Judy Garland

Judy Garland , of her true name Frances Ethel Gumm , is a Actrice and Chanteuse American born the June 10th 1922 with Grand Rapids, Minnesota and deceased the June 22nd 1969 with London, England. By an exceptional career started at 14 years and by an early death at 47 years, Judy Garland, the following the example of of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, became a legend of the cinema and spectacle. Very early adulated by the public and pressed by the studios, it was the victim of its own success. Its energy, its artistic sensitivity, its vulnerability, its incomparable talent and especially its upsetting voice contributed to its radiation.

Biography

the child of the ball

  • In 1922, Frances Ethel Gumm is born on June 10th in Grand Rapids (Minnesota). His/her parents, Frank and Ethel Gumm, were actors of varieties before the father becomes the manager of the only cinema of the city. Judy made there its beginnings on scene, between two films, with his/her two older sisters, Mary Jane and Virginia and accompanied by their mother with the piano. At three years, she interprets “Jingle Bells” on the scene raising the enthusiasm of the public.
  • In 1927, it moves in California with Lancaster for a better climate because Judy is prone to allergies.
  • the trio always accompanied by Mrs. Ethel Gumm occurs more and more in the American big cities and in 1931, the " Gumm Sisters" occur with the World Fair of Chicago. It is there that Georges Jessel, the high-speed motorboat of the spectacle, advises with the Frances young person to choose the pseudonym of Garland. One year later, the young starlet will also change her first name borrowed from a song with success “Judy”.
  • Then Judy begins its true career in solo after the marriage of one of his/her sisters. It is committed with the Lake Tahoe and is noticed by the critic. A talent scout suggests with his/her mother making him make cinema.
  • At 13 years, in 1935, it passes a hearing in front of Louis B. Mayer owner of the Subway-Goldwyn-Mayer which offers a contract without signing to him the least screen test. The same year the young girl loses her father, a death which will mark it deeply. Judy joined the benches of class of the MGM to with dimensions of the children star of the MGM, Lana Turner, Jackie Cooper, Mickey Rooney, Freddie Bartholomew and Deanna Durbin.
  • 1936: first appearance in a short film, its voice immediately draws the attention of the public in Every Sunday with Deanna Durbin. The latter, finally not retained by Louis B. Mayer, will be also noticed and will make career with the studios Universal with a crashing to pieces success.
  • Judy Garland makes an incursion into the studios of the 20th Century Fox for its first feature-length film Pigskin Parade , and at fifteen years, its star starts to shine in The Broadway Melody off 1938 , film in which she sings “Dear Mr. Gable, you made coils me you” in front of a photograph of the “King”, song that she had already interpreted in the honor of the birthday of the super star of the MGM, Clark Gable.

A legend was born

  • Judy turns in some family films, expensive in Louis B. Mayer, where she sings and points out herself near the public thanks to her heat and her promptness. But it is in 1939, with its role of Dorothy in the Magician of OZ which it is propelled to the row of star. This role was proposed initially with the star of the Twentieth Century Fox, Shirley Temple, but the MGM could not obtain it and after having considered Deanna Durbin, Judy obtained the role by defect. She sings there the song which will be oscarisé and which was going throughout its career to become its large war-horse, Over the Rainbow . Itself gains the special Oscar of the best of the young actresses of the year . The film enters the legend and with the passing of years it will become the film more seen of all the history of the cinema thanks to its passages on television draining of the million spectators, the license having been yielded to C.B.S., in 1956.
  • It connects with Place at the rate/rhythm with Mickey Rooney, which will bring back two million dollars only to the the United States, and the evening of the first of film, it is the dedication, it affixes its prints with the Grauman' S Chinese Theater.
  • the MGM had sense of smell by forming the duet Judy Garland - Mickey Rooney which became the ideal couple and with success of musical films of the studio, they will make nine films together. In addition to three films of the series Andy Hardy they play together in Place at the rate/rhythm , Ahead the music , Débuts in Broadway films of Busby Berkeley and Girl Crazy of Norman Taurog. They will find last once in 1948 in My life is a song also of Norman Taurog.

  • In 1940, Judy is one of the ten most popular high-speed motorboats to the Box-office, the only woman to belong to this prize list with Bette Davis.

  • It is at that time that it becomes drug addict. Being already accustomed to drugs (his/her mother obliged it to take some so that it keeps the line), the situation worsens when the studios prescribe amphetamines to him, so that it keeps the form and supports best the many hours of turning. But that makes it insomniac and it must then add barbiturates to it to help it to sleep. Its health quickly will be degraded.
  • During the turning of Little Nelly Kelly where according to the publicity of the time she plays her first scene of love, she announces her engagement to the musician David Pink, ex-husband of Martha Raye. In spite of the dissension of his/her mother and Louis B. Mayer (which follows closely its career and its private life), Judy marries David Pink on June 10th, 1941.
  • It appears then in many musical comedies produced by the MGM, of which famous the Song of Missouri (1944) and Parade of spring (1948) two productions of the uncontested Master of the musical comedy MGM, Arthur Freed. Freed, surrounded by a team of creators “Freed Links”, produced the majority of films of Judy within the MGM. It also produced the most prestigious musical comedies of the time and recruited a young beginner of Broadway, Gene Kelly, in 1942 to make of it an ideal partner of Judy in For me and my crumb. It is him which engaged Vincente Minnelli, then known as artistic director of revue spectaculars, in order to carry out its first film, a little place with the skies.
  • Freed will join together Minnelli and Garland for what will be one of the most memorable films of the MGM, the Song of Missouri . However at the beginning reticent with the project, Judy there composes one more its roles attaching and brings the proof of its dramatic talent. The film releases musical the conventions inherited the scene of Broadway; the colors with let us tons pastels, the realization avoiding the insipidness of the subject and the unforgettable songs make film a critical and popular success.
  • Minnelli and Garland fell in love during turning and this time with approval with studios MGM. Judy married in the month of June 1945 Vincente Minnelli (she had divorced David Pink in 1944). His/her first daughter Liza will be born the following year. She made three other films with the duet Freed-Minnelli, the Clock one as of her rare films nonmusical, Ziegfeld Follies films with sketches and finally the musical Pirate blazing where she finds Gene Kelly.
  • the troubles of health of Judy become increasingly serious, tired, it falls ill during the turning of the Pirate and multiplies the sudden changes of mood, the repeated absences and punctuality misses it. In spite of that, the not very understanding MGM connects turnings. She discovers a new partner of prestige Fred Astaire which replaces Gene Kelly, being broken ankle herself, for another great success of the MGM, Parade of spring. Charmed to work with Astaire, the film was a true respite for Judy but of short duration.
  • Increasingly prone to the nervous breakdowns it must give up finding Fred Astaire, and it is Ginger Rogers which replaces it in Entrons the dance . The mythical duet of the Thirties is found for the last time after ten of separation. It also yields its role to Betty Hutton in Annie, queen of the Circus , with Jane Powell in Royal Mariage and with Kathryn Grayson in Show Boat .
  • Judy spent three months in a private clinic of Boston then turned over to the studios to make its last film with the MGM, Pretty farm the . Turning lasted six months afterwards many delays due to the absences of the actress, one can notice even there variations of astonishing weights of Judy in film. But it will be presented in a scene added, a few weeks after the end of turning, with best of its form in the number “Get happy”.
  • In 1950, the MGM puts a term at its contract because it is more and more accro with the drugs and becomes ingérable what harms its career seriously.
  • Judy Garland does not have whereas 28 years.

The god and her fans

  • a deep depression leads it to an suicide attempt in 1950.
  • In 1951, it divorces Vincente Minnelli and wife the producer Sidney Luft, with whom it will have a girl (Lorna) and a boy (Joseph). He decides to start again his career and succeeds there thanks to rounds with undeniable success. He persuades it to occur with the Palladium London for one month, it is a triumph. Then it returns to the Music-hall, it beats all the records of receipts during nineteen weeks with the Palace Theater of New York. These meeting again with its fans and success give again insurance to him.
  • In 1954, Sidney produces the film a star was born in which she plays the part of a young artist who reaches popularity thanks to the assistance of a star on the decline, third of the four versions turned on the same subject. Song of the swan and masterpiece of the musical genre, the film had an enormous success near the critic and of the public in spite of the mutilations operated by the Warner Bros which cut down the 90 minute old film for reasons of distribution. George Cukor, realizer of film, directed it in a masterly way, making it possible Judy to develop all the facets of its immense talent. Everyone awaited the dedication with its nomination to the Oscars but the reward échut with Grace Kelly.
  • One year later, it on television makes its beginnings in 1955 in show of the C.B.S. It is again success. It will take part in many shows in which his/her friends like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin take part.
  • It continues its rounds during the Fifties and Sixties with an exceptional success, it will triumph with the Carnegie Hall in 1961 whose album “Judy in Carnegie Hall” will be recorded, the sales will reach the million dollars.
  • Forsaking the cinema (it will make only 3 films lasting this period), it will obtain a new nomination with the Oscars for a supporting role in Jugement in Nuremberg.
  • In 1963, it launches a television program, The Judy Garland Show , which lasts only one season because of the competition of Bonanza .
  • In 1964, it divorces Sidney Luft to marry the actor Mark Herron.
  • In 1966, it divorces Herron Mark after having discovered that it was homosexual.
  • In 1969, it marries the producer of discs Mickey Deans on March 15th. She dies on June 22nd with Chelsea (Great Britain) of an accidental surdose of drugs.

Comments

  • Judy Garland became an icon in the homosexual community, so much so that it is claimed that it is the sorrow tested at the time of its funeral which caused the riots of Stonewall.
  • It is as a devourer of men, often older as it. In 1950, she already married 2 times: with David Pink, then with the realizer Vincente Minnelli of which it had a girl, the actress Liza Minnelli born in 1946. She will marry three more times thereafter.
  • a Musée is devoted to him in its birthplace of Large Rapids (Minnesota).

Anecdotes

She was named by the American Film Institute eighth better actress of legend of the cinema.

References

Catalog of films

External bonds

  • Card IMDB

Simple: Judy Garland

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