Posted by “At the end of it, the audience becomes hysterical, stamping, screechings, popping flashbulbs. Some cry. A very few are silent and shaking their heads.” – Leroy F. Aarons, 1967
September 12, 1933: “The Three Gumm Sisters” performed at the Garfield Theater, Alhambra, California. No other information is known.
September 12, 1936: Two items from the trade magazine “Motion Picture Herald.” The first is an early notice about the soon-to-be-released Pigskin Parade, which was Judy’s feature film debut. The second item is the regular feature “What The Picture Did For Me” which includes a note from M.W. Matecheck of the Lark Theatre in McMinnville, Oregon. Matecheck noted about La Fiesta De Santa Barbara, “Very good. In color and plenty of fine entertainment.” The short was Judy’s first appearance in a color film, her last with her two sisters, and her first for MGM which predates her contract with the studio by over a month.
September 12, 1937: “Seein’ Stars” claimed that “Every week for a year Judy Garland has received tennis balls with her name on it from a fan named “Pickle” Heinz of New Rochelle, NY. That sure sounds like something some Garfreak would cook up!?!
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on Broadway Melody of 1938 here.
September 12, 1939: Here is an article out of Rushville, Indiana, about the upcoming appearance of the carriage and ponies from The Wizard of Oz. “Special costumes” made by “famous Hollywood designers” were also on hand to be worn by whichever of the “five lucky youngsters” win the chance to ride in the carriage “with 2 Hollywood stars.” It’s unclear just who those Hollywood stars were although it’s known that they were not stars from the film.
This was one of many MGM publicity stunts promoting the film. This carriage along with the ponies and a wagon traveled around the country in conjunction with local showings of the film. Included here is a shot of Judy in the carriage in the film, plus a rare photo of the carriage, wagon, pony, and what looks like a couple of locals in those costumes. The exact location of where this photo was taken is unknown.
More details and images of all of Judy’s activities during that golden year of 1939 can be found on The Judy Room’s Garland Biography 1939 Page.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on The Wizard of Oz here.
September 12, 1940: Filming on Little Nellie Kelly continued with scenes shot on the “Interior Astor Ball Room,” “Interior Astor Corridor,” and “Telephone Booth” sets. Time called: 9:00 a.m., dismissed: 5:45 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Little Nellie Kelly here.
September 12, 1941: Babes on Broadway filming continued on MGM’s Backlot #2, the “East Side Street” in the “New York Streets” section. Time called: 9 a.m.; lunch: 12:30-1:30 p.m.; dismissed: 5 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy on the MGM Backlot” spotlight here.
Photo from the collection of Kim Lundgreen. Thanks, Kim!
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on Babes on Broadway here.
September 12, 1943: The “Hollywood Cavalcade” war bond tour arrived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Here are some clippings about the previous day’s event in New York as well as notices about upcoming events in Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Minneapolis – Plus Pittsburgh ads for this day.
September 12, 1943: Columnist Jimmie Fidler told this story about one of Judy’s childhood neighbors from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, who was now in the Army. He saw a photo in a fan magazine showing Judy in front of her Grand Rapids home and realized she was the girl whom he debuted in his backyard stage show.
The photo on the right is most likely the one that Private Wilson Giving saw in that magazine. It was one of the earliest Garland photos used by the MGM promotional department at this time.
September 12, 1944: The first of three days of a break in filming The Clock due to the “illness of director” (Vincente Minnelli).
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on The Clock here.
September 12, 1954: The upcoming premiere of A Star Is Born (September 29, 1954) meant more coverage of the film in the papers.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on A Star Is Born here.
September 12, 1961: “Stars Tire of Song Hits, But Carry On”
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
September 12, 1962: You too can have the same carpet as seen on “The Judy Garland Show”! Also, “Judy Ponders her future.” This article was allegedly written by Judy.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
September 12, 1963: Judy’s daughter, Liza Minnelli, was one of Judy’s guests on “The Judy Garland Show,” as noted here, and the upcoming full-page feature in the September 15 issue. The series premiered on September 29, 1963, and the Liza episode, taped on July 16, 1963, aired on November 17, 1963.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
September 12, 1965: Record reviewer Robert Moore really liked “Judy Garland Liza Minnelli ‘Live’ At The London Palladium.” Unfortunately, as with most of the press during this time, Moore called Liza “Lisa” but at least he got the spelling of “Minnelli” correct (most people got that wrong, too!),
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
September 12, 1967: Here is the complete article about Judy at the Palace written by Leroy F. Aarons and first published in early September 1967.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
Scott, what a brilliant idea this is and how marvelously you put it together. Truly grateful.
Thank you, I appreciate that!
I found the Sept ‘67 newspaper article fascinating. It’s candid and honest..about survival and entertainment.