Posted by “I look on this series [“The Judy Garland Show”] as a secure way of living. I can get up in the morning and go to work and come home at nights to things that are familiar and mine. I’m so tired of being on the road. The concerts have been marvelous for me, but I’ve been living in hotels for the past three years and I’ve had it … I want my children to have their own rooms to come home to.” – Judy Garland, 1963
March 31, 1925: Frances (Judy) danced and modeled children’s wear at the Itasca Dry Goods Company show in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. This event has also been noted as taking place the following day, April 1st.
March 31, 1930: “The Gumm Sisters” (Judy and her two sisters) participated in Mrs. May Burk’s Music Pupil’s Recital at the Lancaster High School auditorium in Lancaster, California.
March 31, 1938: Judy visited her hometown. The Everybody Sing tour had officially ended in Detroit, Michigan, on March 24, and everyone in Judy’s entourage traveled back to Chicago, where she appeared at the Oriental Theatre (the site of the Gumm to Garland name change in 1934) for two nights (March 26 & 27) and then, according to “Variety,” she was quickly flown back to Los Angeles to take part in an MGM air show event. “Air show” in “Variety” meant a radio show, not an air show featuring airplanes. “Variety” noted of Garland’s two nights at the Oriental, “Kid singer added considerable gross over weekend and on that start house should get $20,000 or better.” The trip to LA was a quick one because, by March 29, she was back in Chicago.
“Team Garland” then went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, arriving late March 30. Judy didn’t make any personal appearances but met with fans at her hotel. The next morning (March 31), they made the trip to her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. They spent two days visiting the old Gumm home and the high school Judy would have attended. She was given a luncheon at the Pokegama Hotel and performed at the Rialto Theatre, which was next door to the closed New Grand Theatre, where Garland had her stage debut. They returned to Chicago on April 2 to catch the Super Chief train back to Los Angeles. The train took 38 hours and 45 minutes, including 14 stops, to return.
This was the first and only time Judy returned to her hometown after the family moved to California in 1926. It was also Judy’s last visit to Grand Rapids for the rest of her life. She never returned, although she did return to Minnesota in 1958 for the state’s centennial.
Photos: Two Minneapolis articles about Judy’s return; Ethel (Judy’s mom) does Judy’s hair; Judy on the train; Photo of Judy allegedly in Grand Rapids with a gift of flowers – possibly taken on April 1st; Two more newspaper clippings.
March 31, 1938: Judy Garland frocks.
March 31, 1939: Judy arrived in New York City for another personal appearance at Loew’s State Theater and at least one radio appearance. She had left Los Angeles, California, in late March, not long after completing some retakes for The Wizard of Oz, completing her work on the film. She went on a five-week personal appearance tour, which included a return to Cleveland, Ohio. The newspaper clipping is from April 1st.
March 31, 1940: The “Los Angeles Times” reported on a luncheon that Judy and Mickey Rooney attended at MGM with studio boss Louis B. Mayer and some visiting dignitaries that Mayer was celebrating. It’s nice to finally know who these men are in this photo that’s been circulating for a while.
The visiting dignitaries pictured are Secretary of the Navy Charles Edison and Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Fleet Admiral J.O. Richardson, both seated on either side of Mayer. In the back is MGM producer J.W. Considine Jr. Others are listed in the article.
Because this was reported on March 31st, the event likely took place a day or two prior. Judy’s schedule in late March was unusually light, consisting of just her weekly appearances on Bob Hope’s radio show and early work on Andy Hardy Meets Debutante. The break wouldn’t last long. In early April, Strike Up The Band went into production, beginning one of the busiest periods in Judy’s MGM career.
March 31, 1943: Girl Crazy filming consisted of scenes on the “Exterior Post Office” and “Exterior Campus” sets on MGM’s Lot #3, the “Billy the Kid” street. Time called: 10:35 a.m.; dismissed: 5 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland on the MGM Backlot” section. It features photos, videos, and interactive maps that detail all of the areas of MGM’s famous backlots where Judy’s movies were filmed.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Girl Crazy here.
March 31, 1944: This photo was taken of Judy and co-star Leon Ames on the Meet Me In St. Louis “Smith Home Xmas Seq [Sequence].” No other details about the day’s filming are known.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Meet Me In St. Louis here.
March 31, 1945: Judy was back on the “Billy the Kid Street” on MGM’s Lot #3, this time dressed up as the fictional town of “Sandrock” for The Harvey Girls. Scenes filmed on this day were filmed on the “Exterior Harvey House,” “Exterior Street,” and “Exterior Garden.”
Judy was due on the set at 10 a.m. Per the assistant director’s notes: “8:57-11:40 – Witing for Garland: due at 10 a.m.; at 9:15 she phoned that her makeup woman [Dottie Ponedel] was ill, that she didn’t think that anyone else could make her up properly; Dave Friedman and cameraman went up to her room to see her and persuaded her to get made up by Bill Tuttle; she consented and arrived on Lot #3 made up at 10:45 but not ready until 11:05 – all dressed and made up, but found that she has wrong hairdo: she had to be sent to dept. to have hair done over, and was ready on set at 1:18 p.m.” Dismissed at 5:40 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland on the MGM Backlot” section. It features photos, videos, and interactive maps that detail all of the areas of MGM’s famous backlots where Judy’s movies were filmed.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on The Harvey Girls here.
March 31, 1949: The pre-recording sessions for Annie Get Your Gun continued with Judy and co-stars Howard Keel, Frank Morgan, and Keenan Wynn recording “There’s No Business Like Show Business” as well as Judy recording her solo version of the same song. Time called: 11 a.m.; due on set 1 p.m.; arrived on set 1 p.m.; dismissed: 4 p.m.
Listen to “There’s No Business Like Show Business” here:
Listen to “There’s No Business Like Show Business” (Judy’s reprise) here:
Sadly, Frank Morgan, who most famously played “The Wizard” in The Wizard of Oz, died during production on September 18th and was replaced by Louis Calhern.
Included here is the MGM playback disc for “The Girl That I Marry” and “They Say It’s Wonderful,” which was made on this date. The songs were recorded on March 28, 1949. Disc label from the Rick Smith Collection. Thanks, Rick!
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on Annie Get Your Gun here.
March 31, 1951: Judy is on the cover of “Picturegoer” magazine, looking lovely as usual. This photo is from the Rick Smith Collection. Thanks, Rick!
March 31, 1953: Easter Parade lyrics as printed in the Danish “Uge Revyen” fan magazine. They almost got it right! 😉
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Easter Parade here.
Photo provided by Kim Lundgreen. Thanks, Kim!
March 31, 1956: Judy recorded “Come Rain Or Come Shine,” followed by “Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries, “Last Night When We Were Young,” and “Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home” for the Capitol Records “Judy” LP at the Capitol Records studios in Hollywood, California. This session completed the “Judy” album, which was released on October 10, 1956.
Listen to “Come Rain Or Come Shine” here:
Listen to “Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries” here:
Listen to “Last Night When We Were Young” here:
Listen to “Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home” here:
Check out The Judy Garland Online Discography’s “Judy” pages here.
March 31, 1958: Judy’s husband, Sid Luft, had followed his family to New York, and he a Judy reconciled. They held a press conference on this day at Judy’s rented home in Neponsit, Rockaway, which was reported in the “Daily News” on April 1 (see above). It was reported Sid said $23,000 had been received from Ben Masik, the owner of the Town and Country Club, to which Judy interrupted with, “What happened to the money?” Luft said, “Ask Uncle Sam.” Sid also offered that Judy had “Federal and New York State tax liens totaling about $29,000.” According to the reporter, “Luft also said that Judy had earned ‘better than close to a million dollars within the last three years,’ and again Judy asked ‘what happened to it?’ Sid answered, ‘you’ll find out, dear.'”
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
March 31, 1960: Judy and Sid are seen at the movies. They saw The Fugitive Kind, starring Marlon Brando and Anna Magnani.
March 31, 1961: Judy’s upcoming concert at Carnegie Hall sold out, so a second concert on May 21st was added.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
March 31, 1963: Margaret McManus interviewed Judy about her upcoming TV series. Judy mentioned that she didn’t “think of it as so formidable I’m going to be a female Perry Como,” which was a reference to the format of Como’s popular series. Judy also talked about the security she hoped the series would give her.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
March 31, 1967: It was reported that not only would Judy sing five songs in the upcoming production of Valley of the Dolls, but that one of the “big reasons” she signed on was that Andre Previn was going to write the songs for her. Talk about fiction!
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on Valley of the Dolls here.