Judy Garland | Hollywood Yesterday

Picture of the Day: Lena Horne and Judy Garland, The Judy Garland Show

June 2, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Lena Horne and Judy Garland, 1963

The Judy Garland Show was made up of episodes where the wonderful Judy Garland sang and visited with other wonderful performers. One such performer was one of my absolute favorite stars of all time – the legend, herself, Lena Horne. (Click HERE to see a video of the beautiful ladies singing a duet)

The Wizard of Oz Publicity Photos are As Good as Good Gets

February 8, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

The Wizard of Oz (link to the dvd on Amazon) is one of the most universally known and loved films of all time. Everything about it just feels, somehow, magical and each scene leaves you with a sense of wonder whether you’ve seen it 100 times or you’re watching it for the first time.

I hope these publicity photos leave you with a little of that wonder, today.

Jack Haley, Ray Bolger, Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Bret Lahr, and Terry (Toto)

The Wizard of Oz Cast

Judy Garland – Dorothy
Frank Morgan – The Wizard of Oz
Ray Bolger – The Scarecrow
Bert Lahr – The Cowardly Lion
Jack Haley – The Tin Man
Billie Burke – Glinda
Margaret Hamilton – The Wicked Witch of the West
Terry – Toto (Terry, unlike Toto, happened to be a girl!)

Judy Garland, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, and Ray Bolger

A recent study found that The Wizard of Oz (link to the dvd on Amazon) is the most watched movie in film history. This is partly because it appeals to children and adults, alike, so families often watch it together. Many of the scenes of Margaret Hamilton as The Wicked Witch were actually deleted because they were deemed too scary for children. Do you have any idea what I’d give to be able to see these deleted scenes?!? Can you imagine how magnificent she was?

Jack Haley, Ray Bolger, Judy Garland and Terry, Frank Morgan, and Bert Lahr,

The Wizard of Oz Trivia

The Scarecrow makeup that Ray Bolger wore on his face consisted of a rubber prosthetic with a woven pattern that resembled burlap. By the time the film was finished the prosthetic had left a pattern of lines on his face that took more than a year to entirely go away.
Judy Garland said she had a hard time acting scared of the Wicked Witch because Margaret Hamilton was such a nice person.
When filming first started, Judy Garland wore a blonde wig and heavy, “baby-doll” type makeup. When George Cukor assumed the role of intermediate director , he (thank goodness!) got rid of the wig and most of the makeup and told her to just be herself…. which proved to be the best advice possible.
Judy Garland became very fond of Terry and wanted her for her own dog – however, Terry’s owner (understandably) had no interest in giving her up.
Ray Bolger (The Scarecrow )was originally cast as the Tin Man.
Margaret Hamilton was a lifelong fan of the Oz books and was overjoyed to take part in the film.
Buddy Ebsen (Jed Clampett, The Beverly Hillbillies) was originally cast as the Scarecrow, but switched roles with Ray Bolger. However, Tin Man costume contained aluminum dust, which ended up coating Ebsen’s lungs. He was also very allergic to it and one day had such a horrible reaction that he couldn’t breathe and had to be rushed to the hospital. The role was immediately recast. Buddy Ebsen, reportedly, was very upset about it – considering it humiliating and a personal affront. When Jack Haley was chosen to be the new Tin Man, the make-up was changed from aluminum dust to aluminum paste.
Margaret Hamilton has said that when she watches the scene where the Wizard (Frank Morgan) gives Dorothy’s friends gifts from his “black bag” (a diploma for the Scarecrow, a ticking heart for the Tin Man and a medal for the Cowardly Lion), she gets teary-eyed, because as she says, “Frank Morgan was just like that in real life–very generous.”

Judy Garland and Gene Kelly: For Me and My Gal Sal (1942)

January 19, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

One of my all-time favorite actresses and musical stars is Judy Garland. One of my all-time favorite actors and musical stars is Gene Kelly. So, can you imagine the perfect excitement that fills my den when I’m watching a musical with both of these magical stars?

My cats can barely stand me, I’m so giddy. They truly were magical, weren’t they?

Below is the wonderful duo performing “For Me and My Gal” from the musical of the same name (1942). One of my favorite musicals of all time, it’s pretty underrated, for whatever reasons.

Maybe we can do something about that right now!

Six years later, they would team up again for another one of my favorite musicals, The Pirate. While it’s deliciously over-the-top and not remotely like this particular musical, I love it with all my heart and soul.

How could I not? It stars these two?!

Judy Garland “I Don’t Care” from In the Good Old Summertime!

June 28, 2019 By Joi Leave a Comment

Judy Garland was so talented it’s almost unsettling. Seriously – how can anyone possess that kind of voice, charisma, and energetic stage presence.

I’m as guilty of using the phrase “one of a kind” as anyone, but when it comes to Judy, I’m afraid I have to break it out again because it’s just so TRUE.

Her performance of I Don’t Care from In the Good Old Summertime isn’t one of her more famous performances but it’s certainly one of my favorites. She was just so beautiful and packed with personality.

One. Of. A. Kind.

(In the Good Old Summertime Trivia Below…)

In the Good Old Summertime Trivia

Judy Garland’s daughter, Liza Minnelli, appears in the final scene. She’s the little girl with Van Johnson and Judy Garland.
The legendary Buster Keaton was working as a gag writer at MGM when the film was made. He was asked if he could devise a way to break a violin that would be both comic and plausible. Keaton, naturally, came up with the perfect way for the violin to fall. The filmmakers, wisely, realized that Buster Keaton was the only one who would be able to execute it properly, so they cast him in the film!
Buster Keaton was also the mastermind behind the scene where Van Johnson wrecks Judy Garland’s hat. He coached Johnson on how to precisely play the scene.
This was the first MGM film Keaton appeared in since being fired from the studio in 1933.
The leads were originally intended for June Allyson and Frank Sinatra (instead of Van Johnson and Judy Garland). However, Sinatra was unavailable and Allyson had to drop out when she became pregnant.
The film’s working title was “The Girl From Chicago”.
Unlike most musicals, there is only one character that sings in the movie and it’s Veronica (Judy Garland).

Review: The Pirate With Judy Garland and Gene Kelly

April 24, 2019 By Joi Leave a Comment

Gene Kelly and Judy Garland in The Pirate

Do you happen to have an “obscure” movie that you just love body, mind, and soul? One that the average person feels either so-so about or, worse yet, thinks it’s about as bad as it gets?!?

If you do… I think we could be great friends because many of my favorite movies fall in this category. Judy Garland and Gene Kelly star in one such movie – The Pirate. I just love this upbeat, joyful, and unapologetically fun musical.

Okay – since I’m always totally honest with you, I’m going to trust you with another little bit of truth. I like it even better than Singin’ in the Rain or Easter Parade.

Boom! That is some heavy truth there, but it is what it is. There is something magical about the chemistry between Judy Garland and Gene Kelly – a chemistry that is palpable as far as I’m concerned. I, personally, think he sparked more with Judy than any other actress, dancer, or singer.

One of the reasons I love The Pirate so much is the simple fact that Judy Garland is in it. I’m a huge fan, so if she’s there, I’m already on board. But it goes beyond Judy. It’s just a fun, enjoyable movie – very colorful and festive. Exactly how a musical should be!

I’m also drawn to the fact that Gene Kelly seems to enjoy this role (or co-starring with Judy Garland… maybe both?) immensely. He’s having fun with the role and “having fun with…” isn’t something we tend to associate with the intense perfectionist that was Gene Kelly.

Is it over the top? You bet.

Is it far-reaching? Oh, absolutely.

Are there a few moments so corny you can almost smell the butter? You know it.

But…. would I watch it 7 days out of 8 and grin like the Cheshire cat from start to end each and every time. A thousand times yes.

Not only is The Pirate one of my favorite musicals, Judy Garland’s Mack the Black is one of my favorite musical numbers. If I had the task of “introducing” the great Judy Garland to someone and wanted, desperately, to prove to them why I love her so much – this would probably be the number I’d lead with. She shows, with song, dance, and those glorious expressions… that she was and is one of the greatest performers of all time.

Showmanship? The lady oozed it and it was a beautiful thing.

I hope you’ll catch The Pirate as soon as possible. In the video below, Judy sings Mack the Black. I understand that the circumstances won’t make a BIT of sense to you if you haven’t seen the movie – but it doesn’t need to. All you need to do is watch this beautiful lady in her element.

She was one in a billion, wasn’t she?

Picture of the Day: Judy Garland (Behind the Scenes of Easter Parade)

March 1, 2019 By Joi Leave a Comment

Judy Garland – Behind the Scenes of Easter Parade

Adorable, lovely, uncommonly talented, vivacious, mesmerizing… there aren’t enough adjectives for the wonderful Judy Garland, are there??

This adorable photo was taken behind the scenes of one of her most memorable musicals, Easter Parade. My favorite Judy Garland pictures are the ones where she is smiling.

And what a beautiful smile it was.

Judy Garland: Fast Facts About a Beautiful Legend

April 24, 2018 By Joi Leave a Comment

Frances Ethel Gumm was born on June 10, 1922 in Minnesota. She was the youngest daughter of vaudevillians Ethel Marion (Milne) and Francis Avent Gumm. Frances would, of course, go on to take the world by storm as Judy Garland.

Below are some fast facts about a truly remarkable actress, singer, and woman.

I strive (always) to focus only on the positive when it comes to my beloved Old Hollywood Actors and Actresses, however, I feel that there are times when understanding their battles helps us understand them more. People often cast stones at these stars without fully realizing what they often went through. This is CERTAINLY the case with Judy Garland. According to her biography on the A&E channel, in her early acting career (when she was very, very young) producers were sending her to SIX different doctors for prescription drugs – all without these doctors knowing about the others. She meant money for these people and they used her in the worst possible way. The fact that, in spite of all the demons she was battling, she was able to perform at such a high level will always blow me away.
Her iconic “Over The Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz (1939) claimed the #1 spot on June 22, 2004, in The American Film Institute’s list of “The 100 Years of The Greatest Songs”.
She performed with her sisters at the 1933-34 World’s Fair in Chicago on the infamous midway (the one where Sally Rand was the main attraction!), more specifically in the Old Mexico Club, where they sold out every night.
She was one of the few actresses to have danced in films with both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Other actresses that have this distinction are Rita Hayworth, Cyd Charisse, Vera-Ellen, Debbie Reynolds, and Leslie Caron.
Was considered for the role of Careen O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. When the role was given to Ann Rutherford, Judy immediately began working on The Wizard of Oz.
Returned to work just 11 months after giving birth to daughter Lorna Luft to work on A Star Is Born (1954).
Apparently, on the day Judy Garland died, there was a tornado in Kansas.
According to Mel Tormé, she had a powerful gift of retention. She could view a piece of music once and have the entire thing memorized! I’ve also read that (though it wasn’t tested), she was believed to have a very, very high IQ.
Judy was first cousin three times removed of US President Ulysses S. Grant.
When Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli married, Louis B. Mayer gave her away.
The character of Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island was based on Judy’s Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.
Groucho Marx said that her not winning an Oscar for A Star Is Born was “the biggest robbery since Brink’s.”
Was replaced by Ginger Rogers in the film The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) after being suspended from MGM for her tardiness. In Ginger’s biography, she wrote that Fred Astaire was disappointed because he’d wanted to work with Judy (who he’d co-starred with in Easter Parade) again.
In 1997 she was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Judy Garland was very active politically for most of her adult life.
She returned to work nine months after giving birth to her daughter Liza Minnelli in order to film The Pirate (1948) with Gene Kelly.
Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe were good friends.
Another close friend was Katharine Hepburn. Judy would often stay with Katharine during her worst bouts of depression.
Won five Grammys during her career.
Starred in two Best Picture Oscar nominated films: The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961).

LEGENDS! Judy Garland and Lena Horne Sing on The Judy Garland Show

October 11, 2012 By Joi Leave a Comment

I confess… I just watched this back-to-back-to-back-to-back. Four times and, get this, the only thing I want to do with my life at this moment is watch it a fifth time.

What is it about these two legends? They draw you in with each and every expression and each and every note. I love them both like crazy and, before the day is over, I’m pretty sure I’ll reach 24 viewings.

More if my family thinks they can do without supper.