This actress is known to all fans of children's films. Judy Garland is the same Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. How did the fate of a talented girl turn out and what price did she have to pay for her success?
Childhood
Charming red-haired baby was born in a large family of itinerant artists in 1922. She became the third daughter and at the age of 2.5 she first appeared on stage. The real name was no less sonorous and beautiful - Francis Ethel Gumm. Life on wheels did not bring joy to the future star, but it was the only way to survive in difficult times. Speaking with her sisters in a room that her father put on for them, she first realized how nice it is to be the favorite of the public. The mother, seeing that people liked her girls, decided to make them real actresses.
From that moment on, she did not miss a single casting and took her daughters everywhere with her. One day, luck smiled at the emaciated woman, and Arthur Freed noticed the younger Francis. The producer thought that her name sounds rude for such a charming baby, and gave her a pseudonym - Judy Garland. Garland in translation from English means "flower garland". This is how Fried saw her - beautiful, tender andattractive as the most beautiful buds in the garden.
Special girl
Judy Garland, in addition to her undoubted acting talent, had a truly angelic voice. Even in her father's theater, she sang several songs with her sisters and led the crowd into ecstasy. Vocal data allowed her to become the only actress with whom the film company signed a contract without auditions and castings. The girl was given the main roles in musicals and films. Success came after the first picture. Numerous awards and recognition did not turn the young star's head. She managed to star in thirteen films before she was offered a fateful role.
Judy Garland and The Wizard of Oz
At the age of 16, the girl was offered to play the role of a girl from Kansas, whose van flew off to a magical land. Judy loved this story and dreamed of playing Dorothy, but how can she play a little girl? The young star was forced to lose a few pounds, which had a detrimental effect on her he alth. No one was going to wait for months until it was reduced to the right size. Therefore, the weight loss was over in a couple of weeks. The girl had to give up food completely in order to be in time before the start of filming. Another problem was her age-related physiological characteristics. Dorothy could not have a bust, and the dressers pulled the artist's chest so tightly that she could not breathe and constantly fainted.
Battery
As a professional actress, Judy Garland was very hardworking and couldshoot for hours. But this was not enough. Due to her young age, the girl still could not make decisions on her own, and the producers turned to her mother. It was necessary to keep the young actress in a constant tone. There was only one way out - to give her amphetamines. The mother gave her consent, and for several months Judy plunged into a narcotic dope. She was stuffed with pills, after which she, like a battery, could work for 20 hours without interruption. She did not want to eat at all, and her weight was melting every day. Sleep was 3-4 hours. After a shock dose of the drug, the girl could not fall asleep, so they began to give her barbiturates. After a sound sleep, her mother woke her up and forced her to take an amphetamine pill. Such a carousel drove the girl crazy, but it was only the beginning.
Eternal girl
The role of Dorothy has become the brightest in the acting biography of Judy Garland. Her talent was recognized, and a line of directors lined up at the door of the studio bosses wanting to get the young star in their film. The girl was not against continuing to act in films, but she was offered roles for children and teenagers. It began to seem to her that she would never leave the image of an eternal child. I wanted real adult roles in serious films, but I had to portray little girls. The mother decided all the issues for her, and the actress did not have a chance to refuse the proposed role. She was exploited to the full by everyone who had anything to do with the contract with the film studio.
All life -game
After the unprecedented success of the film "The Wizard of Oz" Judy got into a real vise. The producers zealously made sure that she did not go out of the image of a little girl. Special agents were hired to watch every step of the actress. They reported Garland's every move and counted the calories she ate. Each piece of cake or bun was punishable by a fine. She was simply not allowed to grow up. Nobody needs an actress with curves and a normal physique. Let the sick, but still the child will bring many more millions to both parents and film studios. At that time, the girl was still completely under the control of her mother and coordinated her every action with her.
The only outlet in the life of a young actress was her best friend. She trusted her with all her experiences and secrets. For several years they were the closest people. And then Judy found out that her friend was hired by a film studio and all this time she received a salary for communicating with an actress. She passed on every word she said to her employers and did not regret her act at all. This was a terrible blow to the fragile soul of the young artist.
The nightmare continues
At the age of 19, the girl decided to go against the will of her mother and bosses. She married a musician and became pregnant almost immediately. This was a real shock for the producers. It cost them a lot of effort to force the actress to terminate the pregnancy and leave her husband. The roles of little girls were still in demand, and it was necessary to hurry until the photo of Judy Garland with a belly appeared in print.publications.
Only at the age of 23 she was able to get married and start living an independent life. The union with Vincent Minnelli gave the world such a great actress as Liza. The girl became a real star and was able to reach those heights that were beyond her mother's strength. Six years later, the marriage broke up, Judy remarried a year later. This time, the producer was the chosen one, in this marriage the girl gave birth to two children. But the first daughter was an exact copy of her mother. If you look at the photo of Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, they can easily be mistaken for twins.
Having a high life
Shooting in the "Wizard of Oz" left the young star sideways. Yes, she got incredible fame and earned a lot of money for her mother and the film studio, but she became a drug addict. From the age of 16, she constantly took pills that increased her ability to work many times over. 109 films with Judy Garland were shot in a very short period of time. Among them are such films as "Pirate", "Summer Tour", "Ziegfeld Girls", "Nellie Kelly's Baby", "Youngsters on Broadway", "Introducing Lily Mars", etc. Under the influence of drugs, she simply could not sit idle and worked hard. After she was left alone, she could no longer refuse the drugs. Numerous visits to the clinic and even hypnosis sessions could not cure the actress. In the last year of her life, her dose was 40 tablets per day. The body could not withstand such a load, and in 1969 shepassed away.
Circumstances of death
A lot was said about Judy's death, and only the lazy did not know how the body of the actress was discovered. At that time, she and her husband were already living in a rented apartment. Since all the property was forced to sell in order to pay off debts. Due to her addiction, Garland constantly disrupted performances, directors of concert halls put up large bills for her. There was no money even for the necessary household trifles. On June 22, the woman took her dose of pills and went to the bathroom. Her husband found her there a few hours later. Overdose and cardiac arrest. Thus ended the life of a little girl who was broken for profit.
