Posted by “This is good entertainment – nothing arty, nothing socially significant, nothing especially new for that matter, but all done with a fanfare and with talent constantly in evidence – good entertainment for all classes of theater patron.” – Wood Soanes, review of “Babes On Broadway in the “Oakland Tribune,” 1942
January 14, 1939: Filming on The Wizard of Oz continued with the scene in which Dorothy and her companions skip up to the gates of the Emerald City and encounter the doorman (“Who rang that bell?”). It was a very effective matte shot.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on The Wizard of Oz here.
Also on January 14, 1939, MGM’s “Studio News” reported that Judy was rescued by “midget heroes” (on the set of The Wizard of Oz) when the Shetland ponies that were leading the coach she was riding in were startled and took off. “Carl Becker, Billy Curtis and others stopped the runaway.” Also recorded was the upcoming pairing of Judy with Mickey Rooney in Babes in Arms.
Photo from the Rick Smith Collection. Thanks, Rick!
January 14, 1941: This blurb from the Long Beach Independent newspaper gives us a clue as to how the ultimately deleted “We Must Have Music” number from Ziegfeld Girl looked, noting two local girls who are part of the “baton dance” number. The footage is lost. Perhaps there was a lot of baton twirling in the number, and not just by Judy? If so, it’s a shame the footage is lost as it sounds like a lot of fun.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Ziegfeld Girl here.
January 14, 1941: Judy and co-star Tony Martin pre-recorded “Minnie From Trinidad” for Ziegfeld Girl. The song was written for her by Roger Edens.
Listen to the final version as heard in the film here:
Listen to the stereo alternate take here:
Check out The Judy Room’s Extensive Spotlight Section on Ziegfeld Girl here.
Also check out this video of the stereo alternate take, synced to the final film footage by our friend Mark. Thanks, Mark!
January 14, 1942: This review of Babes On Broadway appeared in the “Oakland Tribune,” Oakland, California.
January 14, 1943: The last day of shooting the intense “I Got Rhythm” number for Girl Crazy. Judy was out sick after this day until the 23rd. On the 23rd she returned to work on the film under the assistant director’s “unit” shooting the “Rodeo Montage” (not under Busby Berkeley). She was off for a day and then was back at the studio from January 25th through the 30th for rehearsals for the new Presenting Lily Mars finale.
It wouldn’t be until January 29th that her personal family physician, Dr. Marcus Rabwin, ordered her not to dance for three weeks, telling both her mom and MGM that she was confined to bed. Judy had been completely worn out completing the “I Got Rhythm” number under the brutal direction of Busby Berkeley (famously portrayed in the 2001 miniseries “Life With Judy Garland”). Her weight had dropped to just 94 pounds! Due to his mistreatment of Judy, the fact that he went completely over budget on just one number, and that he strayed far from the original concept for it, Berkeley was fired from the film. Norman Taurog was brought in to direct the rest of the film, with Charles Walters handling the musical numbers. Judy returned to work on February 8th.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Girl Crazy here.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Presenting Lily Mars here.
January 14, 1945: Meet Me In St. Louis was a mega-hit. Here is an ad for the film, plus two for the Decca Records “Cast Album” of songs from the film.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Meet Me In St. Louis here.
January 14, 1945: This photo article appeared in the Sunday section of most papers around the U.S. While the article lauds Judy’s success, it also notes that she is “fragilely slim now.”
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Meet Me In St. Louis here.
January 14, 1946: This ad was published in the “Film Daily” trade magazine touring MGM’s latest and future successes.
January 14, 1954: A Star Is Born filming continued on the “Interior Night Court” set, including the emotional scene in which Vicki Lester pleads with the judge to let Norman Maine go home into her custody (“I’ll be responsible for him”). Time started: 10 a.m.; finished: 5:50 p.m.
Photos provided by Kim Lundgreen. Thanks, Kim!
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on A Star Is Born here.
January 14, 1961: Judy is seen with Kirk Douglas and her husband Sid Luft at a party for Laurence Olivier.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
January 14, 1963: Hedda Hopper’s column mentioned Judy’s actions and schedule. There was no album recorded in New York as Hopper claimed, but she was correct about the upcoming taping of Judy’s TV special with Robert Goulet and Phil Silvers as well as her engagement at Harrah’s resort in Lake Tahoe.
Hank Grant’s column mentioned Judy’s signing with CBS for a weekly series, which was big news in the columns for several weeks.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
January 14, 1964: Videotaping of both the dress rehearsal (from 5:30 to 7 p.m.) and the final performance (from 9 to 10:30 p.m.) of “Episode Eighteen” of “The Judy Garland Show,” at CBS Television City, Stage 43, Hollywood.
The show had been on a holiday break since December 23, 1963, and had just resumed rehearsals on January 11th.
Judy’s guests were Martha Raye, Peter Lawford, Rich Little, and Ken Murray. Judy sang: “76 Trombones”; “I’m Old Fashioned” (part of a sketch with Lawford); “Glenn Miller Medley” (with Raye, the dress rehearsal performance was used for the broadcast); “Hit Parade 1964” with Raye and Lawford; “All Alone”; and “Oh Lord, I’m On My Way.” The latter two were part of the “Trunk” segment. It was originally planned for Judy to sing “Just You, Just Me” but she dropped that, on camera, saying “Let’s not do the fast one.”
Judy also taped a segment featuring impressionist Rich Little singing “The Man That Got Away” as different famous stars and another segment of “Ken Murray and His Hollywood Home Movies.”
This episode aired on January 26, 1964, just after the annual broadcast of The Wizard of Oz, giving TV viewers a great night of Judy Garland!
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
Below is a “below the line” cost sheet for this show, prepared on January 31, 1964.
January 14, 1965: Judy and Mark Herron attended Phyllis Diller’s opening at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles. Tom Green is seen at Herron’s right.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
January 14, 1969: These two photos were taken of Judy performing at “The Talk of the Town” nightclub in London, England.
Photos provided by Bobby Waters. Thanks, Bobby!
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.