Posted by “Gosh, I wish I knew who started that gossip. Honestly, Dave and I haven’t had any trouble and I am just starting to feel better. I wish people wouldn’t try and separate us.” – Judy Garland, 1942
April 24, 1926: “The Gumm Sisters” (Judy and her two sisters) sat at a “Weiner and Marshmallow Roast” at the Big Spring in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
April 24, 1927: “The Gumm Family” performed at the Order of the Easter Star Charity Ball, held at the Shrine Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.
April 24, 1932: The first of a two-night engagement for Frances (Judy) at the Valley Theater (her father’s theater) in Lancaster, California.
April 24, 1938: This wonderful colorized photo appeared on the cover of New York’s “Sunday Daily News – New York’s Picture Newspaper.”
April 24, 1940: Judy and the rest of the cast of Strike Up The Band spent the day doing publicity photos on set and in costume for the “Gay Nineties” production number. Time called: 9 a.m.; dismissed: 4:30 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on Strike Up The Band here.
April 24, 1940: This notice in the trade magazine “The Exhibitor” provides information about the short film If I Forget You in which Judy sings a lovely rendition of the title song. The short was part of the Will Rogers National Theatre Week which began on April 25, 1940, benefitting the Will Rogers Hospital and other participating hospitals.
For more information about the shorts that Judy appeared in, check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland Shorts” page here.
April 24, 1941: Judy sat for another session of portraits at MGM’s photo studios. This time the photographer was Eric Carpenter. Carpenter took a great many portraits of Judy during her years at MGM, and all of them are stellar.
April 24, 1941: Ziegfeld Girl.
April 24, 1942: Columnist Louella Parsons reported on the rumors that due to her recent poor health and weight loss, Judy and her husband David Rose were parting ways.
“Gosh,” said Judy with characteristic frankness, “I wish I knew who started that gossip. Honestly, Dave and I haven’t had any trouble and I am just starting to feel better. I wish people wouldn’t try and separate us.”
April 24, 1942: “The Sydney Herald” out of Sydney, Australia, advertised a “Special Judy Garland Broadcast” during which she was to sing “Chin Up, Cheerio, Carry On.” Judy was ill on this date and did not work. The show was most likely a previous radio broadcast that was put on a disc and sent to the radio station in Sydney. Just which program it was is unknown, although it was most likely the MGM “Leo is on the Air” audio trailer for Babes on Broadway.
April 24, 1943: Two versions of the same ad. One is a single-page version (first image) and the second is a two-page version. Both were placed by MGM in various trade magazines.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Presenting Lily Mars here.
April 24, 1943: The first of several days of filming the “Bidin’ My Time” number for Girls Crazy on the “Exterior Campfire” set. Time called: 10 a.m.; dismissed: 5:50 p.m.
Thanks to Mark for the video matching the stereo audio to the film!
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Girl Crazy here.
April 24, 1943: Columnist Louella Parsons reported that Van Johnson was going to co-star with Judy in Meet Me In St. Louis. Johnson was on the shortlist to play “The Boy Next Door” John Truett, but the role went to Tom Drake.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Meet Me In St. Louis here.
April 24, 1943: Another installment of the “What The Picture Did For Me” feature in the trade magazine, “Motion Picture Herald.” S. L. George of the Mountain Home Theatre, Mountain Home, Idaho, had this to say about For Me And My Gal (released in 1942): “Why can’t we have more like this instead of so many war pictures that nobody wants? Believe it was liked as well as any picture we have ever shown. The first picture we have run that gave us better receipts the third night than the second. We want many more like this.”
April 24, 1945: Judy was scheduled for more filming on The Harvey Girls.
Per the assistant director’s notes: “At approximately 7:25 a.m. today, Judy Garland telephone George Rhein, assistant director on above company [The Harvey Girls], saying that she didn’t feel well and didn’t know whether she’d be in or not. Rhein telephoned me about it and I in turn telephoned Miss Garland, telling her that we had a crowd of people ordered for the day and would like to know definitely whether she would be in; she then said that she didn’t feel well and would not be in today. Call on extras was then canceled and company had to go on layoff but utilized the day in rehearsing wedding scene, lining up shot for it and also rehearsed fight routine with stunt doubles in Harvey House.”
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on The Harvey Girls here.
April 24, 1945: Judy’s upcoming marriage to Vincente Minnelli was a hot news item. The articles state that the marriage would take place in New York followed by a three-month vacation. Judy and Vincente married on June 15, 1945, at her mother’s home in Los Angeles. The newlyweds then honeymooned in New York until early September when they returned to Los Angeles to work on Till The Clouds Roll By. Of course, while Judy was in New York she still worked, making records for Decca Records and a few radio appearances.
April 24, 1946: Here’s another ad for the Decca Records Cast Album of songs from The Harvey Girls.
Check out The Judy Garland Online Discography’s Decca Records The Harvey Girls cast album pages here.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on The Harvey Girls here.
April 24, 1946: Ziegfeld Follies.
April 24, 1947: The Pirate filming consisted of the scene on the “Exterior Sea Wall” in which Judy’s character, Manuela, first meets Gene Kelly’s character, Serafin. Time called: 9:45 a.m.; dismissed: 6:05 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on The Pirate here.
April 24, 1950: Here’s a photo of Judy with her husband Vincente Minnelli with their daughter Liza Minnelli.
April 24, 1950: This article notes the upcoming slate of MGM musicals, including Summer Stock. It also questions the decision of MGM to release Annie Get Your Gun as a roadshow feature (i.e., higher ticket prices) rather than in a general release.
April 24, 1950: Will Jones’ column “After Last Night” (published on the 25th) reported on his attending one of the weekly Charleston contests at the Mocambo nightclub. The indication is that he went the night before this column came out which would have been Monday, April 24th. This is the night that these wonderful photos of Judy and Lucy dancing together were taken. Years later Lucy would proclaim that Judy was “the funniest woman in Hollywood.”
On that night, Judy was there as were several other stars. It was quite the night with Judy, Lucille Ball, Maria Montez, Janet Leigh, and Chico Marx acting judges for the contest. Jones noted: “Judy Garland, wearing fuzzy cap on back of head, strapless evening gown, came in with party. They got past rope immediately, sat at table where they couldn’t see band. After a few minutes were moved to better ringside table … [Harry] Cocker [columnist for the LA Examiner and emcee for the night] asked Miss Ball, Miss Garland to do sister act. Both stars looked surprised, covered faces with hands, then got up, danced Charleston together. Much applause and whistling. Chico played piano (“It Happened on the Beach at Bali Bali”).”
All the couples received a bottle of Scotch which, of course, probably made it an even more eventful night. The photos below of Judy with her husband Vincente Minnelli were also taken at the Mocambo on this night.
April 24, 1953: Columnist Lyn Connolly noted that Judy was going to play Fanny Brice in an adaptation of the recent book about Brice’s life, “The Fabulous Fanny.” This project eventually made it to Broadway as “Funny Girl” starring Barbra Streisand (born on this day in 1942). Streisand won the “Best Actress” Oscar for the 1967 film adaptation.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Films That Got Away” Page for details about the various projects that Judy was considered for.
April 24, 1961: The day after her phenomenal success in concert at Carnegie Hall, Judy posed for photos with famed photographer Milton Greene.
April 24, 1964: Hedda Hopper announced in her column: Judy Garland says she will do “The Owl and the Pussycat,” a straight drama without songs, on the stage in London and New York. It will be backed by the Hamlet financier, Alexander Cohen, with Ray Stark producing. Judy still plans to keep her three singing dates in Australia the middle of May.” Judy never did the show and Barbra Streisand did the movie. Stark went on to produce “Funny Girl” starring Streisand which was a biography of Fanny Brice, a project once planned with Judy in mind. As far back as April 24, 1953, it was reported (see the clipping at right) that Judy would play in a film biopic of Brice titled “The Fabulous Fanny.” Whether that was just a rumor cooked up by the columnists or something more tangible is unknown. It was also briefly noted in 1937 that Judy was to play the young Fanny is a proposed biopic. That project never happened and it’s likely that too was just fodder to keep Judy’s name in the papers.
For more details about the various film projects that Judy either didn’t finish, was wanted for, or wanted to do; check out The Judy Room’s “Films That Got Away” pages here.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
April 24, 2018: The Warner Archive re-released Meet Me In St. Louis on Blu-ray as part of their “movies on demand” series.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Warner Archive” page here.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Meet Me In St. Louis here.