American Legends: The Life of Judy Garland

American Legends

by Charles River Editors

In many ways, Judy Garland’s rise to fame seems almost predestined. Not only was she a national sensation at a young age, but her parents and sisters were all vaudeville entertainers. On top of that, Garland’s parents owned and operated a movie theater, making it all the easier to draw the conclusion that singing and acting were simply professions which she was born into by virtue of her pedigree. Judy’s early childhood quickly demonstrated that she had a gifted voice that developed well beyond its years and seemingly did not require any formal training in order to achieve success; her first performance before a public audience came when she was still a toddler, and she would continue to act up until her death, never pausing for more than a few months at a time. That Garland was able to secure starring roles almost immediately after signing a contract with MGM in 1935 only corroborates the belief that Garland was practically born with the ability to succeed in show business and the motion picture industry.

Of course, Garland might be known today based more on her demise than anything else, and there’s no denying that one of the most fascinating (and tragic) aspects of her life story is the manner in which her downward spiral occurred with the same rapid progression as her meteoric ascent. Garland died in 1969 at the age of 47, but she had lost control over her life years earlier and was actually fortunate to live as long as she did. As early as 1950, when she was still yet to turn 30 years old and remained a box office attraction, Garland’s contract was terminated by MGM and she would never again find consistent employment as a movie star. At an age in which most actresses were in the prime of their careers, Garland’s career was nearly finished.

The contrast between Garland’s innocent, universally adored performances in films such as The Wizard of Oz (1939) and The Pirate (1948) could not be more dissimilar to the image of the wasted, drug-addled Garland who passed away as a result of a drug overdose before the age of 50. The question therefore remains: how did Garland go from a position of immense wealth and acclaim to the poverty-ridden individual who was too mentally unstable to act in movies and ultimately died prematurely?

American Legends: The Life of Judy Garland profiles the life and career of one of America’s most famous actresses. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Judy Garland like you never have before, in no time at all.

52 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 17, 2013

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know much about Judy Garland other than her role in Wizard of Oz, that she was pretty and that she was a good singer.

This book filled in a lot of information on her. It's surprising to me she was strong enough to deal with all the pressures put on her, especially by her mother. Still, that type of thing has lasting results as shown in her later problems with alcohol and her marriage to Vincent Minelli.

It's a good book but very sad in places. She deserved better.

[Helen Breen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Little more than a pamphlet, this is thin on detail about Judy with the first quarter of the book concentrating on her parents. It then goes on to discuss, in some depth, some of the films that Judy made and to critique them. This could have been done in a book entitled, "The Films of Judy Garland" and has no real place in her biography, taking up way too much space in such a short publication. There was no real insight into why Judy chose to marry the men she did and no detail about any of those marriages other than the ages of the bride and groom. There are also at least two glaring errors, one of them discussing the plot of The Wizard of Oz: "Garland plays Dorothy, who lives with her unsupportive aunt and uncle... (who) threaten to kill her dog". That simply isn't true! A neighbour, Miss Gulch, threatens to kill Toto. Another error states that, "the film did not actually earn any Academy Awards" when it did actually win Best Original Musical Score and Best Song for Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I learned nothing I didn't already know about Judy Garland but did learn never to read another publication by Charles River Editors

[Shannon Meisel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad.

Got many facts wrong and the editing is atrocious. Even a short bio of someone's life deserves to be truthful, whether or not that person is famous. I mean really, "Auntie Am and Uncle Henry were going to kill Dorothy's dog?" If you have EVER watched The Wizard of Oz, you KNOW that was Miss Gulch!

[Ann Romano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a nibble


I read this after seeing the film JUDY which portrayed her as a good mother struggling to support her family image what she could have become if the studio did not make her addicted to pills. The studio did not know the affect that would have on her life.

[Jessy Lillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story regarding Judy Garland life was a sad story but I’ve always wanted to learn more about Judy from growing up always loving The Wizard of OZ. Even though I wish there was more depth to this book, I’m glad I read it.

[Peggy C Salley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was born in 1941 and reading "The Life of Judy Garland" was to travel my childhood through her movies. A most fun trip from the past. Wonderful memories!

[Nichole · Rating 5 out of 5]

So tragic

Judy Garland’s life was so tragic from the beginning and lasted until the very end. How she went through her adult life, looking for that special love. I hope at the end, she found it.

[Marge Holt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too shallow

Touching lightly on this very convoluted person, the author does address the many issues and problems Ms Garland faced throughout her life. What is wanted and not provided is a more in-depth portrayal. A reader wants extensive insight, recollections and specifics from friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances. Alas, a reader can get this author's condensation of her life from tabloids and tv blurbs. I was hoping for more interviews. more previously hidden facts. a lot more from Ms Garland's personal notes, journals, memories, stated positions, politics, recollections, hatreds, data from her exposed mind and heart. And, if possible, thoughts from husbands and lovers. This was not a great task to barely skim the top.

[Sarah Ross-Koves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore biographies, and The Charles River Editors has numerous short biographies available for free through Kindle Unlimited. I started with Judy Garland. It was short sweet and gave me a gimps into her life. I have Shirley Temple on my Kindle now.

http://kovescenceofthemind.blogspot.c...

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a small briefing on Judy Garland's life. If you want to read a biography on her I would suggest another one. I don't like how they treated some rumors as truths without evidence and some truths as rumors. Conflicting with other biographies about her life.