Posted by “Miss Garland is full of gay exuberance and sings with a rich voice that grows riper and more expressive in each new film.” – “The New York Times” on “Meet Me In St. Louis,” 1944
January 13, 1930: “The Gumm Sisters” (Judy and her sisters) performed as part of “Big Brother Ken’s” show over KNX Radio out of Los Angeles, California.
January 13, 1935: “Frances Garland” (Judy) performed as part of “Irving Strouse’s Sunday Nite Vaudeville Frolics” at the Wilshire-Ebell Theater in Los Angeles, California.
January 13, 1939: This set still of the hallway to the Wizard’s throne room was taken on this day for The Wizard of Oz. Filming on the set took place between January 17 and 20.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on The Wizard of Oz here.
January 13, 1939: This wonderful and rare photo of Judy appeared in the “Hollywood News Citizen.” The day was Friday the 13th. This is one of only a few MGM promotional photos of Judy in her Dorothy costume and makeup that are unrelated to the film or her character in The Wizard of Oz. Note her slippers! Photographer Cliff Wesselman took the photo.
Judy is in her post “Wash and Brush Up” hair and pressed dress, which makes sense as on this day and for most of the past week, she and the cast had been filming “The Jitterbug.” They had been filming on the Haunted Forest set since the beginning of the new year.
Photo provided by Gregory Paul Williams. Thanks, Gregory!
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on The Wizard of Oz here.
January 13, 1940: Two blurbs. One mentions what Judy wore at a recent film premiere. It’s unknown what film premiere that was. The “Atlanta Constitution” noted the return of Thasia Gardner to her hometown of Americus, Georgia, after playing one of the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on The Wizard of Oz here.
January 13, 1940: Another edition of the “What The Picture Did For Me,” a regular feature in the trade magazine “Motion Picture Herald.” Two of Judy’s 1939 films were still making the rounds in theatres across the U.S. Here’s what the theatre owners/managers had to say:
Babes in Arms:
I did better than average holiday business on this one. Mickey brought them in but Judy stole this from Mickey. This should definitely bring Miss Garland to the top.
Al Leinhardt, New Glarus Theatre, New Glarus, Wisconsin
The Wizard of Oz:
I think the highest praise I can give this picture is to say it is as good as the press book says it is. Personally, I do not like this type of show and expected to be bored but it is so good in every way no one can help liking it. The Kansas cyclone was so realistic it made us wonder if our cellars were in good order, while the color is the best I have ever seen. Music is excellent. Had been shown in three surrounding towns so a great many had seen it. If one can play it fairly early, it should do outstanding business.
Gladys E. McArdle, Owl Theatre, Lebanon, Kansas
January 13, 1944: Thousands Cheer and Girl Crazy were still in theaters.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Thousands Cheer here.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Girl Crazy here.
January 13, 1944: Meet Me In St. Louis filming continued.
The assistant director’s notes state that Judy was due in wardrobe at 9 a.m. and on set at 10 a.m. At 9:10 a.m., a car was dispatched to take Judy to the studio because her eyes were bothering her and she did not want to drive. The car returned with Judy at 9:45 a.m.
At 9:50 a.m., Judy realized she could not find her “toothbridge” (the portable “caps” she wore on her front teeth). Her dentist, Dr. Pinkus, had a spare set. The production’s Unit Manager called the Transportation Department at MGM to obtain approval to send a car to pick up the cap. At 10 a.m., a car was dispatched to pick them up and returned at 10:40 a.m.
At 10:40 a.m., Judy arrived on the set with her hair and makeup done but still in street clothes. For an hour, she and Tom Drake rehearsed the scene in which they turn off the lights in the house. After Judy got into her costume, eleven takes of the scene were completed between 12:16 and 1:30 p.m. After an hour for lunch, rehearsals continued; two breaks were called: one for ten minutes when Judy retreated to her dressing room to be treated for a headache, and another thirty minutes at a later point for an adjustment to Judy’s costume.
An additional seven takes were completed by 7:10 p.m. when production stopped for the day.
Photos: Judy and co-star Tom Drake turn out the lights; Vincente Minnelli shows Judy how to turn out the lights. Photos provided by Kim Lundgreen. Thanks, Kim!
Also on this day, “You and I” was pre-recorded. Judy was not a part of the session. Judging from the Daily Music Report, the session might have been done at the last minute, as the production was originally for the June Allyson film Two Girls And A Sailor.
Listen to Take 3 of “2024” here:
Listen to Take 1 of “2025” (which was the final version used in the film) here:
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Meet Me In St. Louis here.
January 13, 1945: These ads appeared in the industry magazines, “Showmen’s Trade Review” & “Film Daily,” promoting the success of Meet Me In St. Louis (among other MGM films) and the upcoming release of Ziegfeld Follies. Included in the issue is this photo from a “$2,500,000 Bond premiere” of Meet Me In St. Louis in Salem, Oregon.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Meet Me In St. Louis here.
January 13, 1945: The “Training Montage” for The Harvey Girls was pre-recorded, with piano only, provided by Roger Edens. Judy was not a part of this session. The “Singers and Principals” sang what became her two lines in the song, “the people gotta eat!” and “again we repeat!” Her lines were recorded later. Judging by the way her solo lines were filmed (extreme closeup) and the fact that it was originally recorded without her, it’s possible that her lines were an afterthought. It was most likely realized that the song needed a little more focus on Judy.
Judy spent the day continuing the filming of the “It’s A Great Big World” number on the “Interior Dormitory” and “Exterior Dormitory Balcony” sets with Cyd Charisse and Virginia O’Brien. Time called: 10:00 a.m.; dismissed: 5:00 p.m.
Listen to “2006” Take 19 of “Training Montage” here:
Listen to “2007” “alternate” of “Training Montage” here:
Listen to the final film version here:
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on The Harvey Girls here.
January 13, 1949: Judy was listed among the top Hollywood moneymakers. Notably, the article notes that MGM contributed to a retirement fund for her. It also noted there was no retirement fund for Frank Sinatra. If there was any fund set up (and it’s doubtful), it was nonexistent by the time she left the studio.
It’s interesting that the blurb above notes that Judy was in Carmel for a quick rest before beginning work on Annie Get Your Gun. Judy had retakes for In The Good Old Summertime on January 27th and didn’t begin work on Annie until that March.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on In The Good Old Summertime here.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Annie Get Your Gun here.
January 13, 1949: In stores, the soundtrack album to Words and Music.
Check out The Judy Garland Online Discography’s Words and Music pages here.
January 13, 1950: Judy took time out from filming Summer Stock to visit the set of “Crisis” and chat with its star, Cary Grant, and director Richard Brooks. “Crisis” was one of the few dramas produced by the famed musical unit at MGM, “The Freed Unit.”
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Summer Stock here.
January 13, 1954: A Star Is Born filming consisted of more scenes on the “Interior Malibu Home – Party Sequence” set. Filming of the scene had been delayed from December 1953 because Judy was not happy with her original gown. Time started: 10 a.m.; finished: 5:50 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on A Star Is Born here.
January 13, 1962: “Smile, Joey, Smile” – The recent photo of Judy and her three children, Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft, and Joe Luft, leaving New York for Los Angeles, was making the rounds of the papers.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
January 13, 1969: Judy recalled her days as a child star.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
So many commentators have referred to Judy’s “wig” in “Meet in St. Louis.” Actually, while she clearly wore a fall and her bangs were a hair piece, the sides of Judy’s hair is just that – her real hair. A full wig would’ve looked ridiculous. As for her teeth, she should’ve just gotten them permanently capped. It wouldn’t have been a pleasant experience in those days, but her teeth would’ve looked consistently straight.
Curious pic of Grant and director Richard Brooks. I love Brooks’ work (“The Catered Affair”, “Sweet Bird of Youth”) but he was supposed to be one of the most horrible directors to work with. Glad Judy never had to do a picture with him!
Yes, Judy commented several times in those last months that Mickey Deans was the only love, and the ONLY time she ever found happiness. Had she lived a few more years, they would’ve been finished by 1970.
Happy Sunday!