Judy Garland on the Silver Screen
1929-1939
Starting in 1929, Judy Garland played herself in The Big Revue and then made four films (The Wedding of Jack and Jill, A Holiday in Storyland, Bubbles, and La Fiesta de Santa Barbara) with her two sisters Mary Jane and Dorothy Virginia. Then, she began working with MGM and appeared in 10 films in a four year period starting in 1936 and ending in 1939. During this time period, she appeared in her most well known film The Wizard of Oz, for which she won a special Academy Award for the best juvenile performance of 1939. Just two months after The Wizard of Oz premiered, Judy was given the honor of having her hand and footprints added to the cement courtyard at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre. This was just a brief look at was yet to come during the following decade.
The Busy 40s
For the following decade, Judy was a very busy young woman. She appeared in 21 films during the 1940s including such films as Strike Up the Band (1940), Girl Crazy (1943), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), and Words and Music (1948). During this time, she worked extensively with Mickey Rooney and formed a good friendship with her constant co-star. It was also during this time, during the filming of Girl Crazy, that she passed out on the set and was sent to a rehabilitation hospital for an addiction to pills. Seeing that her mother had forced their young star into a life filled with turmoil, stress, and drugs, MGM decided to ban Ethel from the set of Judy's films. After working long days and producing so many shows for MGM, Judy Garland was released from her contract in 1950.
The Slow 50s
During the 1950s, Judy Garland's film career hit an all time low. She was only in three films during this decade. The first, Moments in Music (1950), did not credit Judy for her appearance. Later that same year she stared in Summer Stock before taking a four year hiatus from the silver screen. In 1954 she stared in the film A Star is Born, a film about a musical actress whose career takes off after being discovered by an actor whose own career is fading rapidly. This film could be seen as foreshadowing for the final decade of Judy Garland's life.
The Final Years
During the final decade of Judy Garland's life, she saw more success than she did in the 1950s, but not nearly as much as she had seen two decades before. She appeared in five films during this decade starting with at cameo appearance in the 1960 film Pepe. She also played the role of Irene Hoffman Wallner in Judgement at Nuremberg (1961), the voice of Mewsette in Gay Purr-ee (1962), Jean Hansen in A Child Is Waiting (1963), and Jenny Bowman in I Could Go on Singing (1963). She was busy with other performances during this time, which are discussed in Beyond the Screen. Although many films and television shows have featured footage or stories about Judy Garland since the 1960s, her personal appearances were ended with her death on June 22, 1969.
Terry J. Brown
Copyright © 2001 by University of North Texas.
All rights reserved.
Revised: 27 Aug 2001 10:28:34 -0500
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