Posted by “There is doubtless no performer in the business today who can dramatize blues or ballads with tragic overtones like Judy Garland. The amount of sheer electricity she did generate in the Miami Beach Convention Hall was monumental.” – Dick Hoekstra, 1961
November 28, 1930: This notice appeared in the “Los Angeles Times.” It notes the “Hollywood Starlets Trio” as one of the acts currently playing in the Blossom Room of the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. Judy and her sisters had gone by the name “Hollywood Starlets Trio” off and on during this time at various hotels, theaters, and other venues. There are no records with exact dates for these Roosevelt Hotel appearances by the sisters but it’s safe to assume that they performed there at least through this week.
November 28, 1930: Here is an advertisement promoting the upcoming schedule of films at Judy’s father’s theatre, the Valley Theatre, in Lancaster, California.
November 28, 1935: Judy sang at the Charity Benefit for Los Angeles Orphans at the Cafe Trocadero in Wes Hollywood, California. No recordings or photos of this event are known to exist.
Eleanor Barnes’s column was published on this day. She wrote about MGM’s dance “impresario” Dave Gould. Notably, he mentions Judy as the standout of young performers. He’s quoted, “Although she is only 12 years of age [she was 13], she has surpassed 90 percent of the adult pupils in my Metro=Goldwyn-Mayer dance school in the acquiring of technique. Her dancing personality does the rest. She really is sensational.” It’s notable because Judy had only been at MGM for just under two months at this point and had yet to make a name for herself. Contrary to popular belief, and even at this early stage, MGM was active in getting her name out there, as well as having her appear at various industry events. She wouldn’t make her first film for the studio until the following summer.
November 28, 1937: Here’s a fun review of Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry that features this great photo of Judy’s co-star, Mickey Rooney, who at that point was a much bigger star than she.
November 28, 1938: The first day of a week’s worth of filming on the immense “Poppy Field” set for The Wizard of Oz for Judy, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr – and Toto too! The set took up most of MGM’s soundstage #29, with thousands of handmade poppies. The long pan across the field is one of the most breathtaking shots in the film.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on The Wizard of Oz here.
November 28, 1938: Ray Bolger’s personal copy of “If I Only Had A Brain” and “Over the Rainbow,” dated on this date.
November 28, 1939: Judy’s regular weekly appearance on “The Pepsodent Show Starring Bob Hope” for NBC Radio. No recording is known to exist. It’s unknown what Judy sang.
November 28, 1939: Here’s another example of Judy’s image being used (despite what MGM might have told her) for beauty treatment advice.
November 28, 1940: Here’s something fun. This ad from “The News Journal” in Wilmington, Delaware, promotes a giveaway of a picture of Judy Garland: “As she appears in her first grown role as ‘Little Nellie Kelly’ now showing at Loew’s Theater, will be placed at the foot of the stairs to remind you not to miss this swell picture.”
I hope that when the photos were placed at the foot of the stairs, they were on a table, at least, and not trampled on. 
Santa was giving out guest tickets to see Judy in Little Nellie Kelly.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Little Nellie Kelly here.
November 28, 1940: Judy posed for a series of promotional photos for Ziegfeld Girl in the costume she wore in the “Laugh? I Thought I’d Split My Sides” number in the film. She also posed with co-star Jackie Cooper.
Photos provided by Kim Lundgreen. Thanks, Kim!
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Ziegfeld Girl here.
November 28, 1940: This wonderful two-page ad appeared in the “Film Daily” trade paper.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Little Nellie Kelly here.
November 28, 1941: A recent small fire in Judy and her husband David Rose’s home made the papers. The event hasn’t been documented anywhere else, but given how many papers this story appeared in, it most likely happened just days, if not the day, before these blurbs.
November 28, 1941: Another example of Judy’s image being used for beauty advice.
November 28, 1942: This little blurb appeared in the Showmen’s Trade Review announcing the upcoming production of Girl Crazy starring Judy and Mickey Rooney.
Melodies by America’s greatest composer, sung by Judy Garland and played by Tommy Dorsey and his band, will be the fare in MGM’s “Girl Crazy,” Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney co-starrer to be directed by Busby Berkeley. Arthur Freed will be the producer of this musical special. It will feature George Gershwin’s music.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Girl Crazy here.
November 28, 1943: Presenting Lily Mars and Girl Crazy.
November 28, 1944: The New York premiere of Meet Me In St. Louis at the Astor Theater. Judy was in NY for the premiere; her train had stopped in Chicago on the 26th, and she arrived in NYC on the 27th. Some books state that this premiere happened on the 27th, but in fact, it was on the 28th.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Meet Me In St. Louis here.
November 28, 1947: A couple more ads for albums for holiday gifts, including the MGM Records soundtrack to Till The Clouds Roll By and the Decca Records “Christmastime” album (mistakenly printed as “Christmastide“).
November 28, 1953: A Star Is Born filming continued with scenes shot on the “Exterior Night Club Terrace” set, plus a “Routine with Charlie” (it’s unknown exactly what this was). Time started: 10 a.m.; finished: 5:50 p.m. The scenes shot on this date, which portrayed the action just after “Vicki’s” film premiered, would be reshot later with Judy in a completely different costume (that very unflattering orange “sausage” dress!).
Photos provided by Kim Lundgreen. Thanks, Kim!
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on A Star Is Born here.
November 28, 1959: Judy’s recent admission to Doctor’s Hospital in New York City and her hepatitis diagnosis was making the news.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
November 28, 1961: Judy’s planned concert at the Stanley Theater in Jersey City, New Jersey, was postponed due to illness. The reason given was a severe ear infection that confined Judy to her bed. Unfortunately, the concert was never rescheduled. One hopes that although this article tells ticket holders to hang onto their tickets, they eventually received refunds.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
November 28, 1961: Here is a review of Judy’s recent concert at the Miami Beach, Florida, Convention Hall. The reviewer, Dick Hoekstra, noted that after Judy sang “Rock-A-Bye My [sic] Baby,” Judy left the stage, resulting in “some two or three thousand people [leaving] the Convention Hall,” resulting in their hearing “Over the Rainbow” from the parking lot!
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
November 28, 1962: Judy’s divorce battle with her estranged husband, Sid Luft, continued. In this latest development, Luft accused Judy of being an unfit mother.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
November 28, 1962: Judy, along with Carol Burnett, Danny Kaye, and composer Richard Adler, was the special guest of President John F. Kennedy at the White House. The descriptions accompanying each photo are listed below in the same order as the photos.
Entertainer, Judy Garland (center left), visits with White House Press Secretary, Pierre Salinger, in the office of President John F. Kennedy’s Personal Secretary, Evelyn Lincoln. Composer, Richard Adler, stands at far left; Mrs. Lincoln (back to camera), stands at far right. White House, Washington, D.C.
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson visits with entertainers. Seated clockwise around the table (from left, at the head of the table): Vice President Johnson; Carol Burnett; Judy Garland; unidentified (standing); composer Richard Adler (mostly hidden); Danny Kaye. An unidentified woman sits at a desk in the background. Office of the Vice President, Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Entertainers visit the White House. Carol Burnett (center left) speaks with Military Aide to the President, General Chester V. Clifton; Judy Garland and Danny Kaye (far right) stand in background. Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.
President John F. Kennedy’s Personal Secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, greets entertainers, Judy Garland and Carol Burnett, during their visit to the White House. Left to right: entertainer, Danny Kaye (mostly hidden on edge of frame); staff member in Mrs. Lincoln’s office, Priscilla Wear (seated in back); Ms. Garland (shaking hands with Mrs. Lincoln); Ms. Burnett; Mrs. Lincoln; unidentified (in back); White House Press Secretary, Pierre Salinger; Special Assistant to the President, Dave Powers (back to camera); Military Aide to the President, General Chester V. Clifton. Mrs. Lincoln’s office, White House.
President John F. Kennedy visits with entertainers in the office of Evelyn Lincoln, President Kennedy’s Personal Secretary. Left to right: President Kennedy; composer, Richard Adler; Danny Kaye; staff member in Mrs. Lincoln’s office, Priscilla Wear (in back, mostly hidden); Judy Garland. White House, Washington, D.C.
President John F. Kennedy visits with entertainers in the Oval Office. Left to right: President Kennedy; Judy Garland (in back); Danny Kaye; Special Assistant to the President, Dave Powers; Carol Burnett (mostly hidden). White House, Washington, D.C.
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson visits with entertainers. Left to right: Danny Kaye; Judy Garland; Vice President Johnson; Carol Burnett; composer Richard Adler. Office of the Vice President, Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C.
President John F. Kennedy visits with entertainers in the Oval Office. Left to right: composer Richard Adler; Judy Garland; President Kennedy; Carol Burnett; and Danny Kaye. White House, Washington, D.C.
Photos and descriptions provided by The JFKLibrary.org
November 28, 1965: Judy’s upcoming engagement at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, is promoted in this article as published in the “San Francisco Examiner.” The title is misleading. Judy did not appear at the Sands Hotel in Vegas; the article is about the acts playing at the Sahara and the Sands.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
November 28, 1968: Judy saw John Meyer going back to Boston to get some things and sleep for a day as abandonment, so she and John broke up this morning, which was Thanksgiving. Thus, Judy spent what turned out to be her last Thanksgiving alone.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
