Posted by “The world adopted Judy Garland in childhood and will not let her go.” – Rebecca Morehouse, 1967
July 28, 1929: Frances Gumm (Judy) performed with another youngster, Eugene Taylor, at her father’s theater in Lancaster, California (where the family lived). The local paper noted, “The kiddies sang and danced exceptionally well, and created a riot with the audience when they finished their skit with the ‘bowery number.'”
July 28, 1938: Judy pre-recorded “Ten Pins In The Sky” for the film Listen, Darling. She recorded a studio version for Decca Records on August 21st. It’s one of the loveliest of her MGM pre-recordings and also one of her loveliest on-screen performances although it never gets much attention. It should.
Take 11 survives and is the version used in the film. Listen to the pre-recording session here:
Listen to the Decca version (recorded on August 21, 1938) here:
Check out The Judy Garland Online Discography’s Decca Records section for details about all of Judy’s Decca recordings.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on Listen, Darling here.
July 28, 1939: Judy recorded “Over The Rainbow”, “The Jitterbug”, “In-Between” and “Sweet Sixteen” for Decca Records.
This was the first commercial recording of “Over The Rainbow” recorded by Judy and the first to be released on record to the general public. It was released in September of 1939 on Decca single #2672 with “The Jitterbug” on the “B” side and peaked at the #5 spot on the Billboard charts.
“In-Between” and “Sweet Sixteen” were released on Decca single #15045 in March 1940.
Listen to the recordings here:
“Over the Rainbow”
“The Jitterbug”
“In-Between”
“Sweet Sixteen”
Check out The Judy Garland Online Discography’s Decca Records section for details about all of Judy’s Decca recordings.
July 28, 1940: She’s cheery, she’s natural, she’s happy. Meet Judy Garland, in person .. By Edith Dietz
IT’S refreshing to find a girl who is simple, breezy, cheery, natural – and happy in these dark days. Such a girl is Judy Garland.
Judy is growing up. Seventeen, she was just graduated from University High in West Los Angeles and is glad she hasn’t any more studying to do along regular lines.
“I’m as free as a bird,” Judy declared in her dressing room off the “Strick Up the Band” set, where with June Preisser, Ann Rutherford and Mickey Rooney she is making merry in another one of those musical comedy things which the kids do so well, as exemplified in “Babes in Arms.”
“Gee, but it’s nice not to have to spend every extra minute studying things in which I’m not interested. From now on, I’m going to delve into French; I’m going to study art, which I love; I’m going to spend a lot of time learning to speak and write the English language properly. History, mathematics, composition, economics and such things are now in my past, thank goodness.”
“My teacher has been the soul of patience and it is only through her interest in me that I was graduated. I couldn’t let her down.” Thus Judy explains her schooling in the M-G-M schoolroom.”
“Having had two years of French, I feel I have more or less mastered the verbs and the fundamentals; from now on, I shall concentrate on pronunciation and conversation.”
Little Judy, who really isn’t very little, has done plenty of thinking for herself. She is no superficial, on-the-surface young thing. Very early in life she learned to take it on the chin; that’s why she is so grateful for her blessings.
“For a time I thought I wanted to go to college,” she said, “I have decided against it. I have no intention of giving up my career, which is more important to me than any other one thing in life. If I go to college, I would have to find something to do afterward. In my case, I have found what I want to do, what I am suited for.”
Judy’s sensitive face fell a little when she confessed that boys and girls of her own age often resent her. “I guess every success in the world must have a price, all right. All of us screen kids realize that. Not that we would change our lives, you understand. Just the same it’s pretty hard to have those who ordinarily would be our companions think we’re smarty-pants or conceited or something. We aren’t, actually – really we aren’t”
“We know we have had luck and I don’t know any of us who aren’t appreciative. Look at Mickey; he’s always talking about his luck. If he acts full of fun at times, it’s just because he is so full of good spirits. He has a heart of gold; everybody knows it. The older he grows, the more he realizes his responsibilities. It’s the same with all of us – I think.”
It’s a pity everyone can’t know this younger generation of screen stars. They have so much more sense than the one or two generations ahead of them. Out of this set will never emerge those who spend every nickel on show, swimming pools and riotous living. They are hard-working, conscientious, sensible.
Of course, they are young; they love a good time; they like to dance, sing, play in bands. They may even enjoy “showing off” at times, but they have a sense of ethics; they live up to a code; they think straight through things, instead of side-stepping them. And, Heaven help them, they are not fooled by the foolishness of the world around them.
With all her success, Judy Garland doesn’t know a note of music. Well, maybe a note, but she doesn’t know it from having had a teacher. “I couldn’t sing, according to a vocal teacher,” she says ingeniously. “I just sing. Perhaps I should have studied, but I didn’t want to. When I made my first success, I didn’t know one note from another. Right away, they tried to persuade me to go in for a heavy course in vocal training.
“My mother left it up to me. I didn’t want to sing in opera; I had no ambition to become a great singer. I just wanted to sing.”
Judy’s favorite song, to date, is “Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz,” which was always her favorite story. She adored Dorothy, in her wildest dreams never imagined herself seeing the Emerald City, the Land of the Munchkins or the Flying Monkeys – in Technicolor.
“I would like to look glamorous, if it weren’t so much trouble,” Judy states, with a longing look in her dark eyes. “Whenever I see the beautiful women on the screen I would like to look that way. But I know I can’t. Jack Dawn made me up and took my picture. I have my hair up and I look very old – almost as old as some of the grownup stars. But I have to keep that picture at home. I’m not supposed to look 25 when I’m 17 – but I could, just the same, if my mother would let me”
Robert Stack and Mickey Rooney take her dancing at the Coconut Grove occasionally. She has one or two other boy friends, but on this subject she is sensible, as on all others: “We’re just friends. When I fall in love, that will be something different. I have lots of time for love, marriage, a home of my own and children; but I intend having everything in life – sometime.”
If only all the high school graduates in Judy’s class could have her understanding, sympathy, good sense and discipline!
July 28, 1941: Judy and David Rose were married. It was her first, his second (he had previously been married to Martha Raye). Judy wired Arthur Freed, producer of Babes on Broadway (the film she was currently working on), via a Western Union Telegram sent at 2 a.m. and reads: “Dear Mr. Freed, I am so very happy. David and I were married this AM. please give me a little time and I will be back and finish the picture with one take on each scene. Love, Judy.”
MGM could not, or would not, hold up production on Babes on Broadway, so Mr. and Mrs. Rose headed back to California. The assistant director’s notes for this day mention a “layoff due to Judy Garland.”
July 28, 1942: Judy pre-recorded “Tom, Tom The Piper’s Son” and “Every Little Movement Has A Meaning of Its Own,” the latter with Mary Kent dubbing for actress Connie Gilchrist, for Presenting Lily Mars.
Listen to “Tom, Tom The Piper’s Son” here:
Listen to the pre-recording session for “Every Little Movement” here:
After the take, Ms. Kent is heard saying to Judy “It’s been a great pleasure” to which Judy responds in kind. Take 7 is what is heard here and what was used in the film. No other takes are known to have survived.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Presenting Lily Mars here.
July 28, 1945: Here’s an article about Judy’s poodle getting away while Judy and her husband Vincente Minnelli were on their honeymoon in New York.
July 28, 1949: This article appeared in the Australian Daily News. Note: Misspelled names are part of the original article.
Hollywood Newsletter from Lon Jones
No laurels for a broken Garland
Judy Garland is not only ill; she’s broke. The young star admitted this in a recent interview, confessing she was so hard up that when MGM suspended her that it was forced to give her a weekly allowance so that she could live while out of work.
This news has shocked Hollywood, for it is estimated that Judy has earned more than 1,000,000 dollars in the last 13 years. She had been earning about 5000 dollars a week for several years before Metro was finally forced to discipline her for late arrivals on the set.
Judy claims she has no money saved. “How can you save in this business?” she asks. She revealed that when she married second husband director Vincente Minelli, from whom she is now separated, she spent more than 70,000 dollars redecorating their home, which he owns. She could have bought a mansion of her own at this price.
Now that she’s separated, she is forced to pay 1000 dollars a month rent for a house for herself. Her tiny daughter Lisa, who has appeared with her mother in two films, is living with her father.
Judy blames overwork for her breakdown, says that when she recovers she hopes to appear at London’s Palladium. She also wants to “have some fun”
She has been suffering from insomnia for a long time, and resorted to sleeping pills. These, she says, made her only more nervous and restless.
It is the general opinion in Hollywood, however, that Judy is a tragic example of a young star who has listened to too much wrong advice from the wrong people.
Also on July 28, 1949: This is the date, as is the 29th, that’s listed as the release date for In The Good Old Summertime, however, the newspaper archives tell a different story. The St. Louis Star & Times notes that the film was already in its second week there while other papers reflect the film opening in most theaters around the country in early August 1949.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on In The Good Old Summertime here.
July 28, 1954: The last day of filming the “Born In A Trunk” sequence was also the final day of filming for A Star Is Born. The evening/night shoot was devoted to retakes of “The Peanut Vendor” song on the “Second Nightclub” set.
Filming began at 7 p.m. and finished at 2:45 a.m. on July 29th. The cast and crew celebrated on set with a wrap party in which several celebrities participated. Judy and her husband Sid Luft were also celebrating that they had just found out that Judy was three to four weeks pregnant.
Check out The Judy Room’s Extensive Spotlight on A Star Is Born here.
Most of the photos were provided by Kim Lundgreen. Thanks, Kim!
July 28, 1955: More of the re-release of The Wizard of Oz.
July 28, 1961: Here’s an article about Carol Palmieri of Waterbury, Connecticut, and her forming a Judy Garland club.
July 28, 1963: The 1963 fall TV lineup included Judy’s first and only foray into series television. The fact that the great Judy Garland was filming a variety series was big news. Included here is an article about Judy and daughter Liza Minnelli appearing together on the show. Liza was making quite a name for herself in the entertainment world.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
July 28, 1964: “Judy’s a yo-yo, who still has a comeback.”
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
July 28, 1967: “For the Age of Anxiety and the Age of Affluence she is the symbol absolute.”
July 28, 1969: Here’s an example of a typical TV listing for a Garland film. Note how the year is incorrect. At this time there was a lot of misinformation out there which is why when books came along with real facts and data the fans ate them up.
July 28, 1989: The upcoming release of the 50th-anniversary edition of The Wizard of Oz on VHS and laserdisc (released on August 15, 1989) was making news, here’s one small example.
Check out The Judy Room’s Extensive Spotlight Section on The Wizard of Oz here.
July 28, 1999: Ten years later, the 60th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz was being celebrated. Here’s a double tie-in with Blockbuster video stores and Oldsmobile.
Allegedly MGM prohibited the release of Wain’s single until after the film was released in order to ensure the song was identified with the film and with Judy.
I wholeheartedly agree that “Ten Pins in the Sky” is one of Judy’s earliest and most touching recordings/scenes, although (as usually is the case), the Decca version isn’t nearly as moving. Curious (to me, anyway) how Judy could sometimes be in superior voice at Decca (they recorded in the evenings – HER time), but, emotionally, the film versions of her songs are much stronger. Thank you for sharing this rare treat!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
The first time I saw the film I was blown away by how amazing her performance of “Ten Pins” is. You’re right, it’s so much better than the Decca version. I think that sometimes Judy was simply tired when she had Decca recording sessions as they were usually in the evenings after a long day of work at the studio.
Her inability/refusal to keep track of money (why?) had consequences which affected her all her life. And it led to so much of her suffering, particularly in those later years -I know that’s a really obvious statement, but it’s just so frustrating to think she might have avoided so much of the desperation and overwork which characterised those years.
Thank you for writing! This has been a question that many have posed over the years. What must be noted is that Judy came from a time when most (not all) women were not expected or sometimes even allowed to take care of “man things” like finances. She was simply never taught. Add to that the fact that from the beginning, someone was always taking care of the business side for her (whether right or wrong). She was only required to perform. Her father managed the movie theaters, her mother managed the business of the sisters and their careers. When Judy got to MGM, her mother continued to manage everything until Judy was an adult and she exerted her independence. She signed with agencies who took over. Minnelli and Luft took over when they were married to her. I think she simply never wanted to be bothered with it and trusted people too much. She just didn’t know any better.