The legendary Judy Garland, one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century, would have turned 100 on June 10, 2022. To celebrate her career, tour our photo gallery looking back at her greatest film performances.
Known as the little girl (she was only 4’11) with the big voice, Garland was a rare true triple threat, holding her own with such great dancers as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, twice receiving Oscar nominations in acting categories, as well as leaving behind a legacy of record-breaking concerts, a Grammy-winning gold album and recordings of iconic songs that no one else has ever been able to capture in quite the same way.
Born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922, in Grand Rapids Minnesota, Garland was the youngest of three girls. They would eventually form the vaudeville act “The Gumm Sisters” when baby Frances was only two years old. After almost a decade of touring with her sisters, the 13-year-old with the new, more star-worthy name “Judy Garland” was signed by MGM in 1935. However, she was too old to be a child star and too young to be a glamorous leading lady, and the studio wasn’t quite sure how to use this awkward girl with the fantastic voice.
Then, in 1937, Garland performed “You Made Me Love You” at Clark Gable’s birthday party and a young star was born. She was paired with Mickey Rooney, a top box office star at the time and soon a lifelong friend, in a series of musicals, notably “Girl Crazy” and “Babes in Arms,” as well as several Andy Hardy films. In 1939, Garland reached a new level of fame and sealed her legendary status as Dorothy Gale in “The Wizard of Oz,” receiving a special juvenile Oscar the following year.
Insecurity about her looks and weight plagued Garland into her adult years, and she longed to be glamorous like fellow stars Lana Turner and Elizabeth Taylor. Her first adult role was in “Little Nellie Kelly” in 1940, but it wasn’t until 1944 that she finally got a somewhat glamorous role. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, who would become her second husband, “Meet Me in St Louis” was her first color feature since “Oz” and she delivered another iconic performance. In her 15 years at MGM, Garland battled with negative body image and demanding shooting schedules, leading to a lifelong addiction problem. She appeared in 28 films at that studio before her erratic behavior led to her termination in 1950.
Four years after her dismissal, Garland made a spectacular comeback in “A Star Is Born” with James Mason. Although the film was notoriously butchered to cut down on run time, Garland was considered a shoo-in for the Best Actress Oscar after a Golden Globe win. Garland gave birth to her third child the day before the ceremony, and cameramen were brought into her hospital room so they could televise her reaction to her win live. In what is considered one of the biggest snubs in that award’s history, she famously lost to Grace Kelly for “The Country Girl.”
Garland appeared in only three more feature films, most notably “A Judgment in Nuremberg,” for which she received another Academy nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actress. Although her film career declined, she found success in television and in concert appearances. In 1951, she staged a 19-week comeback at the newly renovated Palace Theatre, and the following year was honored with a Special Tony Award for her “important contribution to the revival of vaudeville through her recent stint at the Palace Theatre.” In 1962, she became the first woman to win a Grammy for Album of the Year for her live recording “Judy at Carnegie Hall” – which is also only one of two live recordings to win this award. That same year, she became the youngest and first female recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille award. She hosted the Emmy-nominated “The Judy Garland Show” (1963-1964) and played to sold-out audiences at such prestigious venues as the London Palladium, Carnegie Hall, the Olympia Paris and the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, where she was the highest paid performer up to that time (1956). In 1997, almost 30 years after her death, she received a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Unfortunately, she failed to win a competitive Oscar or Emmy, but three actresses have won for portraying her. In 2001, Judy Davis (lead) and Tammy Blanchard (supporting) won for playing the older and younger versions of Garland in “Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows.” In 2020, Renee Zellweger won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance of Garland in “Judy.”
Garland died from an accidental barbiturate overdose on June 22, 1969. Her short life was plagued by negative body image, addiction, five troubled marriages, as well as other sad love affairs, and financial concerns. However, those who knew Garland remembered her sense of humor and the fact that she loved to entertain and bring joy to others. She packed many lifetimes into her 47 years.
Celebrate Garland’s life by taking a look back at 20 of her greatest films, ranked from worst to best (although our opinion is that there is no such word as “worst” with her spectacular career).
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20. Babes on Broadway (1941)
Image Credit: Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock The third film in their “kids put on a musical for a good cause” series, Garland co-stars with her good friend Mickey Rooney. Broadway wannabe Tommy (Rooney) plans a show to help orphans. His new girlfriend Penny (Garland) helps him to produce the show, until she learns he is doing it to advance his own ambitions rather than for charity. Directed by Busby Berkeley with one scene directed by Garland’s future husband Vincente Minnelli, this was one of Garland and Rooney’s highest-grossing features. It also marked the first appearance of future child star Margaret O’Brien, who would play Garland’s sister in “Meet Me in St Louis”.
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19. Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938)
Image Credit: Clarence Sinclair Bull/Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock Garland and Mickey Rooney appeared in 10 films together, three of which were in the Andy Hardy series. “Love Finds Andy Hardy” was their second feature together, and her first appearance in this series. Andy Hardy (Rooney) is having a hard time trying to manage payments on a car and juggle three love interests (one of whom is played by Lana Turner, who Garland envied in real life and who married Garland’s real life crush, Artie Shaw). This film marks the first time MGM used stereophonic sound, and was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2000. Garland and Rooney adored one another, and even though their films weren’t terribly original, their chemistry made each one enjoyable and were hugely popular at the box office.
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18. Little Nellie Kelly (1940)
Image Credit: Snap/Shutterstock Based on a stage musical by George M. Cohan, this was Garland’s first adult role, and also has her only on-screen death scene. Garland plays a mother who dies in childbirth, and then plays the daughter (the title character) who grows up to look like her mother, and reignites the tensions between her father and her mother’s father, who did not approve of the marriage. Also notable is Garland’s rendition of “Singin’ in the Rain” 10 years before Gene Kelly made it legendary, and one of her biggest hits “It’s a Great Day for the Irish”. Partly set in Ireland, the film became a St Patrick’s Day staple.
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17. The Clock (1945)
Image Credit: Snap Stills/Shutterstock Garland’s first non-musical role, and only one of three such roles, “The Clock” is a sweet sentimental love story. During a 48-hour leave in New York City, soldier Joe (Robert Walker) meets Alice (Garland) by accident at Pennsylvania Station. They end up spending his entire leave together, and when they lose each other in a busy train station, they realize they are meant to be together after they reunite. Although not filmed on location, director Vincente Minnelli managed to make New York City come alive as the pair falls in love as they sightsee. Garland’s expressive eyes and ability to show emotion is on full display. As a testament to their acting abilities, it is hard to believe that as this sweet story played out on screen, both actors were going through difficult times in real life, and both eventually died too young.
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16. Ziegfeld Girl (1941)
Image Credit: Clarence Sinclair Bull/Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock Flo Ziegfeld’s follies were widely successful on Broadway from the early 1900s to the mid 1930s, making stars out of dozens of comedians and musical stars. “Ziegfeld Girl” was one of three elaborate musicals made by MGM celebrating these legendary productions. “Girl” follows three women who find fame and heartbreak as the result of the follies: Sheila (Lana Turner), a former elevator girl who is torn between her love for working man Gilbert (James Stewart) and the allure of fame and riches; glamorous European Sandra (Hedy Lamarr), whose concert violinist husband is upset with the prospect of his wife’s success and the skimpy costumes she must wear; and finally Susan, Garland’s character, who must leave her act with her aging vaudevillian father to achieve success with her singing. Although Sheila becomes a star quickly, accesses bring her downfall, and Susan becomes the big star of the follies in the end.
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15. A Child Is Waiting (1963)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Garland plays Jean Hansen, who is hired as the music director of a school for developmentally challenged children. Burt Lancaster plays the stern yet compassionate Dr. Matthew Clark, who runs the institution. Jean forms an emotional bond with autistic child Reuben, whose parents are divorced due to the pressures of a special needs child, and don’t visit him. Hansen and Clark clash over the correct course of treatment for Reuben. Producer Stanley Kramer wanted to make a movie spotlighting the stigmas of special needs children at the time. In fact, many of the extra children in the film were mentally challenged in real life. This one was of Garland’s few non-singing roles, displaying that her acting range was as impressive as her vocal range.
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14. The Pirate (1948)
Image Credit: Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock Her second vehicle with Gene Kelly, Garland stars as young Manuela, who is encouraged by greedy relatives to accept the rich mayor’s marriage proposal. However, she fantasizes about the notorious pirate Macoco. Traveling actor Serafin (Kelly) pretends to be Macoco in an effort to woo her. The score was Oscar nominated, and although the scene was cut in many Southern towns due to racism, the film marks the first time the famous Nicholas Brothers danced with a caucasian (Kelly) on film.
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13. Babes in Arms (1939)
Image Credit: Frank Tanner/MGM/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Another “kids put on a show” film, “Babes” was MGM’s highest grossing film of 1939, a year known for more classic movies than any other, and scored Mickey Rooney an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (19 at the time, he remains the second youngest actor to receive a nomination in this category). Boyfriend and girlfriend Mickey (Rooney) and Patsy (Garland) are the children of vaudevillians who are struggling to keep vaudeville alive. Although their parents think they should find more practical careers, Mickey writes a show for him and Patsy – but they must overcome their parents objections, a local busybody trying to get them back into school, and a former child star who wants to make her comeback – in Patsy’s role in the show and as Mickey’s girlfriend.
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12. Presenting Lily Mars (1943)
Image Credit: Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock A combination musical/screwball comedy, this is one of Garland’s most underrated films. In the title role, Garland plays a small town girl with big star dreams. When local celebrity John Thornway (Van Heflin), a successful Broadway producer, comes home for a visit, Lily will stop at nothing to get his attention. Although he dismisses her as an amateur, her hilarious attempts to be noticed finally win him over, and she wins a place in his show, as well as (of course) his heart. Garland’s knack for comedy was on display, proving she was talented well beyond just her voice.
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11. For Me and My Gal (1942)
Image Credit: Eric Carpenter/Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock Set during the beginning of WWI, and released just after the United States’ entry into WWII, “For Me and My Gal” is both patriotic and sentimental. Loosely based on a true story, Jo Hayden (Garland) and Harry Palmer (Gene Kelly) are vaudeville and romantic partners whose relationship is tested by events surrounding the war. Harry deliberately breaks his hand to avoid being drafted, upsetting Jo, whose brother was killed in action recently. Harry immediately regrets his action, but Jo leaves him. He tries to make amends by entertaining the troops, and ends up involved in a heroic act. Soon Harry and Jo find their way back to each other. This film is both Kelly’s film debut, and the first time Garland’s name is billed above the title, showing her rising stardom and importance at MGM.
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10. Summer Stock (1950)
Image Credit: Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock Farmer Jane allows her actress sister Abigail (Gloria DeHaven) and her fellow troupe members use her barn for rehearsals in exchange for help with farm chores. Jane ends up falling for the lead actor Joe (Gene Kelly), who happens to be engaged to Abigail. Prior to the shooting of this film, Garland had been suspended and was treated for drug dependency. Her weight fluctuation caused problems for wardrobe, and Garland still struggled with her illness and the shooting schedule, and this would be the last film she did for MGM. However, this musical showcases two of her best scenes: what is considered her best dance duet, “Portland Fancy”, with Gene Kelly, and the famous “Get Happy” number. The latter was filmed a couple of months after the end of production, and Garland is at her best after losing 20 pounds. Dressed in a black tuxedo hat, black nylons, and a black fedora, Garland ended her career at MGM with one of her most iconic numbers, inspiring such pop singers as Michael Jackson, whose “Dangerous” routine paid homage to this number.
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9. In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
Image Credit: Snap/Shutterstock A musical remake of “A Shop Around the Corner,” this version takes place in America at the turn of the century. Garland plays Veronica, who sings her way into a sales position, and earns the instant dislike of fellow sales clerk Andrew (Van Johnson). Although they bicker all day, they are also unknowingly falling in love with each other as secret pen pals by night. This film was remade with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in 1998 as “You’ve Got Mail”. Garland’s three-year-old daughter Liza Minnelli makes her film debut in the last shot as their daughter. This movie was the second to the last that she made for MGM, and she proved to still bring in huge box office returns for the studio despite her tenuous relationship with them at the time.
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8. Girl Crazy (1943)
Image Credit: Eric Carpenter/Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock This was the last Garland/Rooney vehicle (although they sang together in one more film – “Words and Music”). This time Rooney is spoiled rich kid Danny, whose father sends him to an all-boys’ agriculture school so he’ll concentrate on school instead of partying and girls. He, of course, immediately finds the one girl within miles – the granddaughter of the school’s dean, Ginger (Garland). After floundering through his first few weeks, Danny decides he actually likes the school and is dismayed to learn the school may close due to low enrollment. So, guess what they do? Put on a show! This time complete with Tommy Dorsey’s band and a Busby Berkeley dance number to “I’ve Got Rhythm”. This was to be the fourth of their movies directed by taskmaster Berkeley; however, the “I’ve Got Rhythm” sequence went way over budget and had guns and cannons firing, which spooked Garland and drowned out her voice, and Berkeley was replaced by Norman Taurog.
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7. The Harvey Girls (1946)
Image Credit: Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock Susan (Garland) is heading west to be a mail order bride, and meets a group of women planning to open a “Harvey House” restaurant. When her prospect for a groom falls through, she joins the Harvey Girls instead. She eventually forms a rivalry with saloon girl Em (Angela Lansbury in one of her first roles) over the affections of the saloon owner Ned. She and the Harvey Girls also have to fight off attempts to run them out of town by Ned’s partner. This is a cheery western musical, and features the catchy Academy Award winning song “On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe”, and reunited her with Ray Bolger, who played The Scarecrow in “The Wizard of OZ”.
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6. Easter Parade (1948)
Image Credit: Mgm/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock When Don’s (Fred Astaire) dance partner Nadine (Ann Miller) leaves their act, he decides to prove he can make anyone a star. Enter young naive Hannah Brown (Garland), who initially is not up to par, but mainly due to the fact that Don is trying to turn her into another Nadine. However, Hannah eventually blooms and their partnership soon flourishes, and Don realizes he is in love with Hannah. After a series of misunderstandings, Don and Hannah have their happy ending as romantic and dance partners. “Easter Parade” was one of the top ten grossing films in 1948, and left us with the iconic songs “Steppin’ Out with My Baby” and “Easter Parade”, as well as the famous song and dance “A Couple of Swells”, which pairs Garland and Astaire as a couple of hobos strolling down the lane.
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5. I Could Go on Singing (1963)
Image Credit: United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock This marks Garland’s last film appearance. She plays concert singer Jenny Bowman, who had a short affair with Dr David Donne (Dirk Bogarde) over a decade ago, resulting in a child named Matthew. It was agreed that David would raise Matthew, telling him he was adopted. However, Jenny re-enters their lives and discovers she would like to have a relationship with the child she gave up for her career years ago. Even though it wasn’t a huge box office success, Garland received great critical praise for her performance. This was filmed during her highly successful concert years, and audiences were given the treat of seeing her character perform on stage, showing what a great live performer she was.
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4. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
Image Credit: Courtesy of United Artists Spencer Tracy plays a retired judge who travels to Germany to oversee the trial of four Nazi judges for war crimes. A small part in a large star-studded cast, Garland is on screen less than 20 minutes. However, she received her second Oscar nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actress (she lost to Rita Moreno for “West Side Story”) for her portrayal of a German woman who was imprisoned for an “inappropriate” relationship with an older Jewish man. Even though he was only a dear family friend, he was executed and she has been haunted by these memories. She reluctantly and somewhat fearfully testifies to gain justice for her deceased friend. In her short time on film, Garland expresses the sadness, cruelty and horror the Holocaust left in its wake, even after the Nazis were defeated.
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3. Meet Me in St Louis (1944)
Image Credit: Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock The affluent Smith family is anticipating the 1904 World’s Fair when Mr Smith reveals that he has taken a position in New York, and the family will have to leave before the fair. Mrs Smith and the five Smith children are devastated to learn they’ll have to leave their home. Garland portrays Esther, who has a crush on the boy next door, who doesn’t seem to notice her. The film follows the months leading up to their move, including Esther and sister Rose (Lucille Bremer) pursuing romances and youngest sister Tootie’s (Margaret O’Brien) obsession with death. Along with the top two films on this list, this is one of Garland’s iconic roles, introducing some of her most famous signature songs, such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, which still brings tears to my eyes as she sings it to Tootie; “The Boy Next Door”; and the Oscar-nominated and extremely catchy “The Trolley Song”. This was one of MGM’s biggest money-makers up to that time, and was nominated for four Academy Awards. Garland also began life-changing relationships with director Vincente Minnelli, whom she eventually married, and makeup artist Dorothy Ponedel, who knew how to properly accent her features, making her feel beautiful for the first time.
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2. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Image Credit: MGM/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock For generations of children before VHS tapes and DVDs, “The Wizard of Oz” was an annual staple on CBS. The story of Dorothy Gale’s venture “over the rainbow” and her efforts to return home with the help of The Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), The Tin Man (Jack Haley) and The Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) continues to delight audiences of all ages. These characters, as well as the Wicked Witch (Margaret Hamilton) and her flying monkeys and Glinda the Good Witch (Billie Burke) and her munchkins, are permanently ingrained into our pop culture. Although it took over a decade for the film to make a profit, this was due more to high production costs than lack of public interest, and the film did very well at the box office and with the critics, making Garland a star. “Oz” is now a beloved film, ranking high on many lists of “greatest movies ever made” and being one of the most-quoted films of all time. It received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, winning two – most notably for the song “Over the Rainbow”, which was almost cut, but became Garland’s signature song. According to the Library of Congress, it is the most watched movie of all time, and was one of the first 25 movies added to the National Film Registry in 1989.
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1. A Star Is Born (1954)
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock Whereas “Oz” is the more iconic movie, “A Star Is Born” showcased Garland’s talents more than any of her other films. Four years after her dismissal from MGM, this Warner Brothers film was a huge comeback. Her ability to show a wide range of emotions, not only in dialogue but in song, is never more evident than in her rendition of “The Man That Got Away”. The story follows the romance of aspiring singer and actress Esther Blodgett (Garland) and matinee idol Norman Maine (James Mason), whose career is declining, largely due to alcoholism. As he helps Esther’s career take off, his is ending. His battle with the bottle takes its toll on their relationship, and when he learns that she is willing to give up her promising career to take care of him, he makes the ultimate sacrifice. Her final scene, as she comes onstage at an awards program, is especially powerful, as she pulls herself together and says proudly, “This is Mrs. Norman Maine.” The 1954 version is the second in four, and there are heated opinions on which is the best. Unfortunately, over 40 minutes were edited from this one, but it still managed to be a box office and critical success, earning six Academy Award nominations, including Best Actress for Garland and Best Actor for Mason. They both received Golden Globes in those categories for a comedy/musical film. In 2000, this film was selected by the Library of Congress to be preserved on the National Film Registry. Dorothy Gale may be the role she is largely remembered for, but her portrayal of Esther Blodgett shows the extent of her acting abilities in a way none of her MGM musicals had.
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I think The Wizard of Oz is by far her Best Movie 🎥🍿
#JudyGarlandFan #GoneButNeverForgotten
I was very pleasantly surprised to see A Child Is Waiting on this list!
As a special needs person it was nice to see that she would have accepted us! Happy birthday Judy!!!!
I have seen a lot of her films. A Child Is Waiting was a very good film I saw as a teenager. I especially liked Meet Me In St Louis