Judy Garland: Inside The World

3 weeks ago 30th Oct 14:21

To celebrate the release of the 70th Anniversary Edition of the family classic, The Wizard of Oz, which is released on sing-a-long Blu-ray and DVD from 2nd November we will be taking a look back the troubled life of the films star, the legend that is Judy Garland.

Frances Ethel Gumm made her stage debut at the age of two, at her father's movie house and theatre. Judy's parents were small-time Vaudevillians, and they and their daughters would perform almost nightly.

After the family moved to California, Judy and her sisters began performing as 'The Gumm Sisters', and were enrolled in a show business agency for children.

She was signed by MGM in 1936, but unsure about Garland, she was loaned to 20th Century Fox where, ninth-billed in 'Pigskin Parade', she stole the show, and returned to MGM in triumph, and was cast as Dorothy.

The film follows 12-year-old farmgirl Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) who lives on a Kansas farm with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, but dreams of a better place "somewhere over the rainbow." After being struck unconscious during a tornado by a window which has come loose from its frame, Dorothy dreams that she, her dog Toto and the farmhouse are transported to the magical Land of Oz.

Initially, The Wizard of Oz was not considered a commercial success in relation to its enormous budget, although it made a small profit and received largely favourable reviews. The impact it had upon release was reportedly responsible for the release of two other fantasy films in Technicolor the following year The Blue Bird and The Thief of Bagdad.

The songs from The Wizard of Oz became widely popular, with "Over the Rainbow" receiving the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the film itself garnering several Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. In those days, Over the Rainbow was occasionally heard on live radio.

Actress Deanna Durbin, who was under contract to Universal, was also considered for the part of Dorothy. Durbin, at the time, far exceeded Garland in film experience and fan base and the two had co-starred in a 1936 two-reeler called Every Sunday. The film was most notable for exhibiting Durbin's operatic style of singing against Garland's jazzier style.

Durbin was possibly passed over once it was decided to bring on Betty Jaynes, also an operatic singer, to rival Garland's jazz in the aforementioned discarded subplot of the film. LeRoy and company also considered actress Bonita Granville yet passed on her due to the fact that she had never made a musical.

Garland was initially outfitted in a blond wig for the part, but Freed and LeRoy decided against it shortly into filming. Her breasts were bound with tape and she was made to wear a special corset to flatten out her curves and make her appear younger; her blue gingham dress was also chosen for its blurring effect on her figure.