Posted by “It has Judy Garland, who’s never been better … for sheer sustained entertainment, there’s been nothing like this since ‘Gone With The Wind.'” – Herb Rau, review of “A Star Is Born,” 1954
November 10, 1933: Frances (Judy) sang at an after-theater party held at the Gumm home in the Silverlake district of Los Angeles.
November 10, 1934: This ad was published in the “Long Beach Sun.” Judy and her sisters billed as “The Gumm Sisters,” (“Direct from Grauman’s Chinese Theater”) had just opened the night before at The Strand Theatre in Long Beach, CA. They had a three-night engagement. What’s interesting is by this point the sisters were usually billed by their new name, “The Garland Sisters.” There’s no explanation as to why they were billed as “Gumm.” It is probably due to the fact that their most recent engagement at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (as referenced in this ad) billed them as “Gumm.” They kept the name to be able to reference some hoped-for name recognition. They have great billing here, #2 on the lineup.
November 10, 1935: One of Judy’s earliest assignments under her first contract with MGM (the start date for her at MGM was October 1, 1935). She appeared in Frank Fay’s show at the Cafe Trocadero.
The original caption for this photo reads: Appearing on one of Frank Fay’s undiscovered stars program which holds forth at the Cafe Trocadero in Hollywood every Sunday night, Judy Garland, juvenile torch singer was seen by Louis B. Mayer of M.G.M. studios and was signed for a long-term contract. This photo shows her being congratulated just after her appearance by (L-R): Una Merkel, Judy, Fred Keating, and Spencer Tracy.
November 10, 1936: Judy’s very first feature film, Pigskin Parade, was still showing around the country, to great success. Judy wasn’t featured as much as the other stars (see the two stories on stars Dixie Dunbar and Arline Judge), but she soon would be!
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Pigskin Parade here.
November 10, 1938: More featuring Judy as the epitome in teen fashion.
November 10, 1939: Judy and her records, which she claimed (according to the article) were the best way to learn to sing outside of having a teacher, “For all ambitious beginners, phonograph records are invaluable. They offer the world’s greatest singing stars in all fields of music as teachers.”
November 10, 1939: Columnist Sheilah Graham reported that Judy planned to stay single until she turned 23. Graham also reported that sitting with Judy for lunch consisted of Graham actually having lunch and Judy only having three spoonfuls of soup. Judy’s remarks about various men, including Oscar Levant and Laurence Olivier, are amusing.
November 10, 1942: This article by Ernest Foster tells the story that there is at least one scene in every film she makes that gives Judy an “attack of stage fright.”
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on For Me And My Gal here.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Presenting Lily Mars here.
November 10, 1943: Judy had more wardrobe and makeup tests for Meet Me in St. Louis (no photos are known to have survived from this day, if any were taken). Time called: 1:00 p.m.; dismissed: 5:00 p.m.
The clippings shown here are from 1944 and 1945. The first includes a short article mentioning Ziegfeld Follies and The Clock. The latter is an amusing story about how the filming of the wedding scene in The Clock allegedly prompted the “Judy’s wardrobe girl” and “Judy’s hairdresser” to marry Jack Moss Jr. and Wesley Sherrard, respectively.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Meet Me in St. Louis here.
November 10, 1944: The Clock filming continued with scenes on the “Interior Milk Truck” set. Judy arrived on the lot at 9 a.m. and was on set at 10:47 a.m. (from makeup) for a 10 a.m. call. Dismissed: 6:05 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on The Clock here.
November 10, 1951: Two versions of the same notice about the recently released MGM Records compilation album, “Judy Garland Sings,” the first of many Garland compilations released by MGM Records throughout the 1950s into the 1990s. The album was the label’s response to Judy’s big comeback at The Palace in New York and featured recordings that (aside from what’s noted below) were previously released on MGM Records soundtrack albums and not from any pre-1946 films (those didn’t appear until a decade later).
NOTE: This compilation features the premiere release of the outtake “Last Night When We Were Young” from 1949’s In The Good Old Summertime. No explanation is made on the album that it’s an outtake.
The set was released in the 78 rpm “album” format, a 7″ 45 rpm boxed format, and a 33 1/3 rpm 10″ format.
Check out The Judy Garland Online Discography’s “Judy Garland Sings” pages for more about this album’s releases.
November 10, 1954: More related to A Star Is Born, which was a hit with critics and audiences, especially those lucky enough to see the uncut version before it was yanked from theaters. Unfortunately, Miami, Florida, did not see the complete version, but critic Herb Rau loved the film anyway.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on A Star Is Born here.
November 10, 1962: The latest development in the legal issues between Judy and her husband, Sid Luft, continued. Judy was setting up residence in Nevada to obtain a divorce and have it recognized in California. Still, Luft had filed to have her suit dismissed because she was actually a resident of California. A judge ruled that Judy was indeed a resident of California and that if she attempted to file for divorce in Nevada, she would be held in contempt.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
November 10, 1963: “Episode Two” of “The Judy Garland Show” aired on CBS-TV. The show was taped on July 6 and 7, 1963. The dress rehearsal of the episode was the first of the series to be taped. Going forward, all dress rehearsals were filmed, and the “best” of the two performances (either the dress rehearsal or the final taping) of any given number or routine was then chosen to air as part of the final episode.
Judy’s guests included Count Basie, Mel Tormé, and Judy Henske, plus series regular Jerry Van Dyke (although by this broadcast date, he had already left the show). Judy sang: “I Hear Music,” “The Sweetest Sounds,” and “Strike Up The Band” (with Count Basie and his Band); “April In Paris” (with Basie and his Band and Mel Torme – these two were taped on July 5th); the “Born In A Trunk” segment: “A Cottage For Sale”; “Hey, Look Me Over”; and the closing theme: “I Will Come Back,” (Those last three were taped on July 6th). Judy also danced “Soul Bossa Nova” with some of the boy dancers. It was her first and only solo dance number in the series. The final taping was completed in record time – exactly eighty-four minutes.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
Watch “A Cottage For Sale,” “Hey Look Me Over,” and “I Will Come Back” below.
Keep watching for the post-credits chatter (dark at first, then on camera).
November 10, 1998: Here’s another article about the recent theatrical re-release of The Wizard of Oz.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on The Wizard of Oz here.
November 10, 2012: Julien’s auction house auctioned this Dorothy dress (#4461), which costume curator Kent Warner had kept for himself after the 1970 MGM auction. It was originally sold in that auction to Debbie Reynolds, but when she went to collect it along with her many other items, she was given the Thorpe Era costume instead. Because things were unorganized and allegedly people took items off the racks that were sold to other bidders, when Reynolds inquired about the mix-up, she didn’t get a straight answer. She auctioned off her Thorpe Era costume during her two-day auction in 2011. Warner had this one auctioned in 1981. After this 2012 auction (where it sold for $490,000.00), it was auctioned again in 2015, selling for $1,565,000.00.
One of Judy’s costumes from Presenting Lily Mars, as well as other items worn by her costars in Meet Me In St. Louis and the Easter Parade, was also sold at this 2012 Julien’s auction.
Presenting Lily Mars: The top bid for Judy’s costume did not meet the reserve price, so it did not sell.
Meet Me In St. Louis: Lucille Bremer’s costume sold for $1,152.00
Easter Parade: Ann Miller’s costume sold for $4,480.00
Another terrific offering. Today, I’ll be brief with just a question: I would’ve bet money that 1935 shot of MGM-newcomer Judy is with Ginger Rogers, not Una Merkel. I know Rogers was an RKO star, but it sure looks like her to me. Any possibility the paper made a mistake?
Thank you! No, that’s definitely Una Merkel. In profile and with that hair she looks similar to Rogers. That hair was the style at the time and worn by both of them and others. The studio wouldn’t have mattered at a Fay event as his shows weren’t affiliated with any studio and he was popular with most of Hollywood.