Judy Garland
1929 - 1969
by Todd Richmond
365Gay.com Features Editor

On June 10, 1922, a star was born. She would be called "World's Greatest Entertainer." But who would have ever thought that Judy Garland would play a major role in Gay Liberation?

Garland died June 22, 1969.  New York's gay community was in mourning.  In the 50's and 60's gays identified with Judy and her battles over booze and drugs.  Her ups and downs.  She was a true gay icon.

A group of drag queens organized a wake for Judy at the biggest gay bar in Greenwich Village, The Stonewall Inn.  It was held June 27th.  But, as "Over the Rainbow" played on the juke box, New York police raided the bar.

Raids were common at the time.  But, this was a major offensive.  The queens had had enough.  Especially on this night.

One of them hit a cop.  The cops went wild, and the Stonewall Riot began.

Judy would have been proud.  She was a fighter.  A survivor til the end.

On Friday, December 26, 1924, Judy Garland stood on the stage of her father's theatre. It was her first performance. She was only two-and-a-half years old. She sang "Jingle Bells" in the new white dress her mother made for her. Her father, Frank Gumm, and her mother, Ethel Gumm, performed there frequently. Her mother played the piano for the theatre. She and her sisters, Mary Jane and Susie, formed a vaudeville act which they named "The Gumm Sisters." As she grew older, Judy's voice became better and better. According to legend, a reporter once told her she was "as pretty as a garland of roses." Until that time, she had been called "Baby Gumm." She decided to change her name to Judy Garland("Judy" was the name of a popular song at that time).

In 1935, Judy Garland auditioned for a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract. Jack Robbins and Koverman auditioned her. When she was finished, they immediately called Louis B. Mayer, the head of MGM studios, to hear her. He listened quietly and after she finished singing, he immediately said, "Please prepare a contract for the services of Judy Garland as an actress." Her first movie was "Pigskin Parade." It was a movie about football. The movie that made her famous was "Everybody Sing" in 1937.

Soon MGM realized what they had. They were planning to make a movie version of L. Frank Baum's classic book, "The Wizard of Oz." According to legend, they had originally wanted Shirley Temple to play Dorothy and they were willing to trade Jean Harlow and Clark Gable for a film so that Shirley Temple could play Dorothy. Twentieth Century Fox was about to agree when Jean Harlow died suddenly. Judy Garland was the only candidate left after Shirley Temple. Judy ended up winning a special Academy Award for her performance as Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz."

Soon Judy was paired with Mickey Rooney. They starred in eight movies together, most of them having the same "let's-put-on-a-show" plot. Soon they outgrew these movies. Mickey Rooney could not find much employment for a long time after that, but Judy continued to make movies.

In 1941, Judy married a composer named David Rose. In 1942, Judy began work on "For Me and My Gal," Gene Kelly's first movie. Kelly one said Judy "pulled me through. She was very kind and helpful, more than she ever realized because I watched her to find out what to do. I was amazed at her skill. She knew every mark and every move. All I could do for her was help her with dancing. She wasn't a dancer, but she could pick up a step instantly. She was a very relaxed, marvelous person...the most talented person we ever had."

Soon she began work on "Meet Me in St. Louis." It was a very popular movie. Eventually she divorced David Rose and married Vincent Minelli.

In "The Harvey Girls," Judy gave an outstanding performance. Angela Lansbury, who co-starred in the film, once said,"What an education it was to work with Judy; I loved her. I was like a sponge in those days and picked up a lot of wonderful stuff from her. She was a total pro, and her talent was one thing that always saw her through."

On March 12, 1946, Judy's first child, Liza May Minelli was born. Liza became a star too. She has her mother's voice.

One of Judy's next films was "Easter Parade." She starred in the movie with Fred Astaire. Her last movie at MGM was "Summer Stock." She starred in it with Gene Kelly. It featured songs such as: "Get Happy" and "You, Wonderful You." Her contract with MGM came to a close.

Judy divorced Vincent Minelli and married Sid Luft. Lorna Luft was born in 1953. She was Judy's second child. Judy's next film was "A Star is Born." Judy was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. For months, Hollywood opinion had held that either Judy Garland or Grace Kelly would receive the award. As a result, NBC decided to televise Judy's reaction due to her son Joe's birth the day before. NBC constructed a tower to look in through Judy's hospital window. When she lost, she screamed, "Whaaat?!?", but there was no time to be upset. She watched in amazement as they tore down the tower in order to pursue Kelly, who had won. Many people were shocked that Grace Kelly won, including Groucho Marx who wrote: "It's the biggest robbery since Brink's."

Judy was in many concerts throughout the world, and her talent amazed the old and young alike. She soon appeared in her last film, "I Could Go On Singing." She appeared only in concerts and television shows from then on.

In 1963, she began "The Judy Garland Show" on television. It won ten Tony nominations.

On June 22, 1969, Judy Garland died of a sleeping pill overdose. She was forty-seven years old. At around the same time of her death, around thirteen tornados touched down in Kansas.