Judy, Judy, Judy! Everyone knows her from The Wizard of Oz, but I also love the rest of her musicals, which are often in historical settings. She was a gloriously bright light of Hollywood’s golden age, and she burned out relatively fast in the harsh studio system. But Judy Garland left us her amazing performances, and that’s why she’s my Woman Crush Wednesday.
Susan Gallagher in Ziegfeld Girl (1941)
Jo Hayden in For Me and My Gal (1942)
Lily Mars in Presenting Lily Mars (1943)
Esther Smith in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Susan Bradley in The Harvey Girls (1946)
Manuela in The Pirate (1948)
Hannah Brown in Easter Parade (1948)
Veronica Fisher in In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
Irene Hoffman in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
Are you a fan of Judy Garland’s historical costume movie roles?
Check out T-Lo for their take on Easter Parade. It’s hilarious.
Oh yes!
Hell yeah! I love ‘Meet me in St Louis’ too, sweet, funny, and lush costumes. Go on…go on go on go on go on.
The flick is available for rent on Amazon Prime, so YES, totally on my list now :)
YES! Definitely a childhood favorite of mine. :-) Should rewatch. I didn’t think much about the costumes as a kid—so, looking forward to the deep dive when you’re able to do it. :-)
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” slays me every time. Much crying.
Oh, god, yes, please do a deep dive into all that froth and Judy’s red-velvet ball gown. This might be my favorite movie musical (rivaled only by “Singing in the Rain”); I like that the family really does feel like a family. Has there ever been a Child-Actress-Crush tribute to Margaret O’Brien? Or a WCW for Mary Astor?
Gotta admit, I love Ms. Garland to pieces (& her body of work) but she breaks my heart when I stop to think about her life.
Agree! And that often adds extra pathos to her performances, esp. songs (like ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ in Meet Me in St. Louis, for example).
So true. I am definitely interested in the upcoming biopic.
One of my all time favorite actors. Thank you.
Oh, I love all of these, it is impossible to pick just one. But if I was pressed, her looks in Meet Me in St. Louis were her absolute best.
I’m so tickled everyone seems to love ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ as much as I do! YAY!
She really put so much into her performances. Judgment at Nuremberg is an incredible film, and her turn on the witness stand is just riveting (as is Montgomery Clift’s). It’s not the most interesting film costume-wise (suits and uniforms mainly) but it’s very well written and acted. Also, that particular testimony I think hits on a lot of contemporary issues, although in an oblique way.
Never seen Presenting Lily Mars but gosh what a dress!
Yeah, ‘Nuremburg’ isn’t much for a costume film, but it’s an amazing drama — & stunningly relevant today.
I have a soft spot for “Meet Me in St. Louis,” as Garland there resembles one of my cousins.
I am such a fan of the Great Judy Garland. My two favourite films are Meet Me in At Louis (where she looks gorgeous and of course her incredible voice) – pretty please do a deep dive of this. And Judgement at Nuremberg where she’s portrays the victim of Nazi persecution, Irene Hoffman so poignantly. Her character was accused of being closely involved with a Jew while a minor. And the gentleman was just a close family friend, sort of a father figure.
I also love her in the Micky Rooney teen flicks (you know – Hey Judy let’s put on a Busby Berkeley show in a barn!) and Easter Parade.
Thanks for the post.
Yes! Judy Garland! Meet Me in St Louis is one of my favorite films!! And I would love to see a review of The Harvey Girls. Historically accurate? Hardly. But Judy and Cyd Charisse both look amazing, so I don’t care.
Summer Stock is my favorite of her films. She’s so funny in it. Plus, Gene Kelly. I know it’s not historical, though. :-)
Soon, yes, we may have reviews of both St. Louis & Harvey Girls!
I’m a big fan of Judy Garland and I loved her costumes in “Meet Me in St. Louis”, “The Harvey Girls” and especially “The Pirate”.