Judy Garland Trivia

Judy heard the same phrase in two movies: For Me and My Gal (1942) and Easter Parade (1948). In both, her love interest (played by Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, respectively) says this: "Why didn't you tell me I was in love with you?"

The day she died, there was a tornado in Kansas.

Liza Minnelli said that Judy planned on calling her autobiography "Ho-Hum".

Her portrayal of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939) was the inspiration for the character of Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island" (1964). (From Kansas, ponytails, lived on a farm with an aunt and uncle...).

Liza Minnelli originally wanted Mickey Rooney to deliver Garland's eulogy, but she was afraid that he wouldn't be able to get through it. So James Mason did it instead.

According to singer Mel Tormé, she had a powerful gift of retention. She could view a piece of music once and have the entire thing memorized.

1997: Posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

1998: Garland's album, "Judy at Carnegie Hall" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

First cousin three times removed of US President Ulysses S. Grant.

September 2002: A Los Angeles federal judge barred Sidney Luft from selling the replacement Juvenile Oscar she received for The Wizard of Oz (1939). Luft was also ordered to pay nearly $60,000 to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to end their second lawsuit against him for repeatedly trying to sell the statuette.

Favorite actor was Robert Donat (best known for his portrayal of the title character in the film Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)).

Her soulful and iconic performance of "Over The Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz (1939) claimed the #1 spot on June 22, 2004 in The American Film Institute's list of "The 100 Years of The Greatest Songs". The AFI board said "Over The Rainbow" have captured the nation's heart, echoed beyond the walls of a movie theater, and ultimately stand in our collective memory of the film itself. It has resonated across the century, enriching America's film heritage and captivating artists and audiences today.

She discouraged her children from entering show business, pointing out her financial and health problems resulting from the nature of the entertainment business. Nevertheless, two of her children, Liza Minnelli and Lorna Luft both became entertainers. Her son Joe lives in relative anonymity as a freelance photographer.

She experienced financial difficulties in the 1960s due to her overspending, periods of unemployment, owing of back taxes and embezzlement of funds by her business manager. The IRS garnished most of her concert revenues in the late 1960s. Her financial difficulties combined with her erratic behavior due to her drug dependencies helped break up her marriages and estrange her children from her a year before her death.

Was a member of The International Order of Job's Daughters.

Groucho Marx called her not winning an Oscar for A Star Is Born (1954), "the biggest robbery since Brink's." Hedda Hopper later reported that her loss to Grace Kelly for The Country Girl (1954) was the result of the closest Oscar vote up till that time that didn't end in a tie, with just six votes separating the two. In any event, it was a heartbreak from which she never really recovered and which has remained a matter of some controversy ever since.

Always had crooked front teeth, for which an MGM dentist fitted her with removable caps to wear in her films, including The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Her daughter Liza Minnelli was once married to Jack Haley Jr., the son of her The Wizard of Oz (1939) co-star Jack Haley, who played the Tin Man.

Has a special variety of rose named after her. The petals are yellow (Garland adored yellow roses) and the tips are bright red. It took devoted fans almost nine years after her death to find a rose company in Britain interested in naming a rose officially for her, and the Judy Garland rose didn't appear in the US until 1991. Several JG rose bushes are planted outside of her burial crypt, and at the Judy Garland museum in Grand Rapids.

She was three-quarters Scottish and one-quarter Irish in ancestry.

1952: Received a Special Tony Award "for an important contribution to the revival of vaudeville through her recent stint at the Palace Theatre.".

When she married Vincente Minnelli, Louis B. Mayer gave her away.

Had weight problems most of her life. Drastic weight fluctuations often affected continuity in her films and can be seen in Words and Music (1948) and Summer Stock (1950).

3/23/90: Pictured on one of four 25¢ USA commemorative postage stamps honoring classic films released in 1939. The stamp shows Judy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939), along with Toto (portrayed by Terry). The other films honored were Beau Geste (1939), Stagecoach (1939), and Gone with the Wind (1939).

Is portrayed by Judy Davis and Tammy Blanchard in "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows" (2001), by Elizabeth Karsell in James Dean (2001) (TV) and by Andrea McArdle in Rainbow (1978) (TV).

The song "Quiet Please, There's A Lady On Stage" from the stage musical "The Boy From Oz" was written by Peter Allen (Liza Minnelli's former husband) as a tribute to her.

Was pregnant with her first child Liza Minnelli while filming her minor role in Till the Clouds Roll By (1946). In order to hide her pregnant stomach she was hidden behind stacks of dishes while singing "Look For The Silver Lining". She had also recorded a song "Do You Love Me", which was cut before release. Her scenes were directed by her then husband Vincente Minnelli.

After serving as the music director on her short-lived CBS series, Mel Tormé wrote a vicious tell-all book about his talented but challenging former boss. So frustrated from the experience, his words in "The Other Side of The Rainbow: With Judy Garland on the Dawn Patrol" portrayed Garland as hopelessly drug-addicted, unprofessional and a horror to work with.

During her first marriage to David Rose, Judy was forced to undergo an abortion at the insistence of MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer who feared that pregnancy would hurt her good-girl image. The event left her traumatized for the rest of her life.

6/10/06: Pictured on a 39¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series.

The godparents of her daughter Liza Minnelli were Ira Gershwin and Kay Thompson.

Grandmother of Vanessa and Jesse Richards, children of singer Lorna Luft.

Godfather of her daughter Lorna Luft was Frank Sinatra.

Father was movie theater owner Francis 'Frank' Gumm (born 20 March, 1886 - died 17 November, 1935). Mother was Ethel Milne (born 17 November, 1893 - died 05 January, 1953).

Born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and later lived up in Lancaster, California. John Wayne, then attending college at USC, was a neighbor of Judy's.

Gave birth to all three of her children via Caesarean section. She also suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her two daughters Liza Minnelli and Lorna Luft.

The famous theme song David Raksin wrote for the film Laura (1944) was originally entitled "Judy" in honor of her.

Had intense fears of flying, horses, and guns.

Was considered for the role of Careen O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), but the role was eventually given to Ann Rutherford, so Judy immediately began working on The Wizard of Oz (1939), a film which was considered for as early as 1937.

As a teenager on the MGM lots, she was good friends with Lana Turner and Ann Rutherford.

Johnnie Ray was best man at her wedding to fifth husband Mickey Deans.

Did not attend the 1955 Academy Awards, where she was nominated as Best Actress for her portrayal of Vicki Lester in A Star Is Born (1954), because she was in hospital after giving birth to her third child and only son Joey Luft.

She only performed "Over The Rainbow" twice during her many television appearances, which spanned 14 years. She performed it on her first TV Special, "Ford Star Jubilee" (1955) episode, "The Judy Garland Special" in 1955, and sang it to her children on The Christmas Edition of her weekly "The Judy Garland Show" (1963).

Betty Asher, who worked on the MGM lots, served as her maid of honor during her wedding to
Vincente Minnelli in 1945.

Was close friends with Lauren Bacall, who had once been her neighbor during the 1950s. Had Judy won the 1955 Best Actress Oscar for A Star Is Born (1954), Lauren would have accepted the Oscar statuette on her behalf.

Offered the lead role in The Three Faces of Eve (1957), but turned down the role because the storyline bore too many resemblances to her own personal life. The role was then given to Joanne Woodward who went on to win the Best Actress Oscar for her performance.

Was Matron of Honor at the wedding of actor Don DeFore and Marion Holmes DeFore on February 14, 1942.

The only witnesses present at her Las Vegas wedding to David Rose in 1941 were her mother and stepfather.

In a performance of "Come Rain Or Come Shine" on her 1963-64 variety show on CBS TV, though forgetting some of the words and seemingly "out of sync" with the orchestra she still managed to give a quite powerful and memorable performance.

Performed two songs in films that won the Academy Award for Best Original Song: "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz (1939) and "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" from The Harvey Girls (1946). Performed four more songs that were nominated: "Our Love Affair" from Strike Up the Band (1940), "How About You?" from Babes on Broadway (1941), "The Trolley Song" from Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), and "The Man That Got Away" from A Star Is Born (1954). Performed others that became standards, including "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).

She performed with her sisters at the 1933-34 World's Fair in Chicago on the infamous midway (where Sally Rand was the main attraction), more specifically in the Old Mexico Club, where they sold out every night. During their third week at the club, it unexpectedly closed due to an expired liquor license. Judy served as the grand marshal in a parade for the Fair's "Children's Day" in early 1934. It was during their last day in Chicago that Frances Gumm changed her name to Judy Garland during a performance at the Oriental Theater, partly at the advice of George Jessel, who was emceeing.

Judy headlined CBS TV's first special, "Ford Star Jubilee" (1955). She performed many of her standards including "Get Happy", "Carolina in the Morning" and "The Trolley Song". Judy and guest David Wayne as tramps performed "A Couple of Swells" from "Easter Parade", Wayne doing Fred Astaire's part. After that number, Judy still in tramp make-up closed the show with "Over The Rainbow".

Mentioned in the song "Happy Phantom" by Tori Amos and "A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel" by U2.

Initially refused to appear in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) as she had recently begun to portray characters her own age, such as in Presenting Lily Mars (1943), and was tired of playing virginal teenage characters. She later relented after much persuasion and not only did she meet her future husband Vincente Minnelli on set but her performance in the film was also one of her most famous during her MGM years.

The first film she made after marrying Vincente Minnelli was The Harvey Girls (1946).

Became good friends with Doris Day on the Warner Bros. lots when she was filming A Star Is Born (1954) at the same time that Day was filming Young at Heart (1954).

Did not get on with Lucille Bremer, who played her sister in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). She thought that Bremer couldn't act and repeatedly tried to have her fired from the film, but to no avail.

Was replaced by Ginger Rogers in the film The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) after being suspended from MGM for her tardiness.

Replaced June Allyson in the film Royal Wedding (1951) after she became pregnant, but her failure to report to the set led to her being replaced by Jane Powell.

A close friend was Katharine Hepburn, with whom she would regularly stay during her most serious bouts of depression in order to recover.

Despite numerous concert and television appearances in the 1960s, Garland remained constantly in debt. This was due in part to then-manager David Begelman embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from his clients, with Garland chief among them. Begelman even went so far as to claim a Cadilac, presented to Garland for an appearance on "The Jack Paar Program" (1962) as his own.

Adding to her appeal within the gay community, Garland always acknowledged her gay fan base at a time when homosexuality was seldom even discussed. Late in her career and in dire need of money, she even accepted work singing in a New York City gay bar.

Dated John F. Kennedy, Tyrone Power, Orson Welles, Frank Sinatra, Robert Stack, and Yul Brynner.  She remained close friends with each man even after their romantic relationships ended.

Was in consideration for the role of Sophie MacDonald in The Razor's Edge (1946) but Anne Baxter, who went on to win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance, was cast instead.

One of the few actresses to have danced with both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly in the movies, other actresses that have also done this includes Rita Hayworth, Cyd Charisse, Vera-Ellen, Debbie Reynolds, and Leslie Caron.

Returned to work eleven months after giving birth to her daughter Lorna Luft in order to film A Star Is Born (1954).

Was left-handed.

In Little Nelly Kelly she performed the only death scene of her career as well as her first onscreen kiss.

Wore fake teeth while performing as Dorothy Gale in the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz.

It was vaudeville star George Jessel who suggested to the Gumm family that Frances Gumm be renamed Judy Garland.

Made her debut as a stage performer at the age of 2.

Her album Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall, which was released in 1961, garnered her 5 Grammy Awards.

Judy spent her final days with husband Mickey Deans at a small mews house on London's Cadogan Lane, near Sloane Square. Her final hours were spent listening to her hit records. Mickey later claimed that she played "Over The Rainbow" at least 30 times that day.

Judy was given many nicknames by friends and peers: Jootes (Mickey Rooney), Judalein (Oz director Victor Fleming), Baby (family), Little Miss Leather Lungs (billing by her stage mother Ethel), The Little Girl with the Big Voice, Miss Show Business (in England), Queen of the Musicals (critics), The World's Greatest Entertainer (fans) and The Greatest Entertainer of the 20th Century (fans)."

Whenever somebody asked her, "Who would you like to look like?", Judy's instantaneous reply was always, "Lana Turner. That is beauty."

At the height of her drug addiction Judy would rifle other people's medicine cabinets. She would simply knock on friends' doors to ask if she could use the bathroom.  Word of her acquisitive habits soon got round, and when Judy was expected, bathrooms were emptied of almost everything but shaving cream and toothpaste.

"The Pirate" was the only picture Judy ever made that failed to yield Metro a profit.

Jacqueline Susann, modeled the character of Neely O'Hara in "Valley of the Dolls" after Judy.

During shooting of "A Star is Born" her thermos contained a stiff combination of vodka and grapefruit juice. Later, for the picture's premiere, Judy asked Michael Woulfe, her dress designer, to make her a hand muff big enough to hide a bottle of vodka.

Had a love affair with Tyrone Power at the same time Lana Turner was having an affair with Power.

She gave Gene Kelly his start in movies when in 1942 she refused to have anyone but Kelly co-star with her in the movie "For Me and My Gal" which made him a star and led to two more films together, "The Pirate" and her last MGM film "Summer Stock."

Although she was America's most famous child star of her day she failed an audition for "Our Gang."

Her salary for "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) was $500/week.

Judy's body was stored in a temporary crypt for over one year. The reason for this is that no one had come forward to pay the expense of moving Judy to a permanent resting spot. Liza was under the impression that Judy's last husband, Mickey Deans, had made the necessary arrangements but Deans claimed to have no money. Liza then took on the task of raising the funds to have Judy properly buried.

During the making of "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), MGM forced her to fast on alternate days so that she would more closely resemble the gaunt eleven-year-old Dorothy.

She divorced her fourth husband Mark Herron after she found out he was gay.

Married five times in all. When she invited her daughter Liza Minnelli to her fifth wedding, Minnelli replied, "I can't make it, Mama, but I promise I'll come to your next one."

The site of the home in Grand Rapids, Minnesota where she spent the first five years of her life is now occupied by a multiplex cinema in the town's only shopping center.

Never won an Oscar for Best Actress but in 1939 she did win a special Oscar for Juvenile Acting in "The Wizard of Oz."

Shirley Temple was originally supposed to appear in "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) but couldn't be released from her studio for contractual reasons, which was why Judy Garland got the part.

Played opposite Mickey Rooney 10 times.

She started her own television variety show in 1963, which had to be canceled after one season because the competition, "Bonanza," was too strong.

She was voted the 23rd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

She was voted the 22nd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.

Was named #8 Actress on The AFI 50 Greatest Screen Legends.

2006: Her performance as Vicki Lester in A Star Is Born (1954) is ranked #72 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.

Her performance as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939) is ranked #17 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.



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