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Judy Garland was undoubtedly a brilliant presence on screen, from her breakthrough performance in The Wizard of Oz to her later blockbusters like A Star Is Born. Sadly, she had a life full of sorrow; all of the horrible things that happened to her would dominate any faithful biography of the talented but tragic actress. Here are some of the heartbreaking aspects of the life of Judy Garland.
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Judy Garland was undoubtedly a brilliant presence
on screen, from her breakthrough performance In The Wizard of Oz to her later blockbusters
like A Star Is Born. Sadly, she had a life full of sorrow; all
of the horrible things that happened to her Would dominate any faithful biography of the
talented but tragic actress. Behind the scenes of her legendary screen
career were the dysfunctional parents, the Studio abuses, early exposure to drugs and
alcohol, and a series of unsuccessful marriages. All of that laid the foundation for an all-too-young
passing, as she departed at the age of only 47. Garland was undoubtedly a victim of the terrible
world of Old Hollywood, but she seemed powerless To escape the vicious cycle of bad relationships
and financial ruin that ultimately destroyed Her life and career. As Dorothy Gale, she was able to successfully
make it back home, to a house filled with Love and stability. Sadly, in the real world, she would never
be able to truly make it over the rainbow, As detailed in the 2019 biographical film,
Judy. Here are some of the scandalous and heartbreaking
aspects of the life of Judy Garland. 1. Her Childhood Was Dominated By Her Ambitious
Stage Mom Judy Garland was born Frances Ethel Gumm in
Grand Rapids, Minnesota, on June 10, 1922. She almost wasn't born at all; Her mother,
who at the time had two children, first discussed The possibility of having an abortion with
doctors, but they advised her to abort the Child instead. Mrs. Gumm, a dissatisfied vaudevillian, put
Little Frances on stage when she was only Two-and-a-half years old, adding her to an
act with her two sisters. The Gumms relocated to Lancaster, California,
when Frances was 4 years old; Ethel wanted To get her children as close as possible to
the film and entertainment center of Los Angeles. Later, the actress thought back to her mother
as "the real Wicked Witch of the West." 2. Her Parents Had An Unhappy Marriage Of Convenience Frances's father, Frank Gumm, was also a vaudevillian. His marriage to his wife cemented their song-and-dance
duo, if nothing else. But as biographies have detailed, Gumm apparently
identified as bisexual and started making Sexual approaches on the teenage male helpers
and students that attended the family-owned Movie theater.
According to some sources, the rumors of Gumm's
affinities were what ultimately drove the Family to move to California. Young Frances was hurt by her parents' troubled
relationship. She later said, "As I recall, my parents were
separating and getting back together all the Time. It was very hard for me to understand those
things and, of course, I remember clearly The fear I had of those separations." Shortly after Garland signed with MGM, her
father passed away in 1935. 3. She Was Forced To Diet And Modify Her Body
To Appear Childlike The Gumm Sisters decided to change their names
after moving to California. How this actually occurred is a subject of
debate, but the trio became the "Garland Sisters" And Frances picked the name Judy. In 1935, 13-year-old Judy Garland signed her
first contract with MGM. Because Garland was more wholesome than the
studio's "bombshells," she was given roles That perpetuated a childish, teenaged appearance. She appeared alongside Mickey Rooney in a
number of well-known and lucrative films, And the studio demanded that she maintain
an immature appearance for as long as possible. She was forced to constantly diet and her
chest was bound to keep her looking less developed. Throughout this process, her mom, who served
as both her guardian and manager, was quite Comfortable with the studio's abusive control
of Garland's physical appearance. 4. Studio Head Louis Mayer Referred To Her As
His 'Little Hunchback' Louis Mayer, the autocratic head of MGM Studios,
openly referred to Garland as "My Little Hunchback" Is enough, but Mayer also regularly harassed
the star, touching her aggressively while Telling her that she "sung from the heart." When Garland finally questioned him about
this behaviour, Mayer seemed to be shocked And said he felt like a father to her. Mayer also helped to maintain Garland's youth
as much as possible, even if that required Taping down her chest, fitting her with a
painful corset to squeeze into her Wizard Of Oz dress, and continually assigning her
parts that were well below her age. All of this did not improve Garland's mental
health, and in 1950, MGM fired her due to Her neuroses and stubbornness. 5.
She Had To Smoke And Take Drugs While Filming
'The Wizard of Oz' Garland made her film debut in MGM's technicolor
fantasy The Wizard of Oz in 1939 at the age Of 17. Despite the fact that this movie catapulted
Garland to popularity, she paid a very high Personal price. MGM management were particularly strict in
their ongoing efforts to control the actress's Physical appearance and diet due to the concentrated
focus on this significant production. Garland had minders who snatched plates of
food from her at the studio commissary, and She was encouraged to keep to a diet of black
coffee and as many as 80 cigarettes a day. Garland was also given a variety of stimulant
and depressive drugs to help her complete The movie and a demanding promotional road
tour with Mickey Rooney. This practice likely kickstarted the substance
abuse problem that perpetually plagued her And ultimately led to her demise. You might think that her co-stars would support
her, but even they are said to have ignored And isolated her. They were adults who didn't want to be upstaged
by a teenage actress who was getting the star Treatment as well. 6. Her First Marriage Was An Ill-Fated Escape
Attempt From Her Mother Between dealing with harassment and ridicule
from studio executives, hostility toward her Domineering mother, and a belief that having
a husband would shield her from all of the Various bullies in her life, 19-year-old Garland
decided to get married to bandleader David Rose. Despite ultimatums from both her mother and
Louis Mayer, who both disliked the idea of The public no longer being able to perceive
Garland as a young and innocent waif, Garland Went through with the marriage on July 28,
1941. Garland unexpectedly became pregnant, but
Rose convinced her to have an abortion with The help of a few other people. After barely eight months of separation, Garland
and Rose got a divorce in 1944. 7. She Found Her Second Husband In Bed With Another
Man Rumors that Vicente Minnelli lived an openly
gay lifestyle in New York, were swept under The rug in Los Angeles since it was considered
unacceptable in the mainstream film industry. Garland met Minnelli, her second husband,
when he directed her in Meet Me In Saint Louis,
A film that finally allowed Garland to appear
as an attractive woman rather than a gawky Child. They got married on June 15, 1945. Garland and Minnelli had a daughter named
Liza, but their relationship struggled due To Garland's unpredictable personality, drug
usage, and 20-year age difference. Then, in 1948, Upon arriving home, Judy discovered
her husband lovingly embracing their male Employee. In response, She rushed to the bathroom and
attempted to cut her wrists. Before she could really damage herself, Minnelli
arrived. The couple separated in 1949 and officially
divorced in 1951. 8. Her Third Husband Drank And Gambled Away Most
Of Her Money Garland career was on the decline When she
first met Sidney Luft, a tough New Yorker Working on the fringe of the film industry. In 1952, the couple was married, and Luft
became Garland's manager. Their collaboration produced the well-received
A Star Is Born, a movie that revitalized Garland's Career and earned her an Oscar nomination. Garland ultimately lost out to The Country
Girl's Grace Kelly, and Warner Bros, terminated Luft's production deal, which called for Garland
to appear in two further films. Things weren't easy at home, either. Most of Garland's big earnings were lost to
Luft's compulsive gambling and drinking. In 1960, she finally filed for divorce after
finding she was bankrupt. In 1993, Luft tried to sell Garland's 1939
honorary Oscar and the replacement statuette She had received after claiming the first
one disappeared. The Academy took Luft to court, and he was
forced to pay $60,000 in damages. 9. Her Fourth Husband Slept With Her Daughter's
Husband Garland already had a history of getting involved
with gay men, When she started dating Mark Herron. The couple married in Las Vegas in November
of 1965 – despite Herron's openly gay relationship With another actor. Liza Minnelli, Judy's daughter, eventually
found Herron in bed with her husband, Peter Allen, a musician. Unofficially, Herron and Garland separated
after five months; Garland was granted a divorce
In 1967. Herron returned to his male companion, with
whom he lived for the next 25 years. 10. She Was Shunned By Her Daughter As Garland's drug abuse problems grew worse
in the 1950s and 1960s, her teenaged daughter Liza Minnelli had to essentially manage the
household and the other, younger children. Minnelli saved her mother's life on several
occasions, preventing drug overdoses and once Even physically restraining Garland from jumping
out of a hotel window, according to Gerald Clarke's biography of the actress, Get Happy. As a successful adult, Minnelli quickly became
tired of helping her mother both financially And emotionally. When Garland called, she dropped the call
and even specifically banned her mother from Entering her Manhattan apartment building. When Garland called the front desk, the doorman
would brusquely inform her that, "Miss Minnelli Is not accepting any calls from her mother." 11. She Threw A Knife At Her Son After Liza Minnelli got married and began
to establish her own career, the job of being Garland's full-time caretaker fell to her
younger daughter, Lorna Luft. Luft recalled talking her mother down from
suicide threats and the difficulty of managing A parent with addiction issues as severe as
her mother's. Once, Garland even hurled a knife at her son,
Luft's younger brother Joey. Luft blamed her mother's behavior to a serious
drug addiction in which Ritalin and amphetamines Were consumed at 20 times the normal dosage. At the age of 16, Luft ultimately left her
mother because she was unable to handle her Demanding and controlling parenting. 12. She Was Fired From 'Valley of the Dolls' Garland signed a deal with 20th Century Fox
in February 1967 to play Helen Lawson in the Film adaptation of Valley of the Dolls. The character was an older woman with a nasty
temper. Although Garland was able to get through wardrobe
tests and pre-recorded a song, trouble started When the filming of the movie began in March
of 1967. With some sources claiming Garland was never
really comfortable with the role or the film,
Because she refused to leave her dressing
room. Whatever the reason, By the end of April 1967,
Garland's career was terminated in front of A large audience, and he was given a $37,500
settlement, half of her intended salary. 13. She Got A Book Contract In 1960 But Never
Finished The Manuscript In 1959, Garland was recuperating from hepatitis
and cirrhosis of the liver in a Manhattan Hospital when she was visited by Random House
editor Bennett Cerf. He offered her a $35,000 contract for her
autobiography, a memoir that she promised Would be a frank and open tell-all about her
turbulent career and emotional life. She made it through 65 pages of tape recordings
before returning to Los Angeles, but the book Was never completed. In 1966, desperate for a payday, Garland approached
Random House, hoping to rekindle the deal. The publishing house declined the offer. The $35,000 was long gone, like most of her
assets at the time. 14. She Was Essentially Destitute And Homeless
In Her Last Years By 1968, Garland had turned her back on her
kids, her coworkers, and pretty much everyone Who could have offered her professional support. She was so destitute that she was forced to
prevail upon fans, who would take her in and Let her sleep on the couch, her possessions
stored in a couple of paper shopping bags. John Meyer, one of these people, was able
to secure her some gigs in a tiny gay bar In Manhattan. Garland would perform a few songs with struggle
for a $100 bill, the only compensation that Would be safe from the IRS, who was hounding
her for back taxes. 15. She Died Three Months After Marrying Her Fifth
Husband In 1966, Mickey Deans was managing a nightclub
in New York when he met Garland; a friend Asked him to deliver some pills to her in
her hotel suite. As Garland's career waned, Deans became one
of the many men who tried to save her and Restart it, though most gave up due to her
erratic behavior and drug use. Before proposing to the actress in 1969, Deans,
who was 10 years Garland's junior, dated her Occasionally for a number of years. They were married in London on March 15, 1969. Judy commented at the time about the marriage:
"I finally got the right man to ask me, I've
Been waiting for a long time." Deans discovered 47-year-old Garland dead
in their bathroom on June 22, 1969. A coroner ruled her death an accidental overdose
of barbiturates. Despite her very public fall from grace, Garland's
viewing in New York City was attended by 20,000 People. She was eulogized by her A Star is Born co-star
James Mason, and her star-studded funeral Was a sad affair honoring a great talent who
was never really able to grow up.
