Judy Garland - Icon, Legend, Genius... and always alone
June 12th 2007 04:09
This Sunday would notably have been legendary singer Judy Garland's 85th birthday. So lets remember...
Judy was born, 10 June 1922 and died in 1969, a mere twelve days after her forty-seventh birthday of what was deemed an accidental drug overdose by the coroner. Infamous for her childlike role in The Wizard of Oz it would no doubt surprise most people - who know Garland from TV screenings of her innocent character Dorothy Gale - that she was a notorious narcissist, drug addict, alcoholic, needy, pushy, temperamental and a jealous, crazy bitch!
Now don't get riled up yet Garland fans. There will be no further Judy bashing here. Said monster was unquestionably a creation of the pressures applied to Ms Garland during her time at legendary Hollywood sweatshop MGM.
Throughout the forties Garland was MGM's stock musical genius. You name a puffy, frivolous, sentimental musical of that era and Garland will probably be in it. Given America's addiction with this genre during that period she held the entire US nation and the box office in her thrall for well over a decade.
What went wrong you may ask?
Basically the studio put young Garland on Amphetamines to keep her energy levels consistently "high" and then were forced to give her sleeping pills to cure the resulting side-effect: insomnia. Furthermore she was given pills to keep her slender. Naturally this gluttony of pills saw her became addicted and the violent mood swings and erratic behaviour that followed were considered irresponsible diva antics rather than legitimate side-effects created by substance addiction!
Instead of being sent off to be cured of her dangerous habit, Garland's MGM contract was terminated in 1950 after she failed to show up on set once too often!
Garland did not just lie down and take it. Rather she fought back, and with the aid of one of her five husbands (Sidney Luft) she staged a series of concerts - starting at the London Palladium - and slowly won over a population who just couldn't get enough of her magnificent singing voice and titanic stage presence.
She had a short stint on TV before competitve ratings forced her out. She made a movie comeback in 1954 with a remake of A Star is Born - considered by many to be her finest performance. It also featured one of her signature songs "Old Man River" in an iconic on screen scene that undoubtedly was a major contributing factor to her Oscar nomination that year - which she lost to Grace Kelly.
Garland appeared on screen four more times between 1954 and 1963, concentrating primarily on her singing career which continued to grow by leaps and bounds. She married twice more, and it was after an argument with her fifth husband and Manager (Mickey Deans) that she locked herself in the bathroom and accidentally overdosed.
The next day to avoid the press her dead body was apparantly wrapped in a blanket and covered by an old coat so it could be smuggled out without being photographed.
Sinatra is famously quoted as saying that Judy Garland died a little inside everytime she sang, she gave so much to each song. Anyone who has heard her sing or watched her perform, especially in later years, would not argue.
It is a great shame that Hollywood megalomania (I'm looking at you Louis B. Mayer!) allowed such a magnificent talent to be wasted. If not Garland would be celebrating her 85th year and we would not have been deprived of her voice, her acting talent and her magnificent dry wit for so many years unnecessarily.
In recent years Garland has become more and more the flagship of the line up of 20th century gay icons - and thats fine - but it would be a disaster to just believe this titanic performer to be nothing more than camp.
Admittedly most of her movies are hardly worth a darn, relics of a pre-method acting era and corny as all hell today. However, just watch her in her Oscar nominated cameo in the brilliant 1961 movie Judgment at Nuremberg. You will see a rare acting talent, touching, fragile and inspiring, in short brilliant. It is our loss that we were never able to see more of the same.
How many stage performances and movies and TV shows and interviews have been lost with this legend? How would Garland have adpted to the more liberal 70's and 80's? What part would she have played in the growing gay pride campaign at which she is so often at heart even in memorium? How many memories have we lost and how many modern songs might she have lent her legendary persona to?
Just the idea of Garland singing Broadway anthem "I'm Still Here" is enough to set the heart racing! It might as well have been written for her! It's a crime - and that puts it mildly!!!
RIP Judy Garland 1922 - 1969
Judy was born, 10 June 1922 and died in 1969, a mere twelve days after her forty-seventh birthday of what was deemed an accidental drug overdose by the coroner. Infamous for her childlike role in The Wizard of Oz it would no doubt surprise most people - who know Garland from TV screenings of her innocent character Dorothy Gale - that she was a notorious narcissist, drug addict, alcoholic, needy, pushy, temperamental and a jealous, crazy bitch!
She was never the wide-eyed innocent creature she played on screen
Now don't get riled up yet Garland fans. There will be no further Judy bashing here. Said monster was unquestionably a creation of the pressures applied to Ms Garland during her time at legendary Hollywood sweatshop MGM.
Throughout the forties Garland was MGM's stock musical genius. You name a puffy, frivolous, sentimental musical of that era and Garland will probably be in it. Given America's addiction with this genre during that period she held the entire US nation and the box office in her thrall for well over a decade.
She was box office gold - the girl next door
What went wrong you may ask?
Basically the studio put young Garland on Amphetamines to keep her energy levels consistently "high" and then were forced to give her sleeping pills to cure the resulting side-effect: insomnia. Furthermore she was given pills to keep her slender. Naturally this gluttony of pills saw her became addicted and the violent mood swings and erratic behaviour that followed were considered irresponsible diva antics rather than legitimate side-effects created by substance addiction!
She struggled for years in a studio system that worked actresses like slaves to churn out picture after picture
Instead of being sent off to be cured of her dangerous habit, Garland's MGM contract was terminated in 1950 after she failed to show up on set once too often!
Garland did not just lie down and take it. Rather she fought back, and with the aid of one of her five husbands (Sidney Luft) she staged a series of concerts - starting at the London Palladium - and slowly won over a population who just couldn't get enough of her magnificent singing voice and titanic stage presence.
Garland was sent packing from Hollywood but the damage was already done
She had a short stint on TV before competitve ratings forced her out. She made a movie comeback in 1954 with a remake of A Star is Born - considered by many to be her finest performance. It also featured one of her signature songs "Old Man River" in an iconic on screen scene that undoubtedly was a major contributing factor to her Oscar nomination that year - which she lost to Grace Kelly.
Garland appeared on screen four more times between 1954 and 1963, concentrating primarily on her singing career which continued to grow by leaps and bounds. She married twice more, and it was after an argument with her fifth husband and Manager (Mickey Deans) that she locked herself in the bathroom and accidentally overdosed.
The Judy Garland Show was eventually forced off air due to competition from the hit TV show Bonanza
The next day to avoid the press her dead body was apparantly wrapped in a blanket and covered by an old coat so it could be smuggled out without being photographed.
Sinatra is famously quoted as saying that Judy Garland died a little inside everytime she sang, she gave so much to each song. Anyone who has heard her sing or watched her perform, especially in later years, would not argue.
It is a great shame that Hollywood megalomania (I'm looking at you Louis B. Mayer!) allowed such a magnificent talent to be wasted. If not Garland would be celebrating her 85th year and we would not have been deprived of her voice, her acting talent and her magnificent dry wit for so many years unnecessarily.
One wonders how these two divas got along backstage
In recent years Garland has become more and more the flagship of the line up of 20th century gay icons - and thats fine - but it would be a disaster to just believe this titanic performer to be nothing more than camp.
Judy Garland gave a brilliant performance in Judgment at Nuremberg, one of her final films
Admittedly most of her movies are hardly worth a darn, relics of a pre-method acting era and corny as all hell today. However, just watch her in her Oscar nominated cameo in the brilliant 1961 movie Judgment at Nuremberg. You will see a rare acting talent, touching, fragile and inspiring, in short brilliant. It is our loss that we were never able to see more of the same.
How many stage performances and movies and TV shows and interviews have been lost with this legend? How would Garland have adpted to the more liberal 70's and 80's? What part would she have played in the growing gay pride campaign at which she is so often at heart even in memorium? How many memories have we lost and how many modern songs might she have lent her legendary persona to?
Just the idea of Garland singing Broadway anthem "I'm Still Here" is enough to set the heart racing! It might as well have been written for her! It's a crime - and that puts it mildly!!!
"If I am a legend, why am I so lonely?"
Happy Birthday Judy - you're always with us.
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