Posted by “[Judy] in the parlance of show folk, is what is known as a sure-fire show-stopper and box-office magnet.” – Uncredited article, 1955
July 10, 1926: Judy’s very first performance in Los Angeles took place at the Erlanger Mason Theater. As “The Gumm Sisters,” she and her sisters performed during an afternoon kiddie matinee of the film Topsy and Eva starring The Duncan Sisters, which was the act that inspired the Gumm Sisters. The Duncan Sisters (who were there in person) were so impressed with the Gumms, especially Frances (Judy), that they insisted the family keep in touch with them. The sisters most likely performed both matinees on Saturday (the 10th) and Sunday (the 11th) as they were marketed to the children’s audience.
The family was in Los Angeles as their final destination for a summer’s “working vacation,” during which they traveled from their hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, to LA, performing in various Vaudeville and movie houses along the way. While in Los Angeles, they stayed at The Hotel Iris (later St. Moritz) on Sunset Boulevard (see pics). The family left LA to return home (again, working some gigs along the way) on July 17, 1926.
By October 1926, the family had decided to permanently move to California, firmly setting Frances (Judy) on the road to superstardom.
Photos: The Gumm Sisters in Los Angeles in 1926; St. Moritz in 1926 and as it appears today; two ads for the Topsy & Eva showings that weekend in 1926.
July 10, 1931: The first night of a week-long engagement for “The Gumm Sisters” as part of Maurice Kusell’s “Stars of Tomorrow” juvenile revue at the Wilshire-Ebell Theater in Los Angeles, CA.
The sisters were featured in three numbers: “Puttin’ On The Ritz,” in which they played “Harlem Crooners”; “Garden of Beautiful Flowers,” in which they played “gardenettes”; and “Floatin’ Down the Mississippi.” Frances (Judy) was also featured in two solos and was teamed with Miss Betty Jean Allen for a “Plantation Melody.”
After the show, the sisters sang at the opening night party at director James Cruze’s home. Maurice Kusell introduced them to George Frank of the Frank and Dunlap Talent Agency (James Cagney was a client), who signed Frances as the agency’s first child performer. The five-year contract was for the stage, screen, radio, and television. Frances was renamed “Frances Gayne.” The contract’s “option clause” was exercised shortly after, and “Frances Gayne” was released from her contract. The option was not renewed because Judy’s father, Frank Gumm, felt she was too young.
Photos: The program cover for the engagement, the sisters in 1930, and some newspaper ads and articles, a few of which mention the Gumm Sisters.
July 10, 1936: The “Van Nuys News” out of Van Nuys, California, reported Judy’s appearance at a luncheon at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Judy sang “several songs,” although what she sang is unknown. She had just completed Every Sunday for MGM and was appearing at various functions (such as this one) courtesy of MGM in their attempts to get her some exposure and experience. She was still just 14 years old.
July 10, 1939: Production on Babes in Arms continued with more rehearsals of the ‘God’s Country” number. Judy was due on the set at 9 a.m.; lunch 12:40-1:40 p.m.; time dismissed: 5:50 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on Babes in Arms here.
July 10, 1940: Judy, Mickey Rooney, and the rest of the cast pre-recorded the “Finale” sequence for Strike Up The Band. Studio records show it was a long day, from 11 a.m. to 11:10 p.m. The lengthy session was likely due to the sequence itself being long and requiring time to get right. Also on this day, Judy pre-recorded the ultimately deleted “The Curse of An Aching Heart.”
Listen to “The Curse of the Aching Heart” here:
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on Strike Up The Band here.
July 10, 1941: Judy and Mickey Rooney rehearsed “How About You?” for Babes on Broadway. Time called: 2 p.m.; dismissed: 5:30 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on Babes on Broadway here.
July 10, 1943: In the “What The Picture Did For Me” feature as published by the “Motion Picture Daily,” theater owners had the following to say about For Me And My Gal (released in 1942):
“If I had paid what the picture was worth, I’d say this was one fine show. But I paid too much.” – Tom McCormick, Rock Theatre, Rockford, Iowa.
“Played this in June when I had my January date pulled on short notice. Good picture to above average grosses.” – L.V. Bergtold, Wesby Theatre, Westby, Wisconsin.
July 10, 1943: Judy’s USO Tour took her to Fort Hancock, New Jersey, where she was named the “New Sweetheart of Sandy Hook” then performed an hour-long show in the camp’s Theatre #2 “before a packed audience” and was photographed with the camp’s general, General Philip S. Gage (seen on the right in the photo).
July 10, 1943: For Me And My Gal (still in theatres, released in 1942) and Presenting Lily Mars.
July 10, 1945: Decca Records recording session. This was Judy’s second of two sessions at the label’s New York City studios. Judy was on her honeymoon with her husband, Vincente Minnelli. She recorded “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “Smilin’ Through.” The session lasted from 2 to 5 p.m.
The two songs were released on April 15, 1946, Decca single #23539 with “Smilin’ Through” on the “A” side, and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” on the “B” side.
Judy would later re-record “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” using an almost identical arrangement, for Capitol Records on August 3, 1960.
Learn more about Judy’s Decca Records recordings at The Judy Garland Online Discography’s Decca Records section here.
July 10, 1948: The Saturday Evening Post ran this full-color ad for Easter Parade. Included here are two reviews of the film, one from Baltimore and the other from Philadelphia. The Baltimore critic felt that Ann Miller outshone Judy but pointed out that Judy didn’t lag far behind. The Philadelphia critic also gave the film a glowing review, although he felt it suffered by comparison to the recently released The Pirate.
Perhaps it’s a pity “Easter Parade” follows so fast on “The Pirate’s heels since on almost every score, including plots, tints, and music, it suffers by comparison. Even so, and although Charles Walters’ direction lacks both freshness and imagination, it is ingratiating entertainment with only occasional dull interludes.
Miss Garland not only plays Hannah with appealing naturalness but sings and dances with Astaire in a fashion that makes her his best partner since Ginger Rogers.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on The Pirate here.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Easter Parade here.
July 10, 1948: The trade magazine “Motion Picture Herald” featured this two-page ad placed by MGM promoting Easter Parade, as well as a photo of the marquee for the premier of the film at Lowe’s State in New York, plus a lobby display at Lowe’s Rochester Theatre, in Rochester, NY.
July 10, 1950: Hedda Hopper devoted her latest column to her recent chat with Judy, who apparently blamed herself for losing the parts in both Annie Get Your Gun and The Barkleys Of Broadway. “Mr. Mayer was wonderful to me. He always has been,” Judy said. “So I’ve been suspended. However, Mr. Mayer promised to take care of me. I’m to get so much a week to live on while I’m out of work.”
Check out The Judy Room’s “The Films That Got Away” section for more details.
July 10, 1954: More filming on the “Born In A Trunk” sequence for A Star Is Born. Time started: 11 a.m.; finished: 4 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s Extensive Spotlight Section on A Star Is Born here.
July 10, 1955: Just one more day until Judy’s big return to Los Angeles (via Long Beach) and her Hollywood peers, most of whom would be in attendance. The build-up to the appearance was such that even the stars who planned to attend were listed in the ad for the show and covered in this article.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
July 10, 1955: These two ads promoted Judy’s upcoming appearance at the Exhibition Forum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on July 19th.
Meanwhile, here are some ads and notices about the re-release of The Wizard of Oz in theaters nationwide.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on The Wizard of Oz here.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
July 10, 1960: Judy attended, along with Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Milton Berle, Tony Martin, George Jessel, and other celebrities, the Democratic fundraiser at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. The fundraiser was for her friend, John F. Kennedy, who would soon become President. Some film footage exists, see below.
July 10, 1961: “Judy at Carnegie Hall” was released by Capitol Records. The two-record set, recorded by the label on April 23, 1961, became an instant hit, spending 95 weeks on the charts, including 13 weeks at the #1 spot. The album has never been out of print.
“Judy At Carnegie Hall” won five Grammy Awards: Best Solo Vocal Performance, Female; Album of the Year (the first by a female artist or concert album); Best Album Cover; Best Engineering Contribution, Popular Recording; and a special Artists and Repertoire Award was given to the set’s producer, Andy Wiswell.
The album was initially released on CD in 1987 in an abridged single-disc edition, which generated outrage among fans. With previously unreleased talking (and funny stories) by Judy during the concert, the full concert was released in 1989. The complete recording was remastered and re-released on 24-karat gold discs by DCC Compact Classics in March 2000. Capitol Records released a 40th-anniversary edition in 2001.
JSP Records released the original mono version of the album in 2012. Oddly enough, this was the first time the original album version was made available on CD.
The original stereo two-record album was re-released on vinyl in 2015.
The CD was re-released in 2017 as part of a set of Judy’s Capitol albums. Unfortunately, this set uses a version in which all the songs fade in and out as separate tracks, which ruins the flow of the original concert experience.
In July 2022, HDTT gave us the first high-definition release of the album in DSD256 format (and other digital download formats) as well as on CD. Order the digital downloads and/or the CD here.
From the HDTT Press Release:
The goal has been to present as realistic a sonic image as possible of Garland appearing live on the stage of Carnegie Hall, performing in front of her brilliant accompanying orchestra led by Mort Lindsey. This endeavor includes precisely correct pitching (the original release and many subsequent ones were slightly sharp), as well as respect for the unique acoustics of Carnegie Hall, universally recognized as a crown jewel of the world’s concert venues. Abetted by the far greater level of detail permitted by the high-definition format, this new release strives to put listeners in a prime seat in Carnegie Hall, at what has been recognized as “the greatest night in show business history.”
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
Watch The Judy Room’s 2011 50th Anniversary Tribute Video below:
At this time in 1961, Judy was vacationing at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. The previous day (July 9), she entered the hospital for a 24-hour stay for some tests due to “abdominal trouble.” President Kennedy called her from the White House to wish her well.
July 10, 1967: Judy opened her concert at the Camden County Music Fair in Camden/Haddonfield, New Jersey. Judy played at the venue through July 15th.
Here is an audio recording of this opening night concert, split into two parts. It was recorded by a fan from the audience, so it doesn’t have the best sound quality, but it’s all we have.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
Miss Hedda Hopper made and destroyed careers (like Louella Parsons), and while it’s fortunate that Hopper was a Garland fan, her 1950 article is nonsense. From everything I’ve read in 40-plus years, MGM had NOT yet cast Betty Hutton in “Annie” by mid-May, 1949. It wasn’t until late summer, that MGM announced Hutton as a replacement (as soon as she completed “Let’s Dance” at her home studio, Paramount, with Astaire). Judy, I believe, had hopes that she might return to “Annie” in the fall of ’49, rather than “Summer Stock.” Also, Hopper’s printed conversation with Judy sounds very artificial. Still, it’s interesting to read these old clips, and to witness how phony the press has always been. Thanks for posting!!
Oh definitely! Most of these articles were fiction with a glimmer of truth. At this point, Hopper was already reporting on Betty getting the role. But the stuff about Judy blaming herself and praising MGM and Mr. Mayer – that’s malarky! 🙂