WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.720 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we are opening 00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:06.360 up a file that is, well, it's less a collection 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:08.740 of documents and more a devastating study in 00:00:08.740 --> 00:00:11.599 American iconography. It really is. A file detailing 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:14.439 a life just defined by extremes. We are talking 00:00:14.439 --> 00:00:16.780 about Judy Garland. We are, and we're diving 00:00:16.780 --> 00:00:19.140 into the sources about an artist who is, you 00:00:19.140 --> 00:00:22.140 know, celebrated globally for her emotional depth 00:00:22.140 --> 00:00:24.719 and just staggering versatility. A voice that 00:00:24.719 --> 00:00:26.780 could deliver the greatest joy and... And the 00:00:26.780 --> 00:00:29.280 deepest heartache, all in the same breath. Yet 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:32.399 her life story became the quintessential cautionary 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:35.920 tale. Right. It's this brutal expose of Hollywood's 00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:39.219 factory system, and I think the relentless cruel... 00:00:40.140 --> 00:00:43.140 Absolutely. So that is the mission for this deep 00:00:43.140 --> 00:00:46.200 dive, to unpack the astonishing career highs. 00:00:46.280 --> 00:00:48.500 I mean, the film icon, the Carnegie Hall legend, 00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:51.100 the entertainer Fred Astaire, called the greatest 00:00:51.100 --> 00:00:53.420 who ever lived against this devastating private 00:00:53.420 --> 00:00:56.039 reality. Right. We have research covering every 00:00:56.039 --> 00:00:58.920 aspect of her life, from her chaotic vaudeville 00:00:58.920 --> 00:01:02.039 roots all the way through her final fraught and, 00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:04.920 frankly, financially ruined years. And we are 00:01:04.920 --> 00:01:08.370 looking at Frances Ethel Gumm. Born in 1922, 00:01:08.590 --> 00:01:11.230 who first hit the stage at age two. Age two? 00:01:11.450 --> 00:01:14.969 It's unbelievable. It is. And she achieved global 00:01:14.969 --> 00:01:17.769 recognition for that powerful, contralto voice. 00:01:18.049 --> 00:01:21.590 This is a life spanning just 47 years that simultaneously 00:01:21.590 --> 00:01:24.989 defined the golden age of Hollywood. And, sadly, 00:01:25.189 --> 00:01:28.790 exposed its darkest, most exploitative side. 00:01:29.460 --> 00:01:32.140 It all culminated in her unintentional overdose 00:01:32.140 --> 00:01:35.379 and death in 1969. So to understand the art, 00:01:35.420 --> 00:01:37.359 you really have to face the chaos that created 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:39.180 it. Okay, so let's start right at the core of 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:41.099 it, right at the beginning. We're in Grand Rapids, 00:01:41.099 --> 00:01:45.040 Minnesota, 1922. Judy Garland was born Frances 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:47.640 Ethelgum, the youngest child of Frank and Ethelgum, 00:01:47.659 --> 00:01:50.000 who were both vaudevillians. She was baby to 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:51.640 her family. I'm not sure she was. And her debut 00:01:51.640 --> 00:01:54.500 was at an astonishing age, too, singing Jingle 00:01:54.500 --> 00:01:56.579 Bells with her older sisters Mary Jane and Dorothy 00:01:56.579 --> 00:01:58.620 Virginia. And they were collectively known as 00:01:58.620 --> 00:02:01.060 the Gum Sisters. So her roots weren't in, you 00:02:01.060 --> 00:02:03.859 know, some stable suburban life. They were purely 00:02:03.859 --> 00:02:06.260 in the relentless, demanding world of performance 00:02:06.260 --> 00:02:08.539 circuits. She was, and you've heard the phrase, 00:02:08.699 --> 00:02:11.259 quite literally born in a trunk. She made that 00:02:11.259 --> 00:02:13.699 a famous part of her act later on. She did. The 00:02:13.699 --> 00:02:16.520 entire family survived by just being perpetually 00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:18.680 on the road. And the sources show the family 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:22.199 relocated to Lancaster, California in 1926. And 00:02:22.199 --> 00:02:24.909 this move. It wasn't a choice for career advancement. 00:02:25.110 --> 00:02:27.949 It was a necessity. A total necessity. And here 00:02:27.949 --> 00:02:30.590 is where the darkness starts to creep in really 00:02:30.590 --> 00:02:33.650 early on. The relocation was prompted by serious, 00:02:33.889 --> 00:02:37.870 persistent rumors regarding her father's homosexual 00:02:37.870 --> 00:02:41.409 inclinations. Right. And her mother, Ethel, responded 00:02:41.409 --> 00:02:44.199 by... Well, by aggressively managing the girls. 00:02:44.400 --> 00:02:47.300 She focused all her energy on pushing them into 00:02:47.300 --> 00:02:49.620 the fledgling motion picture industry. She was 00:02:49.620 --> 00:02:52.159 desperately seeking financial security and, I 00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:54.219 guess, stability through her daughter's talent. 00:02:54.340 --> 00:02:56.659 Exactly. And the relentless pressure from Ethel, 00:02:56.740 --> 00:02:58.879 who was often described as ambitious, calculating, 00:02:59.099 --> 00:03:02.139 even cold, was really the first toxic ingredient 00:03:02.139 --> 00:03:04.759 in Garland's life. That pressure, combined with 00:03:04.759 --> 00:03:07.120 just the chaotic nature of vaudeville, it just 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:09.939 set the stage for all the later anxieties. It 00:03:09.939 --> 00:03:12.039 did. Which leads us straight - to the iconic 00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:14.379 name change they toured the vaudeville circuits 00:03:14.379 --> 00:03:18.460 for years but the name gum was a liability a 00:03:18.460 --> 00:03:20.819 huge liability it was met with audience laughter 00:03:20.819 --> 00:03:25.139 i mean there's the famous maybe slightly apocryphal 00:03:25.139 --> 00:03:27.860 theater legend right that they were once billed 00:03:27.860 --> 00:03:30.180 as the glum sisters because of a typo that's 00:03:30.180 --> 00:03:32.719 the one they needed a serious rebranding to be 00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:35.139 taken seriously in hollywood and it was the performer 00:03:35.139 --> 00:03:38.719 george jessel who encouraged the shift in 1934 00:03:39.560 --> 00:03:42.960 So Frances changes her first name to Judy, inspired 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:47.120 by a popular Hoagy Carmichael song. But the surname 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:50.080 Garland, that's where it gets murky. Yeah, the 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:51.960 confusion begins right there, even among the 00:03:51.960 --> 00:03:54.639 primary sources. It just shows how quickly mythology 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:58.370 took over reality in their lives. Totally. There 00:03:58.370 --> 00:04:00.490 are several conflicting origin stories. One is 00:04:00.490 --> 00:04:02.889 that Jessel just came up with it, maybe inspired 00:04:02.889 --> 00:04:05.349 by the actress Carol Lombard's character Lily 00:04:05.349 --> 00:04:08.090 Garland in the film 20th Century. Okay, and another 00:04:08.090 --> 00:04:10.050 account links it to a New York drama critic, 00:04:10.250 --> 00:04:13.129 Robert Garland. Right, but the sweetest and maybe 00:04:13.129 --> 00:04:15.150 the most flattering story was offered by her 00:04:15.150 --> 00:04:17.689 daughter, Lorna Luft. She suggested her mother 00:04:17.689 --> 00:04:19.930 chose it after Jessel announced that the trio 00:04:19.930 --> 00:04:22.290 looked prettier than a garland of flowers. Which 00:04:22.290 --> 00:04:24.930 implies Judy herself had some agency in the decision, 00:04:25.069 --> 00:04:27.430 which is a nice thought. It is. And this uncertainty 00:04:27.430 --> 00:04:30.170 is actually the most telling detail of all. Because 00:04:30.170 --> 00:04:32.310 when Jessel appeared on her TV show later in 00:04:32.310 --> 00:04:35.769 1963, he humorously offered a new explanation. 00:04:36.129 --> 00:04:38.829 I love this story. It's amazing. He said it involved 00:04:38.829 --> 00:04:41.470 a telegram sent to actress Judith Anderson that 00:04:41.470 --> 00:04:44.730 had the word garland in it. So Judy, live on 00:04:44.730 --> 00:04:48.160 air, asks him directly. Is this new story the 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:51.459 truth? And he just laughs and says, no, Blively, 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:55.259 just no. That exchange is phenomenal. It perfectly 00:04:55.259 --> 00:04:57.920 encapsulates the artifice required in early Hollywood. 00:04:58.139 --> 00:05:00.040 It really does. Even the origin story of her 00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:02.019 name had to be fabricated, and in this case, 00:05:02.040 --> 00:05:04.819 endlessly revised for public consumption. So 00:05:04.819 --> 00:05:07.439 by late 1934, they're the Garland sisters. And 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:10.300 by August 1935, the act breaks up when her older 00:05:10.300 --> 00:05:12.160 sister Mary Jane gets married. And that timing 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:14.439 was just crucial because Judy was immediately 00:05:14.439 --> 00:05:16.709 ready for her solo shot. Just a month later, 00:05:16.829 --> 00:05:20.769 at age 13, in September 1935, she gets her chance 00:05:20.769 --> 00:05:23.670 with Metro -Goldwyn -Mayer, MGM. An incredible 00:05:23.670 --> 00:05:26.029 stroke of luck. Or maybe, you know, destiny. 00:05:26.290 --> 00:05:28.850 Yeah. Songwriter Burton Lane gave studio head 00:05:28.850 --> 00:05:31.670 Louis B. Mayer a tip after seeing her raw vaudeville 00:05:31.670 --> 00:05:34.230 act. So she has this impromptu audition. She 00:05:34.230 --> 00:05:36.949 performs the standard, zing, went the strings 00:05:36.949 --> 00:05:40.089 of my heart. And surprisingly, the very emotional 00:05:40.089 --> 00:05:43.750 Yiddish song, Eli, Eli. And she signed immediately. 00:05:44.029 --> 00:05:45.970 Immediately, without even a screen test, which 00:05:45.970 --> 00:05:48.610 was just unheard of. It was purely based on the 00:05:48.610 --> 00:05:51.269 power of her voice. But this is the moment the 00:05:51.269 --> 00:05:53.589 golden age starts and where the toxicity of the 00:05:53.589 --> 00:05:56.009 studio environment really begins to take hold 00:05:56.009 --> 00:05:59.209 and sculpt her entire existence from age 13 onward. 00:05:59.310 --> 00:06:02.810 Okay, let's unpack this systemic cruelty. Because 00:06:02.810 --> 00:06:05.029 the studio immediately had a massive dilemma 00:06:05.029 --> 00:06:07.550 with Judy. A huge one. She wasn't built like 00:06:07.550 --> 00:06:10.029 a typical starlet. She's barely 4 feet 11 inches 00:06:10.029 --> 00:06:12.470 tall. Too old for child parts, but her girl next 00:06:12.470 --> 00:06:14.649 door appearance just didn't match the required 00:06:14.649 --> 00:06:17.069 bombshell glamour of her contemporaries. Like 00:06:17.069 --> 00:06:19.670 Lana Turner and Elizabeth Taylor, who were literally 00:06:19.670 --> 00:06:22.610 her classmates on the MGM lot. Exactly. Director 00:06:22.610 --> 00:06:24.949 Charles Walters called her the ugly duckling 00:06:24.949 --> 00:06:27.470 compared to the others. And that description 00:06:27.470 --> 00:06:30.899 haunted her for her entire life. He firmly believed 00:06:30.899 --> 00:06:33.240 this insecurity was something she never, ever 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:36.579 truly escaped. It just drove her internal turmoil 00:06:36.579 --> 00:06:39.120 for decades. And the sources indicate that Louis 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:42.319 B. Mayer, the studio chief, he didn't just tolerate 00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:45.120 this insecurity. No, he reportedly weaponized 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:47.699 it. He exacerbated her self -doubt directly, 00:06:48.019 --> 00:06:50.800 referring to her as his little hunchback. It's 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:52.740 shocking. It's just shocking to think that the 00:06:52.740 --> 00:06:55.319 single most powerful man in Hollywood would use 00:06:55.319 --> 00:06:58.060 such derogatory language on a vulnerable teenage 00:06:58.060 --> 00:07:00.350 employee. It tells you everything you need to 00:07:00.350 --> 00:07:02.629 know about the studio culture. Image was everything. 00:07:02.810 --> 00:07:05.089 And if you didn't conform, they would use psychological 00:07:05.089 --> 00:07:07.589 warfare to force you to. So she was forced to 00:07:07.589 --> 00:07:09.970 wear removable dental caps and these rubberized 00:07:09.970 --> 00:07:13.149 discs to reshape her nose and jawline. Constantly 00:07:13.149 --> 00:07:15.310 dressed in plain clothing or frilly juvenile 00:07:15.310 --> 00:07:17.990 gowns, all to maintain that asexual, innocent, 00:07:18.170 --> 00:07:20.910 girl next door image they had so meticulously 00:07:20.910 --> 00:07:23.350 manufactured for her. And while all this professional 00:07:23.350 --> 00:07:26.129 pressure is being applied, she suffers a terrible 00:07:26.129 --> 00:07:29.180 personal tragedy. Her father, who she absolutely 00:07:29.180 --> 00:07:32.279 adored, died of meningitis in November 1935. 00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:34.720 The day after she learned he was hospitalized, 00:07:35.019 --> 00:07:38.160 she was completely, utterly devastated. And this 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:40.680 loss happens within weeks of signing with the 00:07:40.680 --> 00:07:43.180 studio. So you have this profound personal trauma 00:07:43.180 --> 00:07:46.060 just layered onto intense professional instability. 00:07:46.439 --> 00:07:48.819 Her first attention -grabbing performance came 00:07:48.819 --> 00:07:51.339 when she sang a special, personalized arrangement 00:07:51.339 --> 00:07:54.160 of You Made Me Love You to Clark Gable at his 00:07:54.160 --> 00:07:56.439 birthday party. And they immediately added that 00:07:56.439 --> 00:08:01.160 to Broadway Melody of 1938. And then MGM. found 00:08:01.160 --> 00:08:03.800 their winning formula, pairing her with Mickey 00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:06.560 Rooney in the lucrative backyard musicals. Starting 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:09.800 with Thurgood's Don't Cry in 1937. Yeah. And 00:08:09.800 --> 00:08:12.199 then the wildly popular Andy Hardy films. And 00:08:12.199 --> 00:08:14.639 this relentless, frantic production schedule. 00:08:14.660 --> 00:08:16.860 This is what immediately sets up the drug cycle 00:08:16.860 --> 00:08:19.319 that would define and ultimately destroy her 00:08:19.319 --> 00:08:21.720 life. This is maybe the most devastating and 00:08:21.720 --> 00:08:24.350 I think complex claim of her early years. It 00:08:24.350 --> 00:08:27.350 is because Garland was adamant in her biographies 00:08:27.350 --> 00:08:29.529 and interviews that the young performers, including 00:08:29.529 --> 00:08:32.090 herself and Rooney, were constantly prescribed 00:08:32.090 --> 00:08:35.090 amphetamines, the so -called pet pills, to keep 00:08:35.090 --> 00:08:36.970 them awake and energetic enough to handle the 00:08:36.970 --> 00:08:39.870 16 -hour days. And the pace of making one film 00:08:39.870 --> 00:08:42.129 right after another. Exactly. Then they were 00:08:42.129 --> 00:08:44.309 given barbiturates to force sleep so they could 00:08:44.309 --> 00:08:47.230 start all over again the next day. And she credits 00:08:47.230 --> 00:08:51.409 this regular studio -administered use with initiating 00:08:51.409 --> 00:08:54.799 her lifelong debilitating addiction. But this 00:08:54.799 --> 00:08:56.860 is where we have to insert a crucial piece of 00:08:56.860 --> 00:08:59.100 conflicting source material. We do, precisely. 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:02.919 Mickey Rooney, her co -star and longtime friend, 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:05.940 later publicly denied that MGM was responsible 00:09:05.940 --> 00:09:08.419 for her addiction. He stated it unequivocally. 00:09:08.440 --> 00:09:11.159 He said, Judy Garland was never given any drugs 00:09:11.159 --> 00:09:13.960 by Metro -Goldwyn -Mayer. No one on that lot 00:09:13.960 --> 00:09:16.860 was responsible for Judy Garland's death. Unfortunately, 00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:20.429 Judy chose that path. So how do we, as listeners 00:09:20.429 --> 00:09:22.490 examining these sources, how do you reconcile 00:09:22.490 --> 00:09:24.950 these two powerful but totally contradictory 00:09:24.950 --> 00:09:28.009 accounts? Well, I think the essential truth is 00:09:28.009 --> 00:09:30.850 that the studio environment mandated an unsustainable 00:09:30.850 --> 00:09:33.909 pace and strict control over her body, regardless 00:09:33.909 --> 00:09:36.190 of who physically handed her the pills. Right. 00:09:36.309 --> 00:09:39.370 The demands were relentless. She was also forced 00:09:39.370 --> 00:09:41.570 to constantly diet to remain small and youthful. 00:09:41.820 --> 00:09:43.700 There are stories of her being restricted to 00:09:43.700 --> 00:09:45.779 just a bowl of chicken soup and black coffee 00:09:45.779 --> 00:09:48.340 when she dared to order a regular meal. This 00:09:48.340 --> 00:09:51.000 chronic sense of being physically not good enough, 00:09:51.179 --> 00:09:53.779 instilled by Mayer and maintained by the diet 00:09:53.779 --> 00:09:57.840 police, was cemented so early. And as the sources 00:09:57.840 --> 00:10:00.399 repeatedly confirm, it lasted throughout her 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:03.080 entire career. And that relentless control led 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:05.879 directly to the ultimate pinnacle of her early 00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:09.850 career and maybe her career overall, 1939. At 00:10:09.850 --> 00:10:12.429 age 16, she was cast as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard 00:10:12.429 --> 00:10:15.669 of Oz. But it's this near -mythic role that she 00:10:15.669 --> 00:10:17.950 almost didn't get. The sources are very clear. 00:10:18.110 --> 00:10:20.190 She was not the first choice, not even the second. 00:10:20.529 --> 00:10:22.429 Producers initially wanted Shirley Temple, the 00:10:22.429 --> 00:10:25.309 era's true reigning child star. But 20th Century 00:10:25.309 --> 00:10:28.110 Fox declined to loan her out. So then they looked 00:10:28.110 --> 00:10:30.450 at Deanna Durbin, who was also unavailable. It 00:10:30.450 --> 00:10:33.139 was only then that MGM settled on Judy. seeing 00:10:33.139 --> 00:10:35.159 her as the perfect fit for that farm girl image. 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:37.679 And even after casting her, they were still wrestling 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:39.919 with her image. She was initially fitted with 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:42.580 a blonde wig, which, thank goodness, was quickly 00:10:42.580 --> 00:10:45.720 discarded. Can you imagine? And her now -famous 00:10:45.720 --> 00:10:48.659 blue gingham dress was chosen specifically to 00:10:48.659 --> 00:10:51.259 blur her figure and hide any signs of maturity, 00:10:51.580 --> 00:10:53.659 to keep her looking younger than she actually 00:10:53.659 --> 00:10:58.100 was. But this role, Dorothy Gale, it gave her 00:10:58.100 --> 00:11:00.440 the song that would define her entire existence. 00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:04.340 over the rainbow. It instantly became her signature 00:11:04.340 --> 00:11:06.840 song, the piece she used as her concert entrance 00:11:06.840 --> 00:11:09.779 music for decades, and the recording she named 00:11:09.779 --> 00:11:12.820 her personal favorite. She said it was inextricably 00:11:12.820 --> 00:11:15.659 linked to her whole career. Like it symbolized 00:11:15.659 --> 00:11:18.139 the impossible dream she was chasing her whole 00:11:18.139 --> 00:11:20.639 life. Exactly. And the studio's diet surveillance 00:11:20.639 --> 00:11:23.440 continued even during this stressful high -stakes 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:26.159 film. Some early accounts suggest her diet was 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:28.399 literally just cigarettes, chicken soup, and 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:30.679 coffee to minimize her curve. Which sounds just 00:11:30.679 --> 00:11:33.500 brutally restrictive. It does. Later historians 00:11:33.500 --> 00:11:35.320 have clarified that she was actually an anti 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:37.480 -smoker at the time and was allowed solid food, 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:40.080 but the overall intent was still incredibly aggressive. 00:11:40.460 --> 00:11:42.899 Right. Her regime included swimming, hiking, 00:11:43.220 --> 00:11:46.720 tennis, badminton. All supplemented by diet pills, 00:11:46.899 --> 00:11:49.379 with the overall goal being aggressive exercise 00:11:49.379 --> 00:11:53.559 to suppress her curves and maintain that diminutive, 00:11:53.720 --> 00:11:58.059 prepubescent look. So the studio's method was 00:11:58.059 --> 00:12:01.039 less about pure starvation and more about extreme 00:12:01.039 --> 00:12:04.250 physical exhaustion. combined with chemical manipulation 00:12:04.250 --> 00:12:06.970 to control her weight and physical development. 00:12:07.110 --> 00:12:09.289 Is that better or worse than the chicken soup 00:12:09.289 --> 00:12:11.450 myth? It's worse. I think it's worse because 00:12:11.450 --> 00:12:14.190 it's insidious. It created a situation where 00:12:14.190 --> 00:12:17.309 she wasn't just hungry. She was constantly fatigued, 00:12:17.370 --> 00:12:19.970 chemically imbalanced, and feeling inadequate. 00:12:20.389 --> 00:12:22.929 Perfectly cementing the low self -esteem that 00:12:22.929 --> 00:12:26.720 Mayer had introduced. And The Wizard of Oz was 00:12:26.720 --> 00:12:29.740 a critical smash. But financially, the source 00:12:29.740 --> 00:12:32.379 material reveals a much more complex story. It 00:12:32.379 --> 00:12:34.399 does, because of the astronomical budget and 00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:36.799 promotion costs estimated at $4 million, which 00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:38.740 is about $71 million today. And the practice 00:12:38.740 --> 00:12:40.659 of discounted children's tickets. Right. The 00:12:40.659 --> 00:12:42.759 film didn't actually return a profit until it 00:12:42.759 --> 00:12:45.559 was re -released in the 1940s. So it was a successful 00:12:45.559 --> 00:12:47.620 film, but it was an enormously expensive one. 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:51.000 It was. But despite that initial financial disappointment, 00:12:51.539 --> 00:12:55.789 her star power was undeniable. For her 1939 performances 00:12:55.789 --> 00:12:58.789 in both Oz and Babes in Arms, she received the 00:12:58.789 --> 00:13:01.129 Academy Juvenile Award. Making her one of only 00:13:01.129 --> 00:13:03.970 12 recipients ever, she transitioned immediately 00:13:03.970 --> 00:13:06.210 into one of the most bankable actresses in the 00:13:06.210 --> 00:13:08.830 United States. That juvenile Oscar marked her 00:13:08.830 --> 00:13:11.649 forced transition to leading lady status, yet 00:13:11.649 --> 00:13:14.169 the studio continued to exert absolute control 00:13:14.169 --> 00:13:16.370 over her private life and her development. Her 00:13:16.370 --> 00:13:18.710 first adult role was the dual mother -daughter 00:13:18.710 --> 00:13:21.549 part in Little Nellie Kelly in 1940. And this 00:13:21.549 --> 00:13:24.509 film required her first adult kiss, which her 00:13:24.509 --> 00:13:27.230 co -star George Murphy found so awkward he commented 00:13:27.230 --> 00:13:29.629 it felt like being a hillbilly with a child bride. 00:13:29.909 --> 00:13:32.649 Because she was 18, but the studio had so successfully 00:13:32.649 --> 00:13:35.429 infantilized her that even her romantic leads 00:13:35.429 --> 00:13:37.750 felt uncomfortable treating her as an adult woman. 00:13:38.210 --> 00:13:40.610 Just a few years later, the studio's intrusion 00:13:40.610 --> 00:13:43.289 extended brutally into her romantic life and 00:13:43.289 --> 00:13:46.090 her reproductive choices. She had two abortions 00:13:46.090 --> 00:13:48.330 during this very short period. This is one of 00:13:48.330 --> 00:13:50.710 the darkest aspects of the studio system's control. 00:13:51.100 --> 00:13:54.039 It really is. Her first pregnancy was with musician 00:13:54.039 --> 00:13:57.019 David Rose, who was 12 years her senior. She 00:13:57.019 --> 00:14:00.179 married him in 1941 when she was 19. And MGM 00:14:00.179 --> 00:14:02.200 deeply disapproved of the marriage, fearing it 00:14:02.200 --> 00:14:04.240 would completely destroy her carefully crafted 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:07.179 girl -next -door image. So at the insistence 00:14:07.179 --> 00:14:10.019 of both her mother, Ethel, and the studio executives, 00:14:10.379 --> 00:14:14.019 she had an abortion in 1941. The control continued. 00:14:14.509 --> 00:14:16.649 even after that marriage ended. She divorced 00:14:16.649 --> 00:14:19.970 David Rose in 1944, but she had a second abortion 00:14:19.970 --> 00:14:22.830 in 1943 during an affair with actor Tyrone Power. 00:14:23.090 --> 00:14:26.389 The control MGM exerted over her career was now 00:14:26.389 --> 00:14:28.970 absolute over her body and her future. Despite 00:14:28.970 --> 00:14:31.330 all this private turmoil, the professional hits 00:14:31.330 --> 00:14:33.899 just kept coming. She starred with Gene Kelly 00:14:33.899 --> 00:14:36.419 in his screen debut for Me and My Gal. She was 00:14:36.419 --> 00:14:39.340 given the full glamour treatment gowns, refined 00:14:39.340 --> 00:14:42.100 hairstyles in, presenting Lily Mars, but she 00:14:42.100 --> 00:14:44.340 struggled internally, never quite escaping that 00:14:44.340 --> 00:14:46.879 kid sister image or the deep -seated self -doubt 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:49.639 planted by Mayer. The sources suggest the real 00:14:49.639 --> 00:14:51.679 game changer for her image, a moment where she 00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:53.700 was finally allowed to look like a mature, glamorous 00:14:53.700 --> 00:14:57.460 woman, was Meet Me in St. Louis in 1944. Absolutely. 00:14:57.639 --> 00:15:00.320 This was one of her most successful films, giving 00:15:00.320 --> 00:15:03.299 us classics like The Trolley Song and the iconic 00:15:03.299 --> 00:15:06.259 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. But more 00:15:06.259 --> 00:15:08.779 importantly, the film's director, Vincente Manelli, 00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:11.500 insisted she work with makeup artist Dorothy 00:15:11.500 --> 00:15:14.500 Pondadel. And Pondadel didn't try to hide her 00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:17.559 features. She refined them. She extended her 00:15:17.559 --> 00:15:20.580 eyebrows, reshaped her lip line, and, crucially, 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:23.440 removed those rubberized nose discs and dental 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:26.659 caps MGM had mandated. This was a pivotal moment 00:15:26.659 --> 00:15:29.460 of agency for her. She loved the results so much 00:15:29.460 --> 00:15:32.299 that Ponell was explicitly written into her contract 00:15:32.299 --> 00:15:35.059 for all her remaining MGM pictures. And she married 00:15:35.059 --> 00:15:37.940 Minnelli in 1945, and they had their daughter, 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:41.779 Liza Minnelli, in 1946. For a brief moment, it 00:15:41.779 --> 00:15:43.779 really seemed like she was achieving the stability 00:15:43.779 --> 00:15:46.350 and adult acceptance she had craved. She even 00:15:46.350 --> 00:15:48.929 managed a critically praised, non -singing dramatic 00:15:48.929 --> 00:15:51.549 role in The Clock. Right. But although the film 00:15:51.549 --> 00:15:53.830 was successful, movie fans expected her to sing. 00:15:53.990 --> 00:15:56.250 So it was a deviation she didn't repeat for many 00:15:56.250 --> 00:15:59.230 years. It was a brief, stable period of artistic 00:15:59.230 --> 00:16:01.629 exploration that was very quickly consumed by 00:16:01.629 --> 00:16:04.049 the returning pressures of the studio and her 00:16:04.049 --> 00:16:07.909 escalating drug use. And by 1947, things had 00:16:07.909 --> 00:16:10.750 fully unraveled. It was all driven by that relentless 00:16:10.750 --> 00:16:14.210 cycle of work, amphetamines, barbiturates and 00:16:14.210 --> 00:16:16.440 self -doubt. During the filming of the ambitious 00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:19.519 musical The Pirate in 1948, Garland suffered 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:22.419 a nervous breakdown and was admitted to a private 00:16:22.419 --> 00:16:25.000 sanatorium. The cycle was just spinning out of 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:27.399 control. She made her first documented suicide 00:16:27.399 --> 00:16:30.740 attempt in July of 47, making minor cuts to her 00:16:30.740 --> 00:16:32.759 wrist with broken glass. And she was treated 00:16:32.759 --> 00:16:35.139 at the Austin Riggs Center, a psychiatric hospital 00:16:35.139 --> 00:16:38.299 in Massachusetts, which just emphasizes the severity 00:16:38.299 --> 00:16:40.679 of her mental health crisis at the time. And 00:16:40.679 --> 00:16:43.440 all that chaos immediately translated to financial 00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:46.429 damage for the studio. The pirate failed to profit. 00:16:46.610 --> 00:16:49.370 The failure directly attributed to its high cost 00:16:49.370 --> 00:16:51.950 and the extremely expensive shooting delays caused 00:16:51.950 --> 00:16:54.490 by her frequent illness and absences. The public 00:16:54.490 --> 00:16:56.950 was also resistant to seeing her in these sophisticated, 00:16:57.049 --> 00:17:00.210 exotic roles. They still wanted Dorothy. Of course 00:17:00.210 --> 00:17:01.970 they did. They wanted the comfortable image, 00:17:02.029 --> 00:17:04.029 which only deepened her despair and the feeling 00:17:04.029 --> 00:17:05.890 that she couldn't escape the girl -next -door 00:17:05.890 --> 00:17:08.849 persona. But despite this dark period, she pulled 00:17:08.849 --> 00:17:12.339 off a massive success. She stepped in last minute 00:17:12.339 --> 00:17:14.980 to star opposite Fred Astaire in Easter Parade. 00:17:15.019 --> 00:17:17.200 Which became Hollywood's highest -grossing musical 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:19.279 that year. Here's where it gets really interesting. 00:17:19.500 --> 00:17:21.799 Because the recovery was so short -lived and 00:17:21.799 --> 00:17:24.960 the spiral was so rapid, MGM, hungry for more 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:27.480 success, immediately tried to re -team her with 00:17:27.480 --> 00:17:30.099 Astaire for The Barclays of Broadway. But by 00:17:30.099 --> 00:17:32.180 this point, the addiction had taken full control. 00:17:32.680 --> 00:17:34.859 Garland was relying on prescription barbiturate 00:17:34.859 --> 00:17:37.420 sleeping pills, illicitly obtained morphine containing 00:17:37.420 --> 00:17:40.220 pills, and she had developed a serious alcohol 00:17:40.220 --> 00:17:43.180 problem. This intense chemical dependency just 00:17:43.180 --> 00:17:46.180 made consistency impossible. Impossible. She 00:17:46.180 --> 00:17:48.720 missed several shooting days in a row. Her doctor 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:50.880 officially advised MGM that she could only work 00:17:50.880 --> 00:17:52.960 in four to five day interments with long rest 00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:56.380 periods. But MGM executive Arthur Freed viewed 00:17:56.380 --> 00:17:59.039 this as business suspension, not a medical one. 00:17:59.289 --> 00:18:01.809 Right. So they suspended her contract on July 00:18:01.809 --> 00:18:04.789 18, 1948, and she was replaced by Ginger Rogers. 00:18:05.490 --> 00:18:07.890 It just speaks to the utter lack of support from 00:18:07.890 --> 00:18:10.670 the studio, who prioritized the bottom line over 00:18:10.670 --> 00:18:12.710 the health of their highest -grossing star. And 00:18:12.710 --> 00:18:15.329 when her suspension ended, she did manage to 00:18:15.329 --> 00:18:17.329 pull off a return for In the Good Old Summertime 00:18:17.329 --> 00:18:20.789 in 1949. And ironically, she completed it five 00:18:20.789 --> 00:18:23.230 days ahead of schedule, proving that when she 00:18:23.230 --> 00:18:25.250 was healthy, the talent was just overwhelming. 00:18:25.789 --> 00:18:28.569 And it was a box office success. It even featured 00:18:28.569 --> 00:18:31.069 her daughter, two and a half year old Liza Minnelli, 00:18:31.130 --> 00:18:33.829 in her film debut. But the volatility was just 00:18:33.829 --> 00:18:36.029 too much to manage for her next scheduled project. 00:18:36.289 --> 00:18:39.269 She was cast in the adaptation of Annie Get Your 00:18:39.269 --> 00:18:41.490 Gun. And the sources indicate she was deeply 00:18:41.490 --> 00:18:44.009 nervous about the role, anxious about appearing 00:18:44.009 --> 00:18:47.309 unglamorous after finally breaking free of juvenile 00:18:47.309 --> 00:18:50.049 parts. And seriously disturbed by director Busby 00:18:50.049 --> 00:18:52.750 Berkeley's harsh treatment. That anxiety, again, 00:18:52.809 --> 00:18:54.789 it just traces back to that deep -seated fear 00:18:54.789 --> 00:18:58.049 of physical inadequacy and failure. She tried 00:18:58.049 --> 00:19:00.589 to fight back, complaining to Mayer to try and 00:19:00.589 --> 00:19:02.970 have Berkeley fired. But her own erratic behavior, 00:19:03.170 --> 00:19:05.390 repeatedly arriving late or failing to appear, 00:19:05.650 --> 00:19:08.390 led to her final dismissal from the picture in 00:19:08.390 --> 00:19:11.269 May 1949. And she was replaced by Betty Hutton. 00:19:11.670 --> 00:19:14.069 During this time, the sources confirmed she was 00:19:14.069 --> 00:19:16.430 also undergoing electroshock therapy for severe 00:19:16.430 --> 00:19:18.690 depression. The attempts at medical intervention 00:19:18.690 --> 00:19:21.859 continued. She then underwent an extensive critical 00:19:21.859 --> 00:19:24.799 hospital stay in Boston, where she was weaned 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:27.200 off medication. And for the first time in years, 00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:30.099 she was able to eat and sleep normally. But when 00:19:30.099 --> 00:19:32.220 she returned to Los Angeles, she had gained weight, 00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:34.859 and the studio pressure to be thin was immediate 00:19:34.859 --> 00:19:37.319 and immense. So she immediately went back on 00:19:37.319 --> 00:19:39.859 pills to lose weight for her final MGM film, 00:19:40.119 --> 00:19:42.519 Summer Stock. And the chaos returned instantly. 00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:45.400 Her erratic behavior caused incredibly costly 00:19:45.400 --> 00:19:47.940 delays, although the film was successful at the 00:19:47.940 --> 00:19:51.220 box office and drew big crowds. The massive expense 00:19:51.220 --> 00:19:53.380 of the delays meant the film officially posted 00:19:53.380 --> 00:19:57.019 a loss of $80 ,000 to the studio. That proved 00:19:57.019 --> 00:19:59.980 to be her final MGM picture. Her contract was 00:19:59.980 --> 00:20:03.299 suspended again in June 1950 after missing multiple 00:20:03.299 --> 00:20:05.680 days for a royal wedding where she was replaced 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:08.599 by Jane Powell. This dismissal marked the absolute 00:20:08.599 --> 00:20:11.119 bottom for that era. And it prompted her final 00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:13.420 act of desperation while still under contract. 00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:16.240 Following this dismissal, she intentionally inflicted 00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:18.859 a minor injury on herself, slightly grazing her 00:20:18.859 --> 00:20:21.400 neck with broken glass, requiring only a bandage. 00:20:21.539 --> 00:20:23.880 But the public narrative was far more sensational. 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:26.759 They were informed she had slashed her throat. 00:20:27.150 --> 00:20:29.150 And she later explained the desperate motivation 00:20:29.150 --> 00:20:32.130 behind the act. I wanted to hurt myself and everyone 00:20:32.130 --> 00:20:35.930 who had hurt me. After 15 tumultuous years of 00:20:35.930 --> 00:20:39.190 unrelenting studio control, she officially parted 00:20:39.190 --> 00:20:42.890 ways with MGM in September 1950. After being 00:20:42.890 --> 00:20:45.170 brutally dropped by the studio that had built 00:20:45.170 --> 00:20:47.809 and nearly destroyed her, the stage became her 00:20:47.809 --> 00:20:51.059 sanctuary. It became her salvation. She earned 00:20:51.059 --> 00:20:53.599 the title Comeback Queen almost overnight. She 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:56.440 did. Her longtime friend Bing Crosby, seeing 00:20:56.440 --> 00:20:58.740 her desperate situation, depressed and nearly 00:20:58.740 --> 00:21:01.599 out of money, invited her onto his radio show, 00:21:01.720 --> 00:21:05.400 Kraft Music Hall, in October 1950. And there's 00:21:05.400 --> 00:21:07.440 this story. A writer for the show recounted how 00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:10.240 Garland was literally trembling backstage, terrified 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:12.480 the audience would be looking for scars and judging 00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:15.039 her instability. So Crosby goes out first. He 00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:17.339 asks the capacity crowd for their love and support, 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:20.150 explaining what happened. And when she emerged, 00:21:20.309 --> 00:21:22.630 the place went wild with a sustained roar of 00:21:22.630 --> 00:21:25.470 applause. She just blossomed in response to that 00:21:25.470 --> 00:21:28.049 unconditional love. And this appearance was the 00:21:28.049 --> 00:21:30.750 fuel. She followed it up with a four -month sold 00:21:30.750 --> 00:21:34.289 -out tour of Europe. Her 1951 appearances at 00:21:34.289 --> 00:21:36.690 the London Palladium were transformational. She 00:21:36.690 --> 00:21:48.009 called it a new life. She said, And she received 00:21:48.009 --> 00:21:50.549 rave reviews and an ovation the manager called 00:21:50.549 --> 00:21:52.569 the loudest he had ever heard. Then came her 00:21:52.569 --> 00:21:55.029 legendary engagement at Manhattan's Palace Theater 00:21:55.029 --> 00:21:59.069 in October 1951. Which smashed all previous records 00:21:59.069 --> 00:22:01.289 and demonstrated the depth of her live audience 00:22:01.289 --> 00:22:03.990 support. This performance earned her a special 00:22:03.990 --> 00:22:06.970 Tony Award for reviving vaudeville itself. The 00:22:06.970 --> 00:22:09.529 comeback was total, powerful, and driven entirely 00:22:09.529 --> 00:22:11.990 by her own raw talent and the adoration of her 00:22:11.990 --> 00:22:13.910 audience. In her personal life, she divorced 00:22:13.910 --> 00:22:16.410 Minnelli and married her tour manager and producers. 00:22:16.650 --> 00:22:19.890 Sidney Luft in 1952. They had two children, Lorna 00:22:19.890 --> 00:22:23.569 in 1952 and Joey in 1955. And this marriage led 00:22:23.569 --> 00:22:25.549 directly to her greatest film role of the next 00:22:25.549 --> 00:22:29.049 phase, the 1954 version of A Star is Born. Garland 00:22:29.049 --> 00:22:31.750 and Luft took a huge financial gamble, producing 00:22:31.750 --> 00:22:34.029 the film through their own company, Transcona 00:22:34.029 --> 00:22:35.809 Enterprises. And the production was a success 00:22:35.809 --> 00:22:38.190 story for her talent, but a return to the nightmare 00:22:38.190 --> 00:22:40.710 of production delays that characterized her MGM 00:22:40.710 --> 00:22:43.779 exit. The old patterns resurfaced almost immediately 00:22:43.779 --> 00:22:46.259 due to her continued reliance on medications 00:22:46.259 --> 00:22:49.680 and just that internal anxiety. There were repeated 00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:52.119 pleas of illness, significant production delays 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:55.259 and cost overruns that led to angry confrontations 00:22:55.259 --> 00:22:58.420 with Warner Bros. head Jack L. Warner. And Love 00:22:58.420 --> 00:23:01.259 famously suggested inserting the iconic Born 00:23:01.259 --> 00:23:03.779 in a Trunk medley, which was filmed as an additional 00:23:03.779 --> 00:23:06.660 showcase. Despite director George Cukor's objections 00:23:06.660 --> 00:23:09.460 to the already extended length. A star is born 00:23:09.460 --> 00:23:12.400 is the ultimate paradox of. her career. Critically, 00:23:12.460 --> 00:23:15.079 it was a staggering, career -defining success. 00:23:15.779 --> 00:23:18.519 Time magazine called her performance just about 00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:20.900 the greatest one -woman show in modern movie 00:23:20.900 --> 00:23:23.339 history. She was nominated for Best Actress and 00:23:23.339 --> 00:23:25.900 universally expected to win. The sources mentioned 00:23:25.900 --> 00:23:28.259 the almost unbelievable pressure she faced on 00:23:28.259 --> 00:23:30.500 Oscar night. She had just given birth to Joey, 00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:32.880 and a camera crew was stationed in her hospital 00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:35.400 room, specifically to broadcast her acceptance 00:23:35.400 --> 00:23:38.460 speech. But Grace Kelly won for The Country Girl. 00:23:38.859 --> 00:23:41.599 The disappointment was immense, especially given 00:23:41.599 --> 00:23:44.920 the expectations. Groucho Marx famously encapsulated 00:23:44.920 --> 00:23:47.480 the outrage by sending Garland a telegram calling 00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:50.319 it the biggest robbery since Brinks. But the 00:23:50.319 --> 00:23:52.619 critical success didn't translate into financial 00:23:52.619 --> 00:23:55.079 security. And this is where the business side 00:23:55.079 --> 00:23:57.720 of Hollywood truly failed her again. Jack Warner, 00:23:57.960 --> 00:24:00.440 fearing the film was too long for sustained box 00:24:00.440 --> 00:24:03.079 office returns, ordered 30 minutes of critically 00:24:03.079 --> 00:24:06.039 important footage cut to allow theaters to run 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:08.559 more showings per day. Which just infuriated 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:11.019 critics and dedicated filmgoers. So even though 00:24:11.019 --> 00:24:14.059 it grossed over $6 million, a very healthy number 00:24:14.059 --> 00:24:16.480 for the time, the financial consequences of the 00:24:16.480 --> 00:24:18.779 delays and the studio's cost -cutting measures 00:24:18.779 --> 00:24:21.700 meant the film ultimately did not make back its 00:24:21.700 --> 00:24:24.680 immense costs. It lost money. And this failure 00:24:24.680 --> 00:24:27.380 ensured the secure financial position she and 00:24:27.380 --> 00:24:29.960 Luft expected just did not materialize, further 00:24:29.960 --> 00:24:32.920 eroding her economic stability. Despite the financial 00:24:32.920 --> 00:24:35.339 setback, she continued working relentlessly. 00:24:35.539 --> 00:24:38.180 She was Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actress 00:24:38.180 --> 00:24:41.160 in Judgment at Nuremberg. Made her final film, 00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:45.000 I Could Go On Singing, in 1963. And she also 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:49.140 saw early massive success on TV. With the 1955 00:24:49.140 --> 00:24:52.220 debut of Ford Star Jubilee, which was the first 00:24:52.220 --> 00:24:55.579 full -scale color CBS broadcast and scored a 00:24:55.579 --> 00:24:58.019 massive Nielsen rating. Her concert fees reflected 00:24:58.019 --> 00:25:01.119 her recovered star power. In 1956, she became 00:25:01.119 --> 00:25:03.640 the highest paid entertainer in Las Vegas, earning 00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:07.319 an astronomical $55 ,000 per week. Yet, despite 00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:11.269 this high income, By November 1959, her health 00:25:11.269 --> 00:25:13.309 had reached a critical point due to years of 00:25:13.309 --> 00:25:15.750 chemical abuse and relentless stress. She was 00:25:15.750 --> 00:25:18.009 hospitalized with acute hepatitis and received 00:25:18.009 --> 00:25:20.890 a devastating diagnosis. Doctors told her she 00:25:20.890 --> 00:25:22.670 might have only five years left and that she 00:25:22.670 --> 00:25:24.490 would never sing again. That she'd be a semi 00:25:24.490 --> 00:25:26.589 -invalid. Right. And she later said she initially 00:25:26.589 --> 00:25:29.150 felt greatly relieved, commenting, The pressure 00:25:29.150 --> 00:25:31.309 was off me for the first time in my life. The 00:25:31.309 --> 00:25:33.650 only way she could find peace was when her ability 00:25:33.650 --> 00:25:36.079 to perform was apparently stripped away. But 00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:38.500 she defied them. She recovered enough to return 00:25:38.500 --> 00:25:41.619 to the London Palladium in August 1960. Then 00:25:41.619 --> 00:25:44.680 came the ultimate immortal triumph, Carnegie 00:25:44.680 --> 00:25:48.680 Hall. April 23rd, 1961. The concert was immediately 00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:51.599 heralded by many as the greatest night in show 00:25:51.599 --> 00:25:54.259 business history. The audience response was legendary. 00:25:54.440 --> 00:25:57.759 The resulting album, Judy at Carnegie Hall, charted 00:25:57.759 --> 00:26:00.759 for 95 weeks, including 13 weeks at number one. 00:26:00.819 --> 00:26:03.059 And it swept the Grammy Awards, winning four, 00:26:03.240 --> 00:26:06.059 including album of the year. This cemented her 00:26:06.059 --> 00:26:08.259 status as an immortal, untouchable performer. 00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:11.759 Following this, CBS made a truly staggering offer. 00:26:12.059 --> 00:26:15.420 $24 million, equivalent to about $190 million 00:26:15.420 --> 00:26:18.859 in 2024, for a weekly variety series. The Judy 00:26:18.859 --> 00:26:22.339 Garland Show, debuting in 1963. This was the 00:26:22.339 --> 00:26:24.460 biggest talent deal in television history at 00:26:24.460 --> 00:26:26.259 the time. But the necessity behind accepting 00:26:26.259 --> 00:26:28.740 this gargantuan deal is the heart of her financial 00:26:28.740 --> 00:26:30.980 tragedy. She was hundreds of thousands of dollars 00:26:30.980 --> 00:26:33.599 in debt to the IRS from unpaid taxes dating back 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:36.380 to 51 and 52. And the financial failure of A 00:26:36.380 --> 00:26:38.359 Star is Born had left her completely exposed. 00:26:38.700 --> 00:26:41.180 She had to take the deal purely out of financial 00:26:41.180 --> 00:26:43.599 necessity. The show was critically praised for 00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:46.019 its production value and her talent, but viewers 00:26:46.019 --> 00:26:48.799 placed their loyalty elsewhere. It was scheduled 00:26:48.799 --> 00:26:51.579 opposite NBC's immovable Sunday night giant, 00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:55.160 Bonanza. And despite its cost and praise, it 00:26:55.160 --> 00:26:58.160 was canceled after just 26 episodes in 1964. 00:26:58.779 --> 00:27:01.180 This brings us to the core contradiction of her 00:27:01.180 --> 00:27:04.240 career. The art versus the artist, the flawless 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:07.000 image versus the tumultuous reality. Let's focus 00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:10.440 now on the instrument itself. The voice. It was 00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:13.420 described as a powerful, resonant, brassy contralto 00:27:13.420 --> 00:27:17.140 with a strong, natural vibrato. Critics marveled 00:27:17.140 --> 00:27:19.420 at her effortless vocal range and her ability 00:27:19.420 --> 00:27:21.940 to alternate between light, soft ballads and 00:27:21.940 --> 00:27:24.920 full -throated, dramatic dynamics. One correspondent 00:27:24.920 --> 00:27:27.980 noted her deep, velvety contralto voice that 00:27:27.980 --> 00:27:30.240 could turn on a dime to belt out the high notes. 00:27:30.440 --> 00:27:32.839 She just possessed this incredible gift for natural 00:27:32.839 --> 00:27:36.259 phrasing and elegant delivery. And critics like 00:27:36.259 --> 00:27:38.240 Ron O 'Brien called her renditions the definitive 00:27:38.240 --> 00:27:40.599 interpretations of many standards because of 00:27:40.599 --> 00:27:42.720 the raw emotional commitment she brought to every 00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:45.619 single note. And she claimed her talent was entirely 00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:49.180 innate. Nobody ever taught me what to do on stage, 00:27:49.460 --> 00:27:52.099 suggesting her power came purely from instinct 00:27:52.099 --> 00:27:54.539 and experience. What's fascinating is that even 00:27:54.539 --> 00:27:57.380 as a child, her voice sounded mature. She was 00:27:57.380 --> 00:27:59.579 billed as the little girl with the leather lungs. 00:27:59.920 --> 00:28:02.519 A designation she openly disliked because she 00:28:02.519 --> 00:28:04.460 desperately wanted to be known as pretty and 00:28:04.460 --> 00:28:07.200 feminine. Another reflection of that deep -seated 00:28:07.200 --> 00:28:10.039 insecurity planted by the studio. George Chessel 00:28:10.039 --> 00:28:13.029 noted that even at 12, Her singing had a certain 00:28:13.029 --> 00:28:15.849 emotional weight that resembled that of a woman 00:28:15.849 --> 00:28:18.250 with a heart that had been hurt. It was as if 00:28:18.250 --> 00:28:20.190 the emotional suffering was always present in 00:28:20.190 --> 00:28:22.930 the voice, predating the adult tragedies. In 00:28:22.930 --> 00:28:25.329 her later years, the voice lost some of its pristine 00:28:25.329 --> 00:28:28.490 quality, which critics often noted. But in exchange, 00:28:28.869 --> 00:28:31.859 it gained what they termed heft and wear. The 00:28:31.859 --> 00:28:35.200 author Carrie O'Dell felt that the rasp, the 00:28:35.200 --> 00:28:37.059 occasional quiver, and the dramatic emotional 00:28:37.059 --> 00:28:40.059 strain, the damage, actually upped the emotional 00:28:40.059 --> 00:28:42.359 quotient of her numbers. Particularly in recordings 00:28:42.359 --> 00:28:44.700 like the Carnegie Hall concert. Exactly. That 00:28:44.700 --> 00:28:47.660 public wear, that emotional chaos, translated 00:28:47.660 --> 00:28:51.119 into profound, unforgettable art. And her peers 00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:54.539 recognized this genius universally. Opera singer 00:28:54.539 --> 00:28:57.099 Maria Callas, the greatest diva of her time, 00:28:57.240 --> 00:29:00.000 called it the most superb voice she had ever 00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:02.039 heard. And Fred Astaire was even more definitive. 00:29:02.440 --> 00:29:04.960 Judy is the greatest entertainer who ever lived 00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:07.579 or probably will ever live. An amazing girl. 00:29:07.740 --> 00:29:11.339 This incredible artistry existed in direct, often 00:29:11.339 --> 00:29:13.880 devastating contrast with her public persona. 00:29:14.349 --> 00:29:16.890 She was closely associated with the sanitized 00:29:16.890 --> 00:29:19.950 girl next door image, earning the title America's 00:29:19.950 --> 00:29:23.089 favorite kid sister. Fans insisted on preserving 00:29:23.089 --> 00:29:25.529 her as Dorothy, trapping her in an image that 00:29:25.529 --> 00:29:28.210 was decades younger than her actual age. This 00:29:28.210 --> 00:29:31.490 innocent image contrasted so starkly with her 00:29:31.490 --> 00:29:33.589 increasingly turbulent and chemically fueled 00:29:33.589 --> 00:29:36.089 private life. Studio employees and associates 00:29:36.089 --> 00:29:38.809 called her intense, headstrong and volatile. 00:29:39.420 --> 00:29:42.420 MGM dismissed her repeatedly for consistent tardiness 00:29:42.420 --> 00:29:44.680 and erratic behavior, which was fueled by the 00:29:44.680 --> 00:29:51.660 addiction they had helped create. Camille Paglia 00:29:51.660 --> 00:29:58.849 famously described her as cut a path of destruction 00:29:58.849 --> 00:30:02.549 through many lives. And out of that chaos, she 00:30:02.549 --> 00:30:05.430 made art of still searing intensity. She was 00:30:05.430 --> 00:30:07.910 trapped between the innocent image she was forced 00:30:07.910 --> 00:30:10.710 to project and the chaotic reality of her internal 00:30:10.710 --> 00:30:13.329 world. All driven by low self -esteem and the 00:30:13.329 --> 00:30:15.829 constant knowledge that she was the ugly duckling. 00:30:16.200 --> 00:30:18.460 But despite the public narrative that perpetually 00:30:18.460 --> 00:30:21.920 cast her as a victim or a tragic figure, a story 00:30:21.920 --> 00:30:24.279 some critics say she even used to her advantage 00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:27.220 later in her career, she fundamentally disagreed 00:30:27.220 --> 00:30:29.460 with that label. Her daughter, Lorna Luft, has 00:30:29.460 --> 00:30:32.420 strongly emphasized this point. She said she 00:30:32.420 --> 00:30:35.259 hated being referred to as a tragic figure. Explaining, 00:30:35.259 --> 00:30:37.359 we all have tragedies in our lives, but that 00:30:37.359 --> 00:30:39.740 does not make us tragic. She was funny and she 00:30:39.740 --> 00:30:42.599 was warm and she was wonderfully gifted. She 00:30:42.599 --> 00:30:44.640 had great highs and great moments in her career. 00:30:44.779 --> 00:30:46.960 Yes, we lost her at 47 years old. That was tragic. 00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:49.859 But she was not a tragic figure. The tragedy, 00:30:49.859 --> 00:30:51.740 perhaps, Lee, in the circumstance is not in the 00:30:51.740 --> 00:30:54.779 person herself. Exactly. And before we delve 00:30:54.779 --> 00:30:57.240 into the final years of escalating health struggles 00:30:57.240 --> 00:30:59.240 and the financial collapse that stalked her, 00:30:59.339 --> 00:31:01.680 it's vital to acknowledge a dimension of her 00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:04.279 life that often gets overlooked. Her profound 00:31:04.279 --> 00:31:07.119 and serious political engagement. She was a lifelong, 00:31:07.339 --> 00:31:10.539 active Democrat and deeply committed to social 00:31:10.539 --> 00:31:13.099 justice causes. This is an important corrective 00:31:13.099 --> 00:31:15.460 to the popular narrative of Garland as solely 00:31:15.460 --> 00:31:18.759 an emotional mess. She used her star power for 00:31:18.759 --> 00:31:21.579 causes she believed in in 1944 at the height 00:31:21.579 --> 00:31:24.500 of the war. She publicly escorted Brigadier General 00:31:24.500 --> 00:31:26.839 Benjamin O. Davis Sr., the highest -ranking black 00:31:26.839 --> 00:31:29.579 officer in the U .S. military, to a public reception 00:31:29.579 --> 00:31:32.299 honoring him. A very visible statement in a very 00:31:32.299 --> 00:31:34.480 segregated Hollywood. She was also politically 00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:37.920 engaged against the Red Scare. In 1947, she joined 00:31:37.920 --> 00:31:39.660 the powerful Committee for the First Amendment, 00:31:39.859 --> 00:31:43.799 protesting the infamous HUAC hearings that blacklisted 00:31:43.799 --> 00:31:46.160 writers and actors. And she exhorted listeners 00:31:46.160 --> 00:31:49.009 via radio to speak up. against the oppressive 00:31:49.009 --> 00:31:51.029 environment, putting her own career at risk. 00:31:51.190 --> 00:31:53.670 She maintained close ties to the Democratic establishment 00:31:53.670 --> 00:31:56.349 throughout the 50s and 60s. She was friends with 00:31:56.349 --> 00:31:59.210 JFK and Jackie Kennedy, often vacationing in 00:31:59.210 --> 00:32:01.730 Hyannis Port. And the sources offer this amazing 00:32:01.730 --> 00:32:04.289 detail that she would call the president weakly, 00:32:04.309 --> 00:32:06.930 sing the first few lines of Over the Rainbow 00:32:06.930 --> 00:32:11.299 and then just hang up. In 1963. She actively 00:32:11.299 --> 00:32:14.039 used her celebrity during a pivotal moment in 00:32:14.039 --> 00:32:16.359 American history, participating in the March 00:32:16.359 --> 00:32:18.720 on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. alongside 00:32:18.720 --> 00:32:21.240 Sidney Poitier, Lena Horne, and Paul Newman. 00:32:21.440 --> 00:32:23.599 Later that year in September, after the bombing 00:32:23.599 --> 00:32:25.839 of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham 00:32:25.839 --> 00:32:28.720 that killed four young girls, she and Liza Minnelli 00:32:28.720 --> 00:32:30.900 held a moving press conference to protest the 00:32:30.900 --> 00:32:33.099 violence. Her political identity was consistent, 00:32:33.240 --> 00:32:35.640 courageous, and deeply felt. But her personal 00:32:35.640 --> 00:32:38.720 life, post -TV show cancellation, spiraled rapidly 00:32:38.720 --> 00:32:41.559 back into chaos. She divorced Sidney Luft in 00:32:41.559 --> 00:32:44.039 1965 after multiple attempts at reconciliation. 00:32:44.519 --> 00:32:47.460 She alleged mental cruelty and that he repeatedly 00:32:47.599 --> 00:32:49.680 struck her while drinking the domestic turmoil 00:32:49.680 --> 00:32:52.920 was constant and highly public her 1964 tour 00:32:52.920 --> 00:32:55.619 of australia was a disaster a very visible sign 00:32:55.619 --> 00:32:58.099 of her health failing under pressure after receiving 00:32:58.099 --> 00:33:00.720 positive reviews for her first two shows in sydney 00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:03.380 she took the stage in melbourne over an hour 00:33:03.380 --> 00:33:06.900 late the crowd of 7 000 assuming she was drunk 00:33:06.900 --> 00:33:10.099 due to her slurring and lateness booed and heckled 00:33:10.099 --> 00:33:12.980 her relentlessly forcing her to flee the stage 00:33:12.980 --> 00:33:15.839 she publicly characterized the melbourne crowd 00:33:15.839 --> 00:33:19.339 as Brutish. She briefly married tour promoter 00:33:19.339 --> 00:33:22.440 Mark Herron in 1965, though she wasn't technically 00:33:22.440 --> 00:33:24.880 divorced from Luft when they had a non -legal 00:33:24.880 --> 00:33:27.519 ceremony. They separated five months later, and 00:33:27.519 --> 00:33:29.420 during her subsequent divorce proceedings, she 00:33:29.420 --> 00:33:32.359 testified Herron had beaten her. His astonishing 00:33:32.359 --> 00:33:34.779 defense in court was that he only hit her in 00:33:34.779 --> 00:33:37.619 self -defense. Unbelievable. And through all 00:33:37.619 --> 00:33:40.240 this professional and personal turmoil, the financial 00:33:40.240 --> 00:33:43.099 consequences of poor management during the 1960s 00:33:43.099 --> 00:33:45.880 were catastrophic. She had signed with high -profile... 00:33:45.900 --> 00:33:48.500 agents Freddie Fields and David Bagelman. But 00:33:48.500 --> 00:33:50.960 their mismanagement and, frankly, outright embezzlement 00:33:50.960 --> 00:33:54.400 left her completely ruined by 1966. How ruined? 00:33:54.460 --> 00:33:56.759 Exactly. I mean, she was the highest paid entertainer 00:33:56.759 --> 00:33:58.859 in Vegas. Yeah. She had signed a $24 million 00:33:58.859 --> 00:34:01.700 contract. How could she be ruined? The sources 00:34:01.700 --> 00:34:04.259 confirmed she was left owing around $500 ,000. 00:34:04.539 --> 00:34:08.099 That's equivalent to over $3 .68 million in 2024 00:34:08.099 --> 00:34:12.250 to the IRS and personal creditors. So the IRS 00:34:12.250 --> 00:34:16.190 unforgivingly placed tax lands on her Brentwood 00:34:16.190 --> 00:34:19.150 home, her contract with Capital Records, and 00:34:19.150 --> 00:34:21.469 any potential income streams. She was forced 00:34:21.469 --> 00:34:23.650 to sell her beloved home for far below its market 00:34:23.650 --> 00:34:26.090 value just to chip away at the constant crushing 00:34:26.090 --> 00:34:28.969 debt. It's a vicious, unforgiving financial trap. 00:34:29.369 --> 00:34:31.610 She was trying to work, too. She was cast in 00:34:31.610 --> 00:34:33.750 the adaptation of Valley of the Dolls. But was 00:34:33.750 --> 00:34:36.929 dismissed due to her unreliability. A co -star 00:34:36.929 --> 00:34:38.809 believes she had been hired mainly for publicity 00:34:38.809 --> 00:34:41.530 purposes and was treated poorly on set, adding 00:34:41.530 --> 00:34:44.230 to her professional humiliation. Her final U 00:34:44.230 --> 00:34:46.789 .S. appearances highlight the sheer cruelty of 00:34:46.789 --> 00:34:49.349 the financial situation. She performed a successful 00:34:49.349 --> 00:34:52.050 27 -show run at the Palace Theater in New York 00:34:52.050 --> 00:34:55.170 in 1967. Performing with Lorna and Joey Luft. 00:34:55.550 --> 00:34:58.409 This run generated over $200 ,000 for her share 00:34:58.409 --> 00:35:01.070 of the profits. But here is the crushing blow 00:35:01.070 --> 00:35:03.750 that summarizes her life. Federal tax agencies 00:35:03.750 --> 00:35:05.909 the vast majority of her earnings immediately 00:35:05.909 --> 00:35:08.130 on closing night, leaving her with virtually 00:35:08.130 --> 00:35:10.610 nothing. It is genuinely difficult to imagine 00:35:10.610 --> 00:35:12.989 that level of relentless financial persecution. 00:35:13.369 --> 00:35:17.130 By early 1969, she was constantly working, but 00:35:17.130 --> 00:35:19.570 her health had deteriorated severely. She made 00:35:19.570 --> 00:35:22.230 her final concert appearance in Copenhagen in 00:35:22.230 --> 00:35:25.219 March. And she married her fifth and final husband, 00:35:25.500 --> 00:35:28.539 nightclub manager Mickey Deans, in London in 00:35:28.539 --> 00:35:32.059 March 1969, just three months before her death. 00:35:32.300 --> 00:35:34.960 The stability she chased her whole life remained 00:35:34.960 --> 00:35:38.079 eternally elusive. Garland died in London on 00:35:38.079 --> 00:35:42.300 June 22, 1969, at age 47. Mickey Deans found 00:35:42.300 --> 00:35:44.340 her dead in the bathroom of their rented house. 00:35:44.780 --> 00:35:46.960 The official ruling from the Westminster coroner 00:35:46.960 --> 00:35:49.099 was crucial to her legacy. The cause of death 00:35:49.099 --> 00:35:52.539 was ruled an incautious self -overdosage of barbiturates. 00:35:52.639 --> 00:35:54.719 However, the coroner stressed that it was unintentional. 00:35:54.739 --> 00:35:57.219 Exactly. Autopsy evidence strongly supported 00:35:57.219 --> 00:35:59.619 this. There was no drug residue in her stomach 00:35:59.619 --> 00:36:01.920 that would suggest a massive single suicidal 00:36:01.920 --> 00:36:04.599 dose. She had been taking too many pills over 00:36:04.599 --> 00:36:06.659 a period of time, leading to an accidental death. 00:36:06.840 --> 00:36:08.639 Her death certificate therefore confirmed the 00:36:08.639 --> 00:36:11.079 cause was accidental, although one British specialist 00:36:11.079 --> 00:36:14.130 cited cirrhosis due to drinking. A second autopsy 00:36:14.130 --> 00:36:16.550 reported no evidence of alcoholism or cirrhosis, 00:36:16.809 --> 00:36:19.050 suggesting the public and media assumptions about 00:36:19.050 --> 00:36:21.590 her condition were often incorrect. Her Oz co 00:36:21.590 --> 00:36:24.590 -star Ray Bolger commented simply, she just plain 00:36:24.590 --> 00:36:27.250 wore out. Her remains were brought to New York 00:36:27.250 --> 00:36:30.050 City for the funeral. An estimated 20 ,000 people 00:36:30.050 --> 00:36:32.489 lined up outside the Frankie Campbell Funeral 00:36:32.489 --> 00:36:35.409 Chapel in Manhattan to pay their respects. An 00:36:35.409 --> 00:36:38.639 overwhelming nonstop line. The chapel had to 00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:41.019 stay open all night to accommodate the overflowing 00:36:41.019 --> 00:36:43.880 crowd of mourners. And James Mason, her co -star 00:36:43.880 --> 00:36:46.440 from A Star is Born, delivered the eulogy at 00:36:46.440 --> 00:36:48.840 the private Episcopal service, offering a definitive 00:36:48.840 --> 00:36:51.280 assessment of her gift. She could wring tears 00:36:51.280 --> 00:36:54.159 out of hearts of rock. She gave so richly and 00:36:54.159 --> 00:36:56.860 so generously that there was no currency in which 00:36:56.860 --> 00:36:59.159 to repay her. The remains were interred in New 00:36:59.159 --> 00:37:02.099 York until 2017, when, at the request of her 00:37:02.099 --> 00:37:03.940 children, they were moved to the Hollywood Forever 00:37:03.940 --> 00:37:07.150 Cemetery in Los Angeles. So what does this all 00:37:07.150 --> 00:37:09.670 mean for the financial legacy? We keep revisiting 00:37:09.670 --> 00:37:12.329 this paradox. She earned millions during her 00:37:12.329 --> 00:37:14.250 career. She was the highest paid entertainer 00:37:14.250 --> 00:37:16.550 in Vegas. She signed the biggest talent deal 00:37:16.550 --> 00:37:19.750 in TV history with CBS. Yet upon her death, her 00:37:19.750 --> 00:37:22.670 estate was valued at only $40 ,000, equivalent 00:37:22.670 --> 00:37:26.849 to just $260 ,000 today. It is the ultimate tragedy 00:37:26.849 --> 00:37:30.489 of mismanagement, exploitation, and devastating 00:37:30.489 --> 00:37:33.010 generosity. Years of financial mismanagement 00:37:33.010 --> 00:37:36.030 by agents and staff, combined with her immense 00:37:36.030 --> 00:37:38.889 unchecked generosity toward her family and causes, 00:37:39.150 --> 00:37:42.670 left her with a bankrupt estate. Her daughter, 00:37:42.869 --> 00:37:45.050 Liza Minnelli, with the help of family friend 00:37:45.050 --> 00:37:47.949 Frank Sinatra, was forced to work actively to 00:37:47.949 --> 00:37:50.960 pay off her mother's debts after her death. Thankfully, 00:37:51.159 --> 00:37:53.659 connecting the threat of talent, struggle, and 00:37:53.659 --> 00:37:56.440 immortality, her legacy ultimately rests on the 00:37:56.440 --> 00:37:59.000 work itself. She is consistently called a triple 00:37:59.000 --> 00:38:02.219 threat, singing, acting, and dancing with a precision 00:38:02.219 --> 00:38:05.039 and raw emotional talent that remains unmatched. 00:38:05.219 --> 00:38:07.400 The American Film Institute ranked her eighth 00:38:07.400 --> 00:38:09.960 among the greatest female screen legends. Her 00:38:09.960 --> 00:38:12.360 influence is measurable and ongoing. She won 00:38:12.360 --> 00:38:14.460 a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. 00:38:15.530 --> 00:38:17.650 Over the Rainbow was ranked the number one movie 00:38:17.650 --> 00:38:20.610 song of all time by the AFI, and four other Garland 00:38:20.610 --> 00:38:23.030 songs are on that prestigious list. The Man That 00:38:23.030 --> 00:38:25.550 Got Away, The Trolley Song, Get Happy, and Have 00:38:25.550 --> 00:38:27.829 Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. As one critic 00:38:27.829 --> 00:38:30.610 summarized, the core of her significance as an 00:38:30.610 --> 00:38:33.949 artist remains her amazing voice and her total 00:38:33.949 --> 00:38:37.050 emotional commitment to her songs. So to summarize 00:38:37.050 --> 00:38:39.510 the key takeaways from this deep dive, we saw 00:38:39.510 --> 00:38:43.639 the incredible... undeniable highs. The Carnegie 00:38:43.639 --> 00:38:46.840 Hall triumph, the definitive performance in Oz, 00:38:47.019 --> 00:38:49.579 and the critical acclaim for A Star is Born. 00:38:49.860 --> 00:38:52.099 But these triumphs were relentlessly pressured 00:38:52.099 --> 00:38:54.840 and undercut by the studio system from the tender 00:38:54.840 --> 00:38:58.300 age of 13. They forced amphetamines and barbiturates 00:38:58.300 --> 00:39:00.400 upon her and weaponized her physical appearance, 00:39:00.639 --> 00:39:03.280 fueling a lifelong addiction, volatility, and 00:39:03.280 --> 00:39:05.820 deep consuming self -doubt that plagued her career 00:39:05.820 --> 00:39:08.300 collapses. Her immense, generous, and intense 00:39:08.300 --> 00:39:10.840 talent was ultimately unprotected. leading to 00:39:10.840 --> 00:39:13.820 years of financial disaster area status, compounded 00:39:13.820 --> 00:39:16.460 by bad management and IRS debt. And that difference 00:39:16.460 --> 00:39:19.400 between the $24 million CBS deal, the largest 00:39:19.400 --> 00:39:21.699 talent contract of its day, and the paltry $40 00:39:21.699 --> 00:39:24.420 ,000 estate upon her death, perfectly encapsulates 00:39:24.420 --> 00:39:27.179 her life's painful paradox. It does. It raises 00:39:27.179 --> 00:39:30.079 this final provocative thought. The person you 00:39:30.079 --> 00:39:32.650 came to know is Judy Garland. the world's most 00:39:32.650 --> 00:39:35.650 vulnerable superstar, was in reality a financial 00:39:35.650 --> 00:39:38.409 disaster area, exploited to the point of bankruptcy 00:39:38.409 --> 00:39:40.889 and death. The question isn't whether she was 00:39:40.889 --> 00:39:43.650 a tragic figure, but rather how much of that 00:39:43.650 --> 00:39:46.550 famous instability, those collapses, and her 00:39:46.550 --> 00:39:49.269 ultimate early death was an inevitable calculated 00:39:49.269 --> 00:39:51.530 outcome of the financial and physical demands 00:39:51.530 --> 00:39:54.170 placed upon someone who possessed such an intense, 00:39:54.369 --> 00:39:57.090 generous, and ultimately unprotected talent. 00:39:57.500 --> 00:40:00.119 We encourage you after this dive to go back and 00:40:00.119 --> 00:40:01.860 listen to the contrast between her recordings. 00:40:02.039 --> 00:40:04.380 Compare the innocent voice from the early films, 00:40:04.480 --> 00:40:06.739 the sound of the child they manufactured, to 00:40:06.739 --> 00:40:09.400 the sheer emotional heft and wear evident in 00:40:09.400 --> 00:40:11.500 her later recordings. That painful transformation 00:40:11.500 --> 00:40:13.860 is the true immortal story of Judy Garland.