American Legends The Life of Judy Garland

*Includes pictures of Garland and important people, places, and scenes.
*Includes Garland's own quotes about her upbringing, films and relationships.
*Includes a Bibliography for further reading.
"I was born at the age of twelve on a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lot." - Judy Garland
A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.
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.