Posted by “While Rooney is just as effective and just as hammy as he ever was, Garland plays her part with considerably more integrity and sings with vitality.” – “The New York Herald Tribune” on “Strike Up The Band,” 1940
April 3, 1931: “The Gumm Sisters” (Judy and her two sisters) performed at the Kiwanis Club Meeting at the Kiwanis Hall in Lancaster, California. It’s reported that Judy’s early boyfriends in Lancaster at this time included: Eddie White; Buddy Welch; and Gayland Reed, remembered as Judy’s “first love.”
April 3, 1936: Judy was one of several juvenile stars, “child film players,” who took part in the Junior Troupers’ benefit show and fashion parade at the Hollywood Masonic Temple. Among the child performers were Mickey Rooney, Deanna Durbin (billed as Edna Mae Durbin), Cora Sue Collins, Scotty Beckett, and Dickie Moore. Judy wasn’t a big name yet and certainly wasn’t a “star” which is probably why her photo wasn’t featured.
April 3, 1938: Two articles. The first notes that Judy would be returning to the “Good News of 1938” radio program on Thursday, April 7th. Judy was on her way back from her successful Everybody Sing tour. The second is a fun article about Judy’s Everybody Sing co-star, Lynne Carver.
April 3, 1940: Judy started work on her next film, Strike Up The Band, while at the same time working on Andy Hardy Meets Debutante. On this day, for Strike Up The Band, Judy had a 10:00 a.m. call, dismissed: 2:15 p.m. She rehearsed the “Nobody” number.
April 3, 1942: A busy day for Judy. During the day she had more filming on For Me And My Gal, specifically, the “Interior Backstage Dressing Room” and “Auditorium” sets. Time called: 10:30 a.m.; dismissed: 3:40 p.m.
That night, from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m., Judy had a recording session at Decca Records. She recorded four songs in the following order: “The Last Call For Love”; “Poor You”; “On The Sunny Side of the Street” and “Poor Little Rich Girl.” The first two were released in June 1942, and the last two were saved for the “Judy Garland Second Souvenir” album, released on May 20, 1943.
Listen to “The Last Call For Love” here:
Listen to the alternate take of “The Last Call For Love” here:
Listen to “Poor You” here:
Listen to the alternate take of “Poor You” here:
Listen to “On The Sunny Side of the Street” here:
Listen to “Poor Little Rich Girl” here:
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on For Me And My Gal here.
Label images from the Rick Smith Collection. Thanks, Rick!
April 3, 1943: Judy appeared on the “Command Performance” radio show, “Episode 61,” with Bob Hope as emcee. Earlier in the day, she was out sick from the filming of Girl Crazy. Perhaps she was saving her strength for the radio show.
Listen to the complete show here:
Listen to “I Never Knew” here:
Listen to “Over The Rainbow” here:
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on Girl Crazy here.
April 3, 1943: Here’s a gossip blurb that mentions both Judy’s current husband, David Rose, and future husband Sid Luft, although at this point Judy and Sid had not yet met.
April 3, 1943: In the “What The Picture Did For Me” section of the trade magazine, “Motion Picture Daily,” Miss Cleo Manry of the Buena Vista Theatre in Buena Vist, Georgia, had this to say about For Me And My Gal (released in 1942):
This was a grand picture, although business was not as good as I expected. Those who saw it were well pleased.
April 3, 1944: Meet Me In St. Louis filming consisted of scenes on the “Exterior St. Louis Fair” set. Time called: 10 a.m.; ready: 10:25 a.m.; dismissed: 5:30 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on Meet Me In St. Louis here.
April 3, 1945: Filming continued on The Harvey Girls, specifically the “Exterior Harvey House” and “Exterior Alhambra” sets. Time called: 7:30 p.m.; Judy arrived at 7:50 p.m.; dismissed: 9:58 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Pages on The Harvey Girls here.
April 3, 1952: Judy returned to California after spending time in Palm Beach, Florida with husband-to-be Sid Luft. Judy was met by Liza and quite a few fans.
This article printed the following day describes Judy’s anger towards a rude reporter, the number of fans on hand to greet her (along with Liza, of course), her weight, and the fact that she took all the attention away from Ezio Pinza.
Judy Garland Outshines Pinza on Return Home
Judy Garland came back to town yesterday to get ready for her four-week run in her “International Variety Show.”
Within minutes she stole the show from Matinee Idol Ezio Pinza, was smothered with hugs and kisses by her daughter Liza, 6, and snapped angry words at a woman reporter over when – and whether – Judy is going to be married to Sid Luft, her business partner.
The actress and Pinza both arrived on the Santa Fe Chief at Pasadena.
Big Welcome
Judy was med by relatives, studio executives and fans. Pinza slipped away almost unnoticed.
Liza dashed from the crowd to be swept into her mother’s arms while flashbulbs when off.
Then the reporters moved in.
“Have you lost weight?” The woman reporter asked. (The actress looked well rested from her Florida and Nassau vacation.)
“Never mind my weight,” Judy said, “but you’re too skinny.”
“Are you going to get married?” The woman reporter asked. (Less than two weeks ago Judy and Luft were quoted in Nassau as saying they planned to marry.)
“Who knows?” shrugged Judy.
Objects to Question
“Well, are you going to marry Sid Luft – and if so, when?”
“How dare you ask questions like that in front of my child!” Judy snapped, and walked off to a waiting limousine, followed by Liza, entourage, and fans.
Miss Garland is expected to go into almost immediate rehearsal for the show which opens April 21 in the Philharmonic Auditorium under the sponsorship of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera Association as its 15th anniversary preseason program. It will be the same show in which she set new records in London and New York.
April 3, 1953: Judy had her first studio recording session in 5 1/2 years when she recorded four songs for Columbia Records. Judy completed the songs in thirty takes in a three-hour session. This was her first time recording for a label since her last recording session for Decca Records on November 15, 1947.
The songs recorded (with Paul Weston and his Orchestra) were: “Send My Baby Back To Me”; “Without A Memory”; “Go Home, Joe”; and “Heartbroken.” The first two were released on May 4, 1953, and the second two were released on June 29, 1953.
Listen to the 1990s Robert Parker “surround sound” restorations of the recordings here:
“Send My Baby Back To Me”:
“Go Home, Joe”:
“Without A Memory”:
“Heartbroken”:
Columbia Records also released the soundtrack album of A Star Is Born in 1954, which has never been out of print.
Photos: Promotional photo and ad released by the label; newspaper article about the recording session; Judy at the Columbia Records recording studio; and record labels from the Rick Smith Collection. Thanks, Rick!
April 3, 1958: At 2:30 p.m. (late, she was due at 10:30 a.m.), Judy appeared at the Supreme Court House in Jamaica, Queens, New York, to answer charges about back tax payments. A warrant had been issued the day before (April 2nd). Judy was forced to put up jewelry and some gowns as security for her appearance at the upcoming hearing scheduled for Monday, April 7th. Included in “the sparkling bond was an $18,000 diamond bracelet given to her by her estranged husband and present manager, Sidney Luft, a wristwatch her mother gave Judy on her 21st birthday, a diamond bracelet dating back to MGM days, earrings set in pearls and rubies, and other trinkets.” She owed $8,673.44, but the bond was $10k.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
April 3, 1963: Judy, Sid, Lorna, and Joe attended Liza’s second-night performance of “Best Foot Forward.” Judy kept away from the opening night so as not to distract from Liza’s big night although the “official” reason given was that she missed her flight to New York.
Photo: Judy in the audience of the show, with Joey and Sid to her left; Judy congratulates Liza backstage after the show.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
April 3, 1966: Judy taped her last two songs for “The Hollywood Palace” – “Comes Once In A Lifetime” and “By Myself.” This was the last time Judy taped a song for primetime, network broadcasting. This completed her work for the show, which aired on May 7th on ABC-TV.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
April 3, 1968: Judy filed a report with the West 54th Street police station – near St. Moritz (where Judy was living) – and said two rings vanished on March 19. She said they were last seen on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, and on March 18 she had spent one day at St. Claire’s Hospital for “a day of rest,” and when she returned on March 19, she noticed they were gone. Judy had obviously forgotten that Tom had pawned them so her hospital and hotel bills could be paid, per her instructions.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
April 3, 1969: Mickey Deans (Judy’s fifth husband) and his lawyer George Eldridge went to court to keep A Day in the Life of Judy Garland in London but the courts allowed the film to be returned to Sweden. So Deans and Eldridge flew to Sweden immediately, on the same flight as Arne Stivell. In Sweden, a copyright law was found that made it a criminal offense to publicly show any of the disputed film footage in the country.
When Deans returned home to London, he found that Judy’s representative in France had booked her at the Olympia Theater in Paris for May 8. Deans says the rep then made unreasonable demands in an attempt to deliberately cancel the concert. Surviving notes show that the cancellation was allegedly based on illness, as it was rescheduled for May 19, then on May 15 that date was also canceled. Other concerts contemplated at this time were for dates in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and South Africa, although none of them happened.
Photo: Judy and Deans at the cottage they were living in at 4 Cadogan Lane, London, England in March 1969.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.