her "Tel Aviv Windsor Shell", you know, but her name when I first met her was Frances Gumm and it wasn't the kind of a name that so sensitive a great actress like that should have; ... and so we called her Judy Garland and I think she's a combination ofHelen Hayes andAl Jolson and maybeJenny Lind andSarah Bernhardt.[19]
A later explanation surfaced when Jessel was a guest onGarland's television show in 1963. He said that he had sent actressJudith Anderson a telegram containing the word "garland" and it stuck in his mind.[20] However, Garland asked Jessel just moments later if this story was true and he blithely replied, "No."[citation needed]
By late 1934, the Gumm Sisters had changed their name to the Garland Sisters.[21] Soon afterward, Frances changed her name to "Judy," inspired by a popularHoagy Carmichael song.[22] The group broke up by August 1935, when Mary Jane "Suzanne" Garland flew toReno, Nevada and married musician Lee Kahn, a member of the Jimmy Davis orchestra playing atCal-Neva Lodge, Lake Tahoe.[23]
In September 1935,Louis B. Mayer asked songwriterBurton Lane to go to theOrpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles to watch the Garland Sisters' vaudeville act and to report to him. A few days later, Garland and her father were brought for an impromptu audition at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios inCulver City. Garland performed "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" and "Eli, Eli," aYiddish song written in 1896 and regularly performed in vaudeville.[24] The studio immediately signed Garland to a contract with MGM, presumably without ascreen test, though she had made a test for the studio several months earlier. The studio did not know what to do with her; aged 13, she was older than the traditional child star, but too young for adult roles.[25]
Her physical appearance was a dilemma for MGM. She was only 4 ft11+1⁄2 in (151 cm) and her "cute" or "girl-next-door" looks did not match the glamorous persona then required of female leading performers. She was self-conscious and anxious about her appearance. Garland went to school at the studio withAva Gardner,Lana Turner, andElizabeth Taylor—"real beauties," saidCharles Walters, who directed her in a number of films. "Judy was the big money-maker at the time, a big success, but she was theugly duckling ... I think it had a very damaging effect on her emotionally for a long time. I think it lasted forever, really."[26] Her insecurity was exacerbated by the attitude of studio chief Mayer, who referred to her as his "little hunchback."[27]
During her early years at the studio, she was photographed and dressed in plain clothing or frilly juvenile gowns and costumes to match the "girl-next-door" image created for her. She was also asked to wear removablecaps on her teeth and rubberized discs to reshape her nose.[28]
On November 16, 1935, the young teen Garland was in the midst of preparing for a radio performance on theShell Chateau Hour, when she learned that her father had been hospitalized withmeningitis and that his medical condition had taken a turn for the worse. He died the following morning at age 49, leaving her devastated.[citation needed]
Garland's song for theShell Chateau Hour was her first professional rendition of "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart," a song that became a standard in many of her concerts.[29] She performed at various studio functions and was eventually cast oppositeDeanna Durbin in the musical shortEvery Sunday (1936). The film contrasted her vocal range and swing style with Durbin's operatic soprano and served as an extended screen test for them, as studio executives were questioning the wisdom of having two girl singers on the roster.[30]
Garland's first feature-length film was a loan-out to Fox titledPigskin Parade, a football-themed musical comedy, where she was billed tenth afterStuart Erwin,Jack Haley,Patsy Kelly,Betty Grable, and others. Garland sang three solos, including "The Texas Tornado" and "The Balboa."[citation needed]
Garland came to the attention of studio executives when she sang a special arrangement of "You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)" toClark Gable at a birthday party that the studio arranged for the actor. Her rendition was so well-regarded that she performed the song in the all-star extravaganzaBroadway Melody of 1938 (1937), singing to a photograph of Gable.[31]
MGM found a winning formula when it paired Garland withMickey Rooney in a string of what were known as "backyard musicals."[32] The duo first appeared together as supporting characters inThoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937), aB movie. Garland was then cast in the fourth of the Hardy Family movies,Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938), as a literal girl next door to Rooney's character Andy Hardy, although Hardy's love interest was played byLana Turner. They were cast as lead characters for the first time inBabes in Arms (1939), ultimately appearing in five additional films, including Hardy filmsAndy Hardy Meets Debutante (1940) andLife Begins for Andy Hardy (1941).[citation needed]
Garland stated that she, Rooney, and other young performers were constantly prescribedamphetamines to stay awake and keep up with the frantic pace of making one film after another.[33] They were also givenbarbiturates to take before going to bed so they could sleep.[34] This regular use of drugs, she said, led to addiction and a life-long struggle. She came to resent the hectic schedule and believed MGM stole her youth. Rooney, however, denied their studio was responsible for her addiction: "Judy Garland was never given any drugs by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Mr. Mayer didn't sanction anything for Judy. No one on that lot was responsible for Judy Garland's death. Unfortunately, Judy chose that path."[35]
Garland's weight was within a healthy range, but the studio demanded she constantly diet. They even went so far as to serve her only a bowl of chicken soup and black coffee when she ordered a regular meal.[36] She was plagued with self-doubt throughout her life. Despite successful film and recording careers, awards, critical praise, and ability to fill concert halls worldwide, she required constant reassurance that she was talented and attractive.[37]
In 1938, when Garland was sixteen, she was cast as Dorothy Gale inThe Wizard of Oz (1939), a film based onthe 1900 children's book byL. Frank Baum. In the film, she sang the song with which she would be constantly identified afterward, "Over the Rainbow." She frequently used an excerpt from it as her entrance music during later concerts and television appearances, and named it her favorite of all the songs she had ever recorded, showing how "inextricably linked" her career itself was with it.[38]
Judy was not the first pick for Dorothy. Although producersArthur Freed andMervyn LeRoy had wanted to cast her in the role from the outset, studio chief Mayer first tried to borrowShirley Temple from20th Century Fox but was declined.Deanna Durbin was then asked but was unavailable, and this resulted in the casting of Garland.[39]
She was initially outfitted in a blonde wig for the part, but Freed and LeRoy decided against it shortly into filming. Her bluegingham dress was chosen for its blurring effect on her figure, which made her look younger.[40] Shooting commenced on October 13, 1938,[41] and was completed on March 16, 1939,[42] at a final cost of more than $2 million (equivalent to $35 million in 2024).[43] With the conclusion of filming, MGM kept Garland busy with promotional tours and the shooting ofBabes in Arms (also in 1939), directed byBusby Berkeley. She and Rooney were sent on a cross-country promotional tour, culminating in the New York City premiere at theCapitol Theater on August 17, which included a five-show-a-day appearance schedule for the two stars.[44]
Garland was reportedly put on a diet consisting of cigarettes, chicken soup, and coffee during filming in a further attempt to minimize her curves.[45] However, historians Jay Scarfone and William Stillman have clarified that at the time Garland was an anti-smoker and was allowed solid food.[46] In any event, her diet was accompanied by swimming and hiking outings, plus tennis and badminton matches with her stunt double Bobbie Koshay.[citation needed]
The Wizard of Oz was a tremendous critical success, though its high budget and estimated promotion costs of $4 million (equivalent to $71 million in 2024[47]), coupled with the lower revenue that was generated by discounted children's tickets, meant that the film did not return a profit until it was re-released in the 1940s.[48] At the1939 Academy Awards ceremony, Garland received her onlyAcademy Award, anAcademy Juvenile Award for her performances in 1939, includingThe Wizard of Oz andBabes in Arms. She was the fourth recipient of the award as well as only one of 12 actors ever to be presented with one.[49] AfterThe Wizard of Oz, Garland was one of the most bankable actresses in the United States.[50]
Garland as Nellie Kelly inLittle Nellie Kelly (1940), which was her first adult role
Garland starred in three films released in 1940:Andy Hardy Meets Debutante,Strike Up the Band, andLittle Nellie Kelly. In the last of these, she played her first adult role, a dual role of both mother and daughter.[citation needed]Little Nellie Kelly was purchased fromGeorge M. Cohan as a vehicle for her to display both her audience appeal and her physical appearance.[citation needed] The role was a challenge for her, requiring the use of an accent, her first adult kiss, and the only death scene of her career.[51] Her co-starGeorge Murphy regarded the kiss as embarrassing, commenting that it felt like being "a hillbilly with a child bride."[36]
During that time, still a teenager, Garland experienced her first serious adult romance with bandleaderArtie Shaw. She was deeply devoted to him and was devastated when he eloped withLana Turner in early 1940.[52] In the early 1940s, Garland began a relationship with musicianDavid Rose, who was 12 years her senior.[53] He proposed to her on her eighteenth birthday, despite being married to actress and singerMartha Raye. MGM disapproved of the relationship, so he and Garland agreed to wait a year to allow for his divorce to become final. During that time, Garland had a brief affair with songwriterJohnny Mercer. After her breakup with Mercer, Garland and Rose were wed on July 27, 1941, when she was only 19.[54]
The media called the relationship "a true rarity."[36] Garland and Rose moved into a house inBel Air, Los Angeles, where Rose had room to build miniature trains in the back yard. Though their life together was initially enjoyable, MGM still disapproved of the relationship and allegedly tried to separate them,[53] fearing—along with Garland's mother—that the relationship would ruin Garland's image.[55] In 1941, while Garland was pregnant with Rose's child, she had an abortion at the insistence of her mother and studio executives.[citation needed] According toWoman's World, Rose was even hostile toward Garland.[55] The couple agreed to atrial separation in January 1943 and were divorced in 1944.[56]
Garland and Gene Kelly in a publicity photo forFor Me and My Gal (1942)
In her next film,For Me and My Gal (1942), Garland performed withGene Kelly in his first screen appearance. She was given the "glamor treatment" inPresenting Lily Mars (1943), in which she was dressed in "grown-up" gowns. Her lightened hair was also pulled up in a stylish fashion. However, no matter how glamorous or beautiful she appeared on screen or in photographs, she was never confident about her appearance and never escaped the "girl-next-door" image that the studio had created for her.[57] She had a second abortion in that same year when she became pregnant during an affair with actorTyrone Power.[58]
One of Garland's most successful films for MGM wasMeet Me in St. Louis (1944), in which she introduced three standards: "The Trolley Song," "The Boy Next Door," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." This was one of the first films in her career that gave her the opportunity to be an attractive leading lady. WhenVincente Minnelli was assigned to direct the film, he requested that Garland be assigned make-up artist Dorothy Ponedel, who refined Garland's appearance in several ways: extending and reshaping her eyebrows; changing her hairline; modifying her lip line; and removing her nose discs and dental caps. Garland appreciated the results so much that Ponedel was written into her contract for all her remaining pictures at MGM.[59]
Around the same time, Garland had a brief affair with actor and film directorOrson Welles, who was then married to actressRita Hayworth. They ended the affair in early 1945 but remained on good terms afterwards.[60]
Garland in 1945
During the filming ofMeet Me in St. Louis, Garland and Minnelli had some initial conflicts, but they entered into a relationship and married on June 15, 1945.[61] On March 12, 1946, her daughterLiza was born.[62]
The Clock (1945) was Garland's first straight dramatic film, withRobert Walker cast in the main male role. Though the film was critically praised and earned a profit, most movie fans expected her to sing; and she did not act again in a non-singing dramatic role for many years.[citation needed] Her other films of the 1940s includeThe Harvey Girls (1946), in which she introduced the Academy Award-winning song "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe"; andTill the Clouds Roll By (1946).[63]
During the filming ofThe Pirate, Garland suffered anervous breakdown and was admitted to a privatesanatorium.[65] She was able to complete filming, but in July 1947 she made her first suicide attempt, making minor cuts to her wrist with a broken glass.[66] During this period, she spent two weeks in treatment at theAusten Riggs Center, a psychiatric hospital inStockbridge, Massachusetts.[67]The Pirate, released in May 1948, was the first of Garland's films not to make a profit since she had starred inThe Wizard of Oz. The main reasons for its failure were its cost, the increasing expense of the shooting delays while Garland was ill, and the general public's unwillingness to accept her in a sophisticated film.
Following her work inThe Pirate, she co-starred for the first and only time withFred Astaire, who replaced Gene Kelly after Kelly broke his ankle, inEaster Parade (1948), which was Hollywood's highest-grossing musical that year.[68]
Thrilled by the huge box-office receipts ofEaster Parade, MGM immediately teamed Garland and Astaire inThe Barkleys of Broadway. During the initial filming, Garland was takingprescription barbiturate sleeping pills along with illicitly obtained pills containingmorphine.[69] Around this time, she also developed a serious problem with alcohol. These issues, in combination withmigraine headaches, caused her to miss several shooting days in a row. After being advised by her doctor that she would be able to work only in four- to five-day increments with extended rest periods in between, MGM executiveArthur Freed made the decision to suspend her on July 18, 1948. She was replaced in the film byGinger Rogers.[70]
When Garland's suspension was over, she was summoned back to work. She performed two songs as a guest in theRodgers and Hart biopicWords and Music (1948), which was her last appearance with Mickey Rooney. Despite the all-star cast,Words and Music barely broke even at the box office.
Having regained her strength during her suspension, Garland was able to return to MGM in the fall of 1948 to replaceJune Allyson in the musical filmIn the Good Old Summertime (1949) co-starringVan Johnson.[71] Although Garland was sometimes late arriving at the studio during the making of this picture, she managed to complete it five days ahead of schedule. Her daughter Liza made her film debut at the age of two and a half at the end of the film.In the Good Old Summertime was enormously successful at the box office.[72]
Garland was then cast in the film adaptation ofAnnie Get Your Gun in the title role ofAnnie Oakley. She was nervous at the prospect of taking on a role strongly identified withEthel Merman, anxious about appearing in an unglamorous part after breaking from juvenile parts for several years, and disturbed by her treatment at the hands of directorBusby Berkeley. He was disappointed by Garland's lack of effort, attitude, and enthusiasm. She complained to Mayer, trying to have Berkeley fired from the feature. She began arriving late to the set and sometimes failed to appear at all. At this time, she was also undergoingelectroconvulsive therapy for depression.[73][74][75] She was finally fired from the picture on May 10, 1949, and was replaced byBetty Hutton, who stepped in to perform all the musical routines as staged by Robert Alton.[76]
Garland then underwent an extensive hospital stay atPeter Bent Brigham Hospital inBoston, Massachusetts, where she was weaned off her medication. After a while, she was able to eat and sleep normally.[citation needed]
She returned to Los Angeles in the fall of 1949 having gained weight, and was cast opposite Gene Kelly inSummer Stock (1950), which took six months to complete. To lose weight, Garland went back on pills and a pattern of behavior resurfaced as she began showing up on the set late or not at all.
When principal photography on the film was completed in the spring of 1950, it was decided that Garland needed an additional musical number. She agreed to do it provided the song was "Get Happy." In addition, she insisted that directorCharles Walters choreograph and stage the number. By that time, Garland had lost 15 pounds and looked more slender. "Get Happy" was the last segment of the film to be filmed. When it was released in the fall of 1950,Summer Stock drew big crowds and racked up very respectable box-office receipts; but because of the costly shooting delays caused by Garland, the film posted a loss of $80,000 to the studio.[77] It was her final picture for MGM.
She was next cast in the filmRoyal Wedding with Fred Astaire in 1950 after June Allyson became pregnant. However, because Garland failed to report to the set on multiple occasions, the studio suspended her contract on June 17, 1950, replacing her withJane Powell.[78] Reputable biographies published following Garland's death stated that after this dismissal, she slightly grazed her neck with a broken glass, requiring only a bandage. At the time, however, the public was informed that a despondent Garland had slashed her throat.[79] "All I could see ahead was more confusion," she later said of this suicide attempt. "I wanted to black out the future as well as the past. I wanted to hurt myself and everyone who had hurt me."[80] In September 1950, after 15 years with the studio, Garland and MGM parted company.[81][82]
Garland was a frequent guest onKraft Music Hall, hosted by her friendBing Crosby. Following Garland's second suicide attempt, Crosby, knowing that she was depressed and running out of money, invited her on his radio show—the first of the new season—on October 11, 1950.[citation needed]
She was standing in the wings of it trembling with fear. She was almost hysterical. She said, "I cannot go out there because they're all gonna be looking to see if there are scars and it's gonna be terrible." Bing said "What's going on?" and I told him what happened and he walked out on stage and he said: "We got a friend here, she's had a little trouble recently. You probably heard about it—everything is fine now, she needs our love. She needs our support. She's here—let's give it to her, OK? Here's Judy." And she came out and that place went crazy. And she just blossomed.
Garland made eight appearances during the 1950–51 season ofThe Bing Crosby–Chesterfield Show, which immediately reinvigorated her career. Soon after, she toured for four months to sell-out crowds in Europe.[83] In 1951, she began a four-month concert tour of Britain and Ireland, where she played to sold-out audiences throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland.[84] The successful concert tour was the first of her many comebacks, with performances centered on songs by Al Jolson and the revival of vaudevillian tradition. Garland performed complete shows as tributes to Jolson in her concerts at theLondon Palladium in April and at New York's Palace Theater later that year.[85]
Garland in a publicity still (1954)
After the Palladium show, Garland said: "I suddenly knew that this was the beginning of a new life... Hollywood thought I was through; then came the wonderful opportunity to appear at the London Palladium, where I can truthfully say Judy Garland was reborn."[85] Her appearances at the Palladium lasted four weeks, where she received rave reviews and an ovation described by the Palladium manager as the loudest he had ever heard.[86][87]
Garland's engagement at the Palace Theatre in Manhattan in October 1951 exceeded all previous records for both the theater and for Garland, and she was called "one of the greatest personal triumphs in show business history."[88] She was honored with aSpecial Tony Award for her contribution to the revival of vaudeville.[89]
That same year, she divorced Minnelli,[90] and on June 8, 1952, she married her tour manager and producerSidney Luft in Hollister, California.[91] On November 21 that same year, Garland gave birth to her second daughter, Lorna Luft, who became an actress and singer. On March 29, 1955, she gave birth to a son, Joey Luft.[92]
1954–1963: Hollywood return, concerts, and television
Garland appeared withJames Mason in theWarner Bros. filmA Star Is Born (1954), the first remake ofthe 1937 film. She and her then-husband Sidney Luft produced the film through theirproduction company, Transcona Enterprises, while Warner Bros. supplied finances, production facilities, and crew.[93] Directed byGeorge Cukor, the film was a large undertaking to which Garland initially fully dedicated herself.[94]
As shooting progressed, however, she began making the same pleas of illness that she had so often made during her final films at MGM. Production delays led to cost overruns and angry confrontations with Warner Bros. headJack L. Warner. Principal photography wrapped on March 17, 1954. At Luft's suggestion, the "Born in a Trunk" medley was filmed as a showcase for her and inserted into the edit despite director Cukor's objections, who feared the additional length would lead to cuts in other areas. The film was completed on July 29.[95]
Upon its world premiere on September 29, 1954, the film was met with critical and popular acclaim. Before its release, it was edited at the instruction of Jack Warner, as theater operators—concerned that they were losing money because they were able to run the film for only three or four shows per day instead of five or six—pressured the studio to make additional reductions. After its first-run engagements, about 30 minutes of footage were cut, sparking outrage among critics and filmgoers. Although the film was still popular, drawing huge crowds and grossing over $6 million (equivalent to $55.4 million in 2024[47]) in its first release,A Star is Born did not make back its cost and ended up losing money. As a result, the secure financial position Garland had expected from the profits did not materialize.[96] Transcona made no more films with Warner.[97]
Garland filming a scene as a restaurantcarhop forA Star Is Born (1954)
Garland was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actress and, in the run-up to the27th Academy Awards, was generally expected to win forA Star Is Born. She could not attend the ceremony because she had just given birth, so a television crew was stationed in her hospital room with cameras and wires to broadcast her anticipated acceptance speech. The Oscar was won, however, byGrace Kelly forThe Country Girl (1954). The camera crew packed up before Kelly could even reach the stage.Groucho Marx sent Garland a telegram after the awards ceremony, declaring her loss "the biggest robbery sinceBrinks."[98]Time labeled her performance as "just about the greatest one-woman show in modern movie history."[99] However, Garland did win theGolden Globe Award forBest Actress in a Musical for her role.[100]
Garland in her dressing room at theGreek Theatre (1957)
Beginning in 1955, Garland appeared in a number of television specials. The first was the 1955 debut episode ofFord Star Jubilee, which was the first full-scale color broadcast onCBS and a ratings triumph, scoring a 34.8Nielsen rating. She signed a three-year,US$300,000 (equivalent to $2,730,000 in 2024) contract with the network. Only one additional special was broadcast, however: a live concert-edition ofGeneral Electric Theater in 1956. The relationship between the Lufts and CBS then broke down in a dispute over the planned format of upcoming specials.[103]
In 1956, Garland performed for four weeks at theNew Frontier Hotel on theLas Vegas Strip for a salary ofUS$55,000 (equivalent to $480,000 in 2024) per week, making her the highest-paid entertainer to work in Las Vegas at the time.[104] Despite a brief bout oflaryngitis, whenJerry Lewis filled in for her for one performance while she watched from a wheelchair, her performances there were so successful that her run was extended an extra week.[105] Later that year, she returned to the Palace Theatre, site of her 1951 triumph. She opened in September, once again to rave reviews and popular acclaim.[106]
In November 1959, Garland was hospitalized after being diagnosed with acutehepatitis.[107] Over the next few weeks, several quarts of fluid were drained from her until she was released from the hospital in January 1960, still in weak condition. She was told by doctors that she probably had five years or less to live and that, even if she did survive, she would be a semi-invalid and would never sing again.[108] She initially felt "greatly relieved" at the diagnosis, commenting, "The pressure was off me for the first time in my life."[79] Over the next few months, however, she recovered enough to be able to return to the stage at the London Palladium in August 1960. She felt so warmly embraced by the British that she announced her intention to move permanently to England.[109]
At the beginning of 1960, Garland signed a contract withRandom House to write her autobiography. The book was to be calledThe Judy Garland Story, a collaboration withFred F. Finklehoffe. She was paid an advance ofUS$35,000 (equivalent to $280,000 in 2024), and she and Finklehoffe recorded conversations about her life to be used in producing a manuscript. Garland worked on her autobiography on and off throughout the 1960s, but never completed it. Portions of her unfinished autobiography were included in the 2014 biography,Judy Garland on Judy Garland: Interviews and Encounters by Randy L. Schmidt.[110][111]
In 1961, Garland and CBS settled their contract disputes with the help of her new agent,Freddie Fields, and negotiated a new round of specials. The first,The Judy Garland Show, aired on February 25, 1962,[114] with guestsFrank Sinatra andDean Martin.[115] Following this success, CBS made a $24 million offer (equivalent to $190 million in 2024[47]) to Garland for a weekly television series of her own, also to be calledThe Judy Garland Show, which was deemed by the press at the time to be "the biggest talent deal in TV history." Although she had said as early as 1955 that she would never do a weekly television series,[116] she was in a financially precarious situation in the early 1960s. She was several hundred thousand dollars in debt to theInternal Revenue Service, having failed to pay taxes in 1951 and 1952; and the failure ofA Star is Born meant that she received nothing from that investment.[117]
Following a third special,Judy Garland and Her GuestsPhil Silvers andRobert Goulet, Garland's weekly series debuted September 29, 1963.[118]The Judy Garland Show was critically praised,[119][120] but for a variety of reasons (including being placed in the time slot oppositeBonanza onNBC), the show lasted only one season and was canceled in 1964 after 26 episodes. Despite its short run, the series was nominated for fourEmmy Awards, including Best Variety Series.[121]
During this time, Garland had a six-month affair with actorGlenn Ford. Garland's biographerGerald Clarke, Ford's sonPeter, singerMel Tormé, and her husband Sid Luft all wrote about the affair in their respective biographies. The relationship began in 1963 while Garland was doing her television show. Ford would sit in the front row during tapings of the show while Garland sang. He is credited with giving Garland one of the more stable relationships of her later life. The affair was ended by Ford (a notorious womanizer, according to his son Peter) when he realized Garland wanted to marry him.[122]
As she rose to fame, Garland's personal life became a complex blend of public adoration and private struggles. Her career, while filled with legendary performances, was often overshadowed by her continuing struggles with self-image, addiction, and mental health, which were exacerbated by Hollywood's grueling expectations.[123] Garland was married five times and had three children:Liza Minnelli (with directorVincente Minnelli), andLorna Luft and Joey Luft (with producerSidney Luft).[124] Her relationships were often turbulent, influenced by her intense fame and personal challenges.[125]
Despite her struggles, Garland had a deep bond with her children, who would each go on to develop a connection to the entertainment industry. Garland's resilience through hardship, paired with her immense talent, secured her a lasting place in popular culture and a legacy that continues.[126][127]
In April 1944, Garland escorted Brigadier GeneralBenjamin O. Davis Sr. to a reception honoring him at the home ofIra Gershwin. Davis, the first black general and highest-ranking black officer in the U.S. military, was in Los Angeles for the premiere ofFrank Capra's documentary about black Americans serving in World War II.
Garland was a friend of PresidentJohn F. Kennedy and his wifeJacqueline Kennedy, and she often vacationed inHyannis Port, Massachusetts. The house she stayed in during her vacations in Hyannis Port is known today as The Judy Garland House because of her association with the property.[133] Garland would call Kennedy weekly, often ending her phone calls by singing the first few lines of "Over the Rainbow."[133][134][135]
On September 16, 1963, Garland—along with daughterLiza Minnelli,Carolyn Jones,June Allyson, and Allyson's daughter Pam Powell—held a press conference to protest the previous day'sbombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church inBirmingham, Alabama, that had resulted in the death of four young black girls. They expressed their shock and outrage at the attack and requested funds for the families of the victims. During the press conference, Powell and Minnelli both announced their intention to attend the funeral of the victims.[136][137]
In 1963, Garland suedSidney Luft for divorce on the grounds of mental cruelty. She also asserted that he had repeatedly struck her while he was drinking and that he had attempted to take their children from her by force.[138] She had filed for divorce from Luft on several previous occasions, even as early as 1956, but they had reconciled each time.[139]
Mickey Deans and Garland at their London wedding in March 1969, three months before her death
After her television series was canceled, Garland returned to work on the stage. She returned to the London Palladium in November 1964, performing with her then-18-year-old daughter Liza Minnelli. One of her final appearances at the venue, the concert was also shown on the British television networkITV.
A 1964 tour of Australia also ended badly. Garland's first two concerts in Sydney were held in theSydney Stadium because no concert hall could accommodate the overflow crowds who wanted to see her. Both went well, receiving positive reviews. However, her third performance, inMelbourne, started an hour late, angering the crowd of 7,000. Believing she was drunk, they booed and heckled her, and she fled the stage after 45 minutes.[141] She later characterized the Melbourne crowd as "brutish."[142] Her appearance was covered negatively in the press.[143]
Garland's tour promoterMark Herron announced that they had married aboard a freighter off the coast of Hong Kong, although she was not officially divorced from Luft at the time the ceremony was performed.[144] When the divorce became final on May 19, 1965,[138] she and Herron legally married on November 14 of that year. They separated five months later.[145] During the divorce proceedings, Garland testified that Herron had beaten her; he claimed that he "only hit her in self defense."[146]
Although Sidney Luft was Garland's manager for much of her career throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, they eventually parted ways professionally when she signed with agentsFreddie Fields andDavid Begelman.[citation needed] By the fall of 1966, Garland had also split from them too. Their mismanagement of Garland's money, as well as their embezzlement of much of her earnings, resulted in her owing aroundUS$500,000 (equivalent to $3,680,000 in 2024) in total to the IRS and to personal creditors.[citation needed] The IRS placedtax liens on her home inBrentwood, Los Angeles, her recording contract withCapitol Records, and any other business deals from which she could derive an income.[147] She was left in a desperate financial situation that saw her sell her Brentwood home at a price far below its value.
In February 1967, Garland was cast in the role of Helen Lawson inValley of the Dolls by20th Century Fox.[148] According to co-starPatty Duke, she had been hired primarily to augment publicity for the film and was treated poorly on the set by directorMark Robson.[149] After Garland's dismissal from the film, authorJacqueline Susann said in the 1967 television documentaryJacqueline Susann and the Valley of the Dolls, "I think Judy will always come back. She kids about making a lot of comebacks, but I think Judy has a kind of a thing where she has to get to the bottom of the rope and things have to get very, very rough for her. Then with an amazing inner strength that only comes of a certain genius, she comes back bigger than ever."[150]
Returning to the stage, Garland made her last US appearances in a 27-show run at New York's Palace Theatre in July 1967, performing with her childrenLorna and Joey Luft. Garland's 75% share of the profits generated by her engagement earned her more thanUS$200,000 (equivalent to $1,430,000 in 2024). On closing night at the Palace, however, federal tax agents seized the majority of her earnings.[151]
By early 1969, Garland's health had deteriorated. However, she was able to do a five-week run of performances at theTalk of the Town nightclub in London,[152] for which she was paid £2,500 per week.[110] She made her last concert appearance inCopenhagen during March of that year.[153] After her divorce from Herron was finalized on February 11, she married her fifth and final husband, nightclub managerMickey Deans, atChelsea Register Office, London, on March 15, 1969.[154]
On June 22, 1969, Deans found Garland dead in the bathroom of her rented house inCadogan Lane,Belgravia, London. She was 47 years old. At theinquest, Coroner Gavin Thurston stated that the cause of death was "an incautiousself-overdosage" ofbarbiturates; her blood contained the equivalent of ten 1.5-grain (97 mg)Seconal capsules.[155] Thurston stressed that the overdose had been unintentional and no evidence suggested that she had intended to kill herself.
Garland'sautopsy showed no inflammation of her stomach lining and no drug residue in her stomach, which indicated that the drug had been ingested over a long period of time rather than in a single dose. Her death certificate stated that her death was "accidental."[156] Supporting the accidental cause, Garland's physician noted that a prescription of 25 barbiturate pills was found by her bedside half-empty, and another bottle of 100 barbiturate pills was still unopened.[157]
A British specialist who had attended Garland's autopsy stated that she had nevertheless been living on borrowed time owing tocirrhosis, although a second autopsy conducted later reported no evidence of alcoholism or cirrhosis.[158][159] As herWizard of Oz co-starRay Bolger commented at her funeral, "She just plain wore out."[160]
After Garland's body had been embalmed and clothed in the same gray silk gown she wore at her wedding to Deans, he traveled with her remains to New York City on June 26, 1969, where an estimated 20,000 people lined up to pay their respects at theFrank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel inManhattan. It remained open all night long to accommodate the overflowing crowd.
The next day, herA Star Is Born co-starJames Mason gave a eulogy at the funeral, an Episcopal service led by the Rev.Peter Delaney ofSt Marylebone Parish Church, London, who had officiated at her marriage to Deans three months earlier.[161] The public and press were barred. "Judy's great gift," Mason said in his eulogy, "was that she could wring tears out of hearts of rock... She gave so richly and so generously, that there was no currency in which to repay her."[162]
Upon Garland's death, despite her having earned millions during her career, her estate came to justUS$40,000 (equivalent to $260,000 in 2024). Years of mismanagement of her financial affairs by her representatives and staff, along with her generosity toward her family and various causes, resulted in her poor financial situation at the end of her life. In her last will, signed and sealed in early 1961, Garland made many generous bequests that could not be fulfilled because her estate had been in debt for many years. Her daughterLiza Minnelli worked to pay off her mother's debts with the help of family friendFrank Sinatra.[165] In 1978, a selection of Garland's personal items was auctioned off by her ex-husband Sidney Luft with the support of their daughterLorna and son Joey. Almost 500 items, ranging from copper cookware to musical arrangements, were offered for sale; and the auction raisedUS$250,000 (equivalent to $940,000 in 2024) for her heirs.[166]
Strassler observed that Garland "created one of the most storied cautionary tales in the industry, thanks to her many excesses and insecurities that led to her early death by overdose."[167]
Garland's singing voice[168][169][170] has been described as brassy,[16] powerful, effortless and resonant,[171] often demonstrating a tremulous,[172] powerfulvibrato.[173] Although her range was comparatively small, Garland was capable of alternating between female and male-soundingtimbres with little effort.[174] TheRichmond Times-Dispatch correspondent Tony Farrell described her as the "possessor of a deep, velvetycontralto voice that could turn on a dime to belt out the high notes."[170] Ron O'Brien, producer of tribute albumThe Definitive Collection—Judy Garland (2006), wrote that her combination of naturalphrasing, elegant delivery, maturepathos "and powerful dramaticdynamics she brings to... songs make her [renditions] the definitive interpretations."[175]
The Huffington Post writer Joan E. Dowlin called the period of Garland's music career between 1937 and 1945 the "innocent years," during which the critic believed her voice was "vibrant and her musical expression exuberant," resonant and distinct, with a "rich yet sweet" quality "that grabs you and pulls you in."[175] Garland's voice would often vary to suit the song she was interpreting, ranging from soft, engaging, and tender during ballads to humorous on some of her duets with other artists.[175] Her more joyful,belted performances have been compared to entertainersSophie Tucker,Ethel Merman, andAl Jolson.[174] Although her musical repertoire consisted largely ofcast recordings,show tunes, andtraditional pop standards,[176] she was also capable of singingsoul,blues and jazz music, which Dowlin compared to singerElvis Presley.[175]
Garland always claimed that her talent as a performer was innate, commenting: "Nobody ever taught me what to do onstage."[177] Critics agree that even when she debuted as a child,[176] she had always sounded mature for her age,[178] particularly on her earlier recordings.[175] From an early age, Garland had been billed as "the little girl with the leather lungs,"[177] a designation the singer later admitted to having felt humiliated by because she would have much preferred to have been known to audiences as a "pretty" or "nice little girl."[179]
Jessel recalled that even at only 12 years old, Garland's singing voice resembled that of "a woman with a heart that had been hurt."[177]The Kansas City Star contributor Robert Trussell cited Garland's singing voice among the reasons why her role inThe Wizard of Oz remains memorable, writing that although "[s]he might have been made up and costumed to look like a little girl ... she didn't sing like one," due to her "powerful contralto command[ing] attention."[171]
Garland withMargaret O'Brien in a publicity photo forMeet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Camille Paglia, writing forThe New York Times, joked that even in Garland's adult life, "her petite frame literally throbbed with her huge voice," making it appear as though she were "at war with her own body."[174] Musical theater actress and director Donna Thomason opined that Garland was an "effective" performer because of her ability to make her singing voice "a natural extension of [her] speaking voice," an asset that Thomason believed all musical theater actors should at least strive to achieve.[171] Trussell agreed that "Garland's singing voice sounded utterly natural. It never seemed forced or overly trained."[171]
Writing forTurner Classic Movies, biographer Jonathan Riggs observed that Garland had a tendency to imbue her vocals with aparadoxical combination of "fragility and resilience" that eventually became a signature trademark of hers,[172] marked with power in her voice, pronounced enunciation, and projection of a sense of vulnerability through her singing and body language.[180] AsMichael Bronski remarked in his bookCulture Clash: "There was a hurt in her voice and an immediacy to her performance that gave the impression that it was her pain."[181]
Louis Bayard ofThe Washington Post described Garland's voice as "throbbing," believing it to be capable of "connect[ing] with [audiences] in a way no other voice does."[182] Bayard also believed that listeners "find it hard to disentwine the sorrow in her voice from the sorrow that dogged her life,"[182] a comment echoed by Dowlin: "Listening to Judy sing ... makes me forget all of the angst and suffering she must have endured."[175]
The New York Times obituarist observed that during Garland's later performances, whether intentionally or not, she "brought with her ... all the well-publicized phantoms of her emotional breakdown, her career collapses and comebacks" on stage,[16] going on to comment that Garland's voice changed and lost some of its quality as she aged but that she retained much of her personality.[16] Contributing to theIrish Independent, Julia Molony observed that by the time Garland performed at Carnegie Hall in 1961, her voice—although "still rich with emotion"—had finally begun to "creak with the weight of years of disappointment and hard-living."[183]
Similarly, the essay accompanying the live record's entry in theNational Recording Registry notes that "while her voice was still strong, it had also gained a bit of heft and a bit of wear"; author Cary O'Dell believes Garland's rasp and "occasional quiver" only "upped the emotional quotient of many of her numbers," particularly on her signature songs "Over the Rainbow" and "The Man That Got Away."[184] For her part, Garland stated that regardless of the condition of her voice, she always felt most safe and at home while performing onstage.[185]
Her musical talent was commended by her peers. Opera singerMaria Callas once said that Garland possessed "the most superb voice she had ever heard." Singer and actorBing Crosby said that "no other singer could be compared to her" when she was rested.[178]Aretha Franklin praised Garland as "one of the greatest singers there was."[186]
Fred Astaire later commented on co-starring with Garland: "Judy's the greatest entertainer who ever lived—or probably will ever live—an amazing girl," and that "[s]he could do things—anything—without rehearsing and come off perfectly."[187]
Garland was known for interacting with her audiences during live performances.The New York Times obituarist wrote that she possessed "a seemingly unquenchable need for her audiences to respond with acclaim and affection. And often, they did, screaming, 'We love you, Judy – we love you.'"[16] Garland herself explained: "A really great reception makes me feel like I have a great big warm heating pad all over me ... I truly have a great love for an audience and I used to want to prove it to them by giving them blood. But I have a funny new thing now, a real determination to make people enjoy the show."[188]
Garland was nearly as famous for her personal struggles as she was for her entertainment career.[174] She has been closely associated with her carefully cultivatedgirl-next-door image.[183] Early in her career during the 1930s, Garland's public image had earned her the title "America's favorite kid sister"[177] as well as the title "Little Miss Showbusiness."[189][190]
In a review for theStar Tribune, Graydon Royce wrote that Garland's public image remained that of "a Midwestern girl who couldn't believe where she was," despite having been a well-established celebrity for over 20 years.[185] Royce believes that fans and audiences insisted on preserving their memory of Garland as Dorothy no matter how much she matured, calling her "a captive not of her own desire to stay young, but a captive of the public's desire to preserve her that way,"[185] accounting for why Garland was continually cast in roles significantly younger than her actual age.[185]
Garland relaxing in 1938
But Ruhlmann wrote that the singer's personal life "contrasted so starkly with the exuberance and innocence of her film roles."[176] According to Malony, Garland was one of Hollywood's hardest-working performers during the 1940s, using that as acoping mechanism after her first marriage imploded.[183] However, studio employees recall that Garland had a tendency to be quite intense, headstrong, and volatile;[177]David Shipman, author ofJudy Garland: The Secret Life of an American Legend, claims that several individuals were frustrated by Garland's "narcissism" and "growing instability." Millions of fans were said to find her public demeanor andpsychological state "fragile,"[189][183] as she appeared neurotic in interviews.[185]Entertainment Weekly columnistGene Lyons observed that both audiences and fellow members of the entertainment industry "tended either to love her or to hate her."[189] Farrell called her "[a] grab bag of contradictions" that "has always been a feast for the American imagination," with a public persona "awkward yet direct, bashful yet brash."[170]
MGM called Garland consistently tardy and her behavior erratic—which resulted in several delays and disruptions to filming schedules—thus unreliable and difficult to manage, resulting in her finally being dismissed from the studio.[183]
Describing the singer as "tender and endearing yet savage and turbulent," Paglia wrote that Garland "cut a path of destruction through many lives. And out of that chaos, she made art of still-searing intensity."[174] According to Paglia, the more Garland performed "Over the Rainbow," the more it "became her tragic anthem ... a dirge for artistic opportunities squandered and for personal happiness permanently deferred."[174]
Despite her success as a performer, Garland suffered from low self-esteem, particularly with regard to her weight, because of which she constantly dieted to maintain at the behest of the studio and Mayer;[177][183][191] critics and historians believe this was a result of having been told that she was an "ugly duckling" by studio executives.[175]
At one point, Stevie Phillips, who had worked as an agent for Garland for four years, described her client as "a demented, demanding, supremely talented drug-addict."[183] Royce argues that Garland maintained "astonishing strength and courage," even during difficult times.[185] English actorDirk Bogarde once called Garland "the funniest woman I have ever met."[182]
Despite her personal struggles, Garland disagreed with the public's opinion that she was a tragic figure.[185][192] Her younger daughter Lorna agreed that Garland "hated" being referred to as a tragic figure, explaining, "We all have tragedies in our lives, but that does not make us tragic. She was funny and she was warm and she was wonderfully gifted. She had great highs and great moments in her career. She also had great moments in her personal life. Yes, we lost her at 47 years old. That was tragic. But she was not a tragic figure."[192]
Ruhlmann argues that Garland actually used the public's opinion of her tragic image to her advantage towards the end of her career.[176]
Garland has been called atriple threat due to her ability to sing, act, and dance,[193] arguably equally well.[194] Doug Strassler, a critic for theNew York Press, used the "triple threat" description in characterizing her as one who "bounced between family musicals and adult dramas with a precision and a talent that remains largely unmatched."[167] In terms of Garland's acting,Peter Lennon, writing forThe Guardian in 1999, identified her as a "chameleon" due to her ability to alternate between comedic, musical and dramatic roles, citingThe Wizard of Oz,The Clock,A Star is Born, andI Could Go On Singing—her final film role—as prominent examples.[192]Michael Musto, a journalist forW magazine, wrote that in her film roles, Garland "could project decency, vulnerability and spunk like no other star and she wrapped it up with a tremulously beautiful vocal delivery that could melt even the most hardened troll."[191]
By the time of her death in 1969, Garland had appeared in more than 35 films.[16] She has been called one of the greats of entertainment and her reputation has endured.[195][196][197][198] In 1992, Gerald Clarke ofArchitectural Digest dubbed Garland "probably the greatest American entertainer of the twentieth century."[178] Record producer Ron O'Brien believed that "No one in the history of Hollywood ever packed the musical wallop that Garland did," and that "She had the biggest, most versatile voice in movies. Her Technicolor musicals... defined the genre. The songs she introduced were Oscar gold. Her film career frames the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals."[175]
Turner Classic Movies dubbed Garland "history's most poignant voice."[172]Entertainment Weekly's Gene Lyons named her "theMadonna of her generation."[189] TheAmerican Film Institute placed her eighth among thegreatest female stars of Golden Age Hollywood cinema.[199] In June 1998, inThe New York Times, Paglia wrote, "Garland was a personality on the grand scale who makes our current crop of pop stars look lightweight and evanescent."[174] Garland's live performances towards the end of her career are still remembered by fans who attended them as "peak moments in 20th-century music."[177]
The New York Times obituarist described Garland as both "an instinctive actress and comedienne," and that her performance style resembled that of "amusic hall performer in an era when music halls were obsolete."[16] Close friends of Garland's insisted that she never truly wanted to be a movie star and would have much rather devoted her career entirely to singing and recording records.[179]AllMusic biographer William Ruhlmann believes that her ability to maintain a successful career as a recording artist even after her film appearances became less frequent was unusual for an artist at the time.[176]
In recent years, Garland's legacy has been sustained for fans of different ages, both younger and older.[192] In 2010,The Huffington Post contributor Joan E. Dowlin concluded that Garland possessed a distinct "it" quality by "exemplif[ying] the star quality of charisma, musical talent, natural acting ability and, despite what the studio honchos said, good looks (even if they were the girl next door looks)."[175] Ruhlmann commented that "the core of her significance as an artist remains her amazing voice and emotional commitment to her songs" and that "her career is sometimes viewed more as an object lesson in Hollywood excess than as the remarkable string of multimedia accomplishments it was."[176] In 2012, Strassler described Garland as "more than an icon... LikeCharlie Chaplin andLucille Ball, she created a template that the powers that be [sic] have forever been trying, with varied levels of success, to replicate."[167]
Garland was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.[200] Several of her recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[201] 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; and 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).[202]
She has twice been honored on U.S. postage stamps, in 1989 (as Dorothy)[203] and in 2006 (as Vicki Lester fromA Star Is Born).[204] On June 10, 2022, the centennial of her birth, she was honored with a perfume named after her, entitled "Judy—A Garland Fragrance", created by Vincenzo Spinnato.[205]
Subsequent celebrities who have suffered from personal struggles with drug addiction and substance use disorder have been compared to Garland, particularlyMichael Jackson.[175] Garland's elder daughterLiza Minnelli had a personal life that was almost parallel to that of her mother's, having struggled withsubstance use disorder and several unsuccessful marriages.[183] Paglia observed that actressMarilyn Monroe would exhibit behavior similar to Garland's a decade earlier inMeet Me in St. Louis, particularly tardiness;[177] and also compared Garland to entertainerFrank Sinatra due to their shared "emblematic personality... into whom the mass audience projected its hopes and disappointments," but found that Garland lacked Sinatra's survival skills.[174]
In music, she is referenced in the 1992Tori Amos song "Happy Phantom," in which Garland is imagined to be takingBuddha by the hand. Amos also refers to Garland as "Judy G" in her 1996 song "Not the Red Baron." Garland is also the titular subject ofFrog's "Judy Garland" single from 2015.[216][217][218]
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^"Nuptials Turn Trio to Duet – Cupid Robs Radio Team – Suzanne Garland Flies to Reno to Become Bride of Musician".Los Angeles Times. August 15, 1935. p. A3.
^Neibaur, James L. (2022).The Films of Judy Garland. McFarland. p. 4.
^Clarke, Gerald (November 11, 2009). "Chapter 5: The Men of Her Dreams".Get happy: the life of Judy Garland. Dell.ISBN978-0-307-55633-2.
^Stewart, Patrick (host). "The Lion in Winter".MGM: When the Lion Roars.
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