Posted by “Judy Garland – the new standout star of screen and radio”
– 1940 advertisement
May 3, 1931: This short article and advertisement were published in the Los Angeles Times. The article is one of the earliest about “The Gumm Sisters” which was the name of the sister act comprised of Mary Jane Gumm (Suzy), Virginia Gumm (Jimmie), and Frances Gumm (soon to be Judy Garland). The act was not renamed “The Garland Sisters” until 1934.
At this time, the sisters were a part of the Meglin Kiddies Professional Children’s School which resulted in quite a lot of bookings in the greater Los Angeles area as well as appearances in a few film shorts. They were also part of Maurice Kusell’s “Stars of Tomorrow” show which was already in rehearsals for an opening at the Wilshire-Ebel Theater in Los Angeles on July 10, 1931. Kusell placed several ads like this one promoting his studios.
Trio Features Close Harmony
One of the many features of Maurice L. Kusell’s “Stars of Tomorrow,” which opens at the Wilshire-Ebell Theater for an indefinite run July 10, will be the Gumm Sisters. These three young performers are well known for their harmony singing. They are, in fact, known as miniature Brox Sisters.
“Stars of Tomorrow,” aid to be the largest juvenile revue ever staged, is well along in rehearsals with a cast of 300 children, ranging from 8 to 16 years of age. The entire production is being staged by Kusell, who is credited with the dance sequences in stage and screen productions of “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” “Great Gabbo” and Fox Folies.”
Executives from the various studios are expected to witness performances of “Stars of Tomorrow” with a view of discovering new talent.
May 3, 1935: The first of a week-long engagement for the “Three Garland Sisters” at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco, California. The sisters were part of the Fanchon & Marco stage show that accompanied the latest Ann Sothern film. See the review of the show in the May 4 entry.
May 3, 1939: Judy and co-star June Preisser posed for this on-set costume test for Babes In Arms. Judy never wore this particular costume in the final film.
May 3, 1940: The Anderson Motor Company in York, Pennsylvania, proclaimed “lovely Judy Garland” as the “new stand-out star of screen and radio” just like the new Studebaker Champion car in this ad using Judy’s likeness to help sell cars. The second is a blurb from June 1940 showing Judy with her Studebaker.
May 3, 1941: Here are some ads and articles about Ziegfeld Girl. Note in the photo for the first one of Judy and co-star Jackie Cooper, she looks more like she did a few years later in The Clock (1945).
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Ziegfeld Girl here.
May 3, 1941: Two items from the trade magazine “Motion Picture Herald.” The first is a report about a couple of Ziegfeld Girl contests in the Chicago area. One contest involved a photographer from the “Herald-American” paper who snapped photos of girls “he considered pretty as a Ziegfeld Girl.” Five were published each day for three days, with each girl receiving cash and guest tickets to see the film. The “Evanston-Index” “ran a contest to find a local girl approximating the physical measurements of Judy Garland to participate in a fashion show at leading department store. Stunt was duly publicized by cooperating merchant.”
The second item reports on a Judy Garland double contest in Philadelphia. This time they were looking for “a young lady whose measurements came closest to fitting the elaborate gown which Judy wears in her ‘Minnie from Trinidad’ number.” The winner got to model the down at Gimbel’s department store. Two of the “Ziegfeld Girls” from the film, Virginia Cruzon and Myrna Dell, took part in the fashion show.
The second page is an ad placed by MGM in the magazine on this date.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Ziegfeld Girl here.
May 3, 1941: Also from the “Motion Picture Herald” is this entry in their regular feature “What The Picture Did For Me.” Sammie Jackson of the Jackson Theatre in Flomaton, Alabama, had this to say about Little Nellie Kelly (released in 1940): “Fine but business was not average on it due perhaps to my Easter playdate. People spent all their money for Easter clothes.”
May 3, 1942: From the “Curio Department” comes this notice about Judy lending her childhood doll to MGM for use as a prop in the “Doll Shop” number in For Me And My Gal. The article goes on to state, “Judy came to the rescue with her own cherished childhood dolly. It was one the young star had won in a contest sponsored by Mary Pickford many years ago.” One would assume that this was more fiction dreamed up by MGM’s every prolific publicity department. However, it just might be true! At least the existence of the doll, Mary Pickford’s connection to it, and the contest are true.
On March 27 & 28, 1930, two newspapers in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, The Daily News Journal, and The Home Journal, both reported that “Little Frances Gumm” (seven-year-old Judy) had become the finalist in a “prettiest children” contest in Los Angeles. The reason the papers gave this any attention at all is that Murfreesboro is the hometown of Judy’s father, Frank Gumm.
According to the two reports, Judy was one of 15 finalists out of 27,000 children who were up for a film contract with Paramount Pictures. The articles go on to state that the 15 finalists were each given “a beautiful $150 doll by Mary Pickford.”
Judy didn’t win the contest or the film contract and no other information is known about Judy’s association with it aside from the fact that Judy received a doll for her participation.
One article notes that the finalists were featured in a full-page photo in the Los Angeles Express. That paper was sold a year later to the Hearst Publication company and was merged with the Los Angeles Herald becoming the Los Angeles Herald-Express and then the evening Los Angeles Herald-Examiner lasting until 1989.
There are no records online, nor are there any notices in the Los Angeles Times about the contest during the time period (early 1930). So the existence of the photo is a mystery.
It’s apparent that the doll in question is the kewpie doll that Lucille Norman hands to George Murphy in the pic below (it’s also just to George’s left in the screenshot of him with Judy). Kewpie dolls were popular in the early part of the 20th Century beginning in 1912. It’s the type of doll that would have been given out at a contest even in 1930.
Finally, having Lucille grab Judy’s childhood doll is just the kind of “in-joke” that Judy and the Freed Unit would have engaged in, similar to the use of “the plans have changed” in Meet Me In St. Louis which was a running joke in the Unit about the ever-changing work environment.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on For Me And My Gal here.
May 3, 1943: The first day of filming on location in Palm Springs for Judy, Mickey Rooney, and the rest of the Girl Crazy company. The day was spent rehearsing the “Could You Use Me?” duet. Time called: 9:30 a.m.; dismissed: 3:50 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Girl Crazy here.
May 3, 1947: The Pirate continued filming. Judy had a 3 p.m. call and was dismissed at 5:20 p.m. The assistant director’s notes state that from “4:11-4:39: Present Birthday cake to Mr. Slezak [costar Walter Slezak]; serve cake and ice cream.”
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on The Pirate here.
May 3, 1951: Columnist Jimmie Fidler’s column notes the gushing over Judy by the Ile de France and assorted other ships but he wondered if it didn’t add up to “bad publicity.” The ships flashed “W-E-L-C-O-M-E J-U-D-Y.”
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
May 3, 1962: Here’s a notice about Judy’s upcoming appearance at the Hollywood Bowl on September 15th.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
May 3, 1963: This photo appeared in the London papers, showing a radiant Judy and explaining how her flight from New York was diverted to Manchester due to weather issues. Judy was in London for the premiere of I Could Go On Singing. The film was released on May 10, 2016, in a limited edition Blu-ray from the Twilight Time label and although it’s now out of print copies can be found for sale on eBay.
May 3, 1970: The first day of the now legendary MGM auction in 1970. This first day featured “antiques and furniture” items. The auction of the costumes (including the Ruby Slippers) took place on May 17th.
May 3, 1972: Another installment from the book written by Judy’s fifth (and last) husband, Mickey Deans.
The photo of the costume test for “Babes in Arms” was taken in the living room of Mary Haine’s country house, from “The Women”.
Good catch – I hadn’t noticed that!