Posted by “[A Star Is Born] gives Judy THE chance of her career to really showcase the talent that turned her into an entertainment great at a relatively early age. She handles comedy with ease, drawing laughs without straining. Her vocal efforts are incomparable.” – The “Los Angeles Daily News,” 1954
February 19, 1938: Here’s a fun ad for Everybody Sing.
February 19, 1938: Bert Harlen of the “Hollywood Spectator” noted, in a positive way, how Judy’s talent and experience are that of someone in their thirties and not a young 15-year-old.
February 19, 1939: The week of February 19th was devoted to the beginning of filming the sepia (Kansas) scenes for The Wizard of Oz. The scenes of Dorothy and the farmhands were filmed first. “Over the Rainbow” was filmed on February 23rd & 24th.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on The Wizard of Oz here.
February 19, 1940: The 1940 Oscar race was on (for the movie year 1939). Judy was not nominated for acting but her Babes In Arms co-star, Mickey Rooney, was nominated for “Best Actor.” The award went to Robert Donat for Goodbye Mr. Chips. Judy did receive a special “juvenile” Oscar for her performances of the past year, in both Babes In Arms and The Wizard of Oz. Later she dubbed it her “Munchkin Award.”
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on The Wizard of Oz here.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on Babes in Arms here.
February 19, 1941: This studio photo of Judy was used as an example of having good posture! Meanwhile, Louella Parson’s column notes how much Judy is in love and that she just might marry that David Rose guy in spite of studio objections. 
February 19, 1942: Judy began work on her next film, For Me And My Gal, co-starring Gene Kelly in his screen debut. On this day, she had a 1 p.m. call, dismissed at 4:45 p.m. The day was spent in dance rehearsals with Kelly.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on For Me And My Gal here.
Photos provided by Kim Lundgreen. Thanks, Kim!
February 19, 1943: Filming on Girl Crazy continued on the “Interior Dean’s Office” set. Time called: 10 a.m.; dismissed: 5 p.m.
Photo: Henry O’Neill, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Guy Kibbee (as “the Dean”) as seen in a shot from the film. Photo provided by Kim Lundgreen. Thanks, Kim!
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Girl Crazy here.
February 20, 1944: The “Motion Picture Herald” featured a page that noted the “Service Data” of recent films, plus their regular “What The Picture Did For Me” feature with exhibitor’s feedback on the following films, all three of the Garland films were released in 1943:
Girl Crazy
Uncredited feedback from the Mt. Lookout Theatre, Cincinnati, OH:
This is not their best picture but they still draw at the box office.
E.A. Bolduc, the Majestic Theatre, Conway, NH:
Mickey Rooney is not as popular as in the past. This story didn’t help either.
Presenting Lily Mars
Meville Danner of the Kozy Theatre in Granite, OK:
Good picture, but not Judy’s best. Did average business.
Thousands Cheer
Thomas Di Lorenzo of the New Paltz Theatre in New Paltz, NY:
We cannot speak too highly of this picture’s entertainment value; it is excellent throughout. It did the biggest business since “Stage Door Canteen,” which we played in October. When we can do October business in January in this village, brothers, we’ve done something. Pleased everyone.
February 19, 1945: Another pre-recording session for The Harvey Girls. Judy was joined by co-star Ray Bolger and the MGM “Dancer Chorus” (according to the Daily Music Report). The songs pre-recorded were “Swing Your Partner” and “Hayride.” Time called: 1 p.m.; Judy arrived at 1:16 p.m.; dismissed: 5:45 p.m.
Listen to “Hayride” Take 11 here:
Listen to “Hayride” (pick up) Take 1 here:
Listen to “Swing Your Partner” Take 3 here:
Listen to “Swing You Partner” Part 3 – Take 1 here:
Listen to “Swing Your Partner” complete version here:
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on The Harvey Girls here.
February 19, 1947: The Pirate filming consisted of scenes on the “Interior Manuela’s Bedroom” set. This costume reference photo was taken of Judy on the set on this day. Poor Judy doesn’t look too happy here!
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on The Pirate here.
February 19, 1947: Judy appeared on Bing Crosby’s “Philco Radio Time” show on ABC Radio. The show was taped on February 4, 1947, as Bing always recorded his shows in advance of the air date, which in this case was February 19th. Judy sang “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Connecticut,” “Tearbucket Jim,” and participated in a comedy sketch.
Listen to “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” here
The show has been released on various LPs and CDs over the years, including the 2010 4-CD set “Judy Garland – Lost Tracks.”
February 19, 1954: A Star Is Born filming consisted of retakes on the “Interior Down Beat Club” (“The Man That Got Away”). Time started: 10 a.m.; finished: 6:05 p.m. The assistant director’s notes state: “6:05 p.m.: Miss Garland too tired to work; Production 41 days behind schedule.”
The version filmed on this day (and the following day) is what we see in the final film. This was the third version filmed and is completely different in look and composition from the two earlier versions.
Photos provided by Kim Lundgreen. Thanks, Kim!
Check out Mark’s wonderful comparison of the three existing versions below. Thanks, Mark!
Check out The Judy Room’s Extensive Spotlight on A Star Is Born here.
February 19, 1955: The Academy Award nominations, plus a page that notes A Star Is Born as one of the films doing extended business. That’s unusual since the film had been in general release for a few months already.
Check out The Judy Room’s Extensive Spotlight on A Star Is Born here.
February 19, 1963: Judy and Sid together again. The couple had left Lake Tahoe, Nevada, for a two-day jaunt to Las Vegas, Nevada, where they were photographed at the Sands Resort on February 17th. On this day (February 19, 1963) Judy and Sid traveled to San Francisco for a rest for Judy and a “reconciliation/honeymoon” for the couple. They stayed at the Fairmont Hotel, rooms 210- 212, and 214 – the Bridal Suite.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
February 19, 2013: Warner Home Video released Easter Parade on Blu-ray. Later that year they re-released The Wizard of Oz in the same format for the 75th anniversary of the film (in 2014).
Info on the Blu-ray release of Easter Parade can be found here.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Easter Parade here.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on The Wizard of Oz here.