Judy Garland was an entertainment icon whose performances on stage, screen and television had a tremendous impact across decades and media. This film-by-film study of her work follows her progression from pig-tailed child to a top motion picture star, with such timeless classics as The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St Louis, and A Star is Born.

Garland’s talent and versatility as an actress are explored through each of her movie roles. More than just a reference filmography, this work examines how Garland’s talents were realized and understood by producers and the world. It analyzes the star’s relatonships with various co-stars and directors and details how she balanced her painful insecurities with her often focused and driven approach to her work. Through the context of her work on film, Judy Garland’s innate and enduring star power is readily appreciated and acknowledged.

James L. Neibaur is a film historian and scholar with more than 30 books and hundreds of articles appearing in Cineaste, Classic Images, Film Quarterly, Films in Review, Filmfax, and Encyclopædia Britannica.

James L. Neibaur
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 202
Bibliographic Info: 61 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8595-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4702-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments  vi

Preface  1

The Early Years: From Frances Gumm

to Judy Garland  3

Pigskin Parade  5

Every Sunday  10

Broadway Melody of 1938  13

Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry  18

Everybody Sing  22

Love Finds Andy Hardy  26

Listen, Darling  30

The Wizard of Oz  33

Babes in Arms  48

Andy Hardy Meets Debutante  55

Strike Up the Band  58

Little Nellie Kelly  64

Ziegfeld Girl  69

Life Begins for Andy Hardy  76

Babes on Broadway  79

For Me and My Gal  83

Presenting Lily Mars  89

Girl Crazy  95

Meet Me in St. Louis  100

The Clock  109

The Harvey Girls  116

The Pirate  123

Easter Parade  129

In the Good Old Summertime  137

Summer Stock  142

Back on Stage:

1951–1954  150

A Star Is Born  153

Returning to the

Concert Stage  161

Judgment at Nuremberg  163

Gay­Purr-ee  166

A Child Is Waiting  171

I Could Go on Singing  175

The Final Years  182

Chapter Notes  185

Bibliography  189

Index  191