Judy Garland, born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922, was more than just Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz. She was a vaudeville performer from the age of two, a singer with a distinctive contralto voice, and a celebrated actress across film, stage, and concert. However, her life was also marred by struggles with addiction, mental health, and the immense pressures of the Hollywood studio system. This article explores the impact of dieting and health issues on Judy Garland's life, career, and tragic end.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Born to vaudeville performers, Garland's talent was evident from a young age. She first performed at 2 years old. Along with her sisters, she formed "The Gumm Sisters," later known as the Garland Sisters, touring the vaudeville circuit. In 1935, at the age of 13, she signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
MGM initially cast her in supporting roles in musicals. Her extraordinary singing abilities quickly set her apart. It wasn't long before she landed the role of Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939), which catapulted her to international fame. Her rendition of "Over the Rainbow" became her signature song and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
The Studio System and Its Impact on Garland's Health
Garland's tenure at MGM was marked by grueling schedules and immense pressure to maintain a specific image. Forever cast as the girl next door, Garland often juggled multiple film projects simultaneously. Three hours of early morning school were followed by singing rehearsal, and then a day of shooting - sometimes these marathons wouldn’t finish until 5 in the morning.
The Pressure to Stay Thin
MGM executives were worried about any extra weight on the diminutive star, going so far as to refer to her as a “fat little pig with pigtails.” The studio system demanded she diet constantly. Garland's weight was within a healthy range, but the studio demanded she constantly diet. They even went so far as to serve her only a bowl of chicken soup and black coffee when she ordered a regular meal. The studio put her on a daily diet of chicken soup, black coffee, 80 cigarettes, diet pills, and amphetamines. To maintain her weight, Mayer insisted she consume only chicken soup, black coffee, and cigarettes, along with pills to reduce her appetite. As in, she had to lose weight. The studio put her on a daily diet of chicken soup, black coffee, 80 cigarettes, diet pills, and amphetamines. Her waist was corseted, and her nose affixed with prosthetics. They even went so far as to serve her only a bowl of soup and a plate of lettuce when she ordered a regular meal.- Judy Garland: Ugly Duckling, by Anne H. Judy was given tobacco to suppress her appetite while shooting The Wizard of Oz. Judy’s manager put her on a chicken stock, black coffee & 80 cigarettes-per-day diet.
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This constant pressure to stay thin led to unhealthy eating habits and a distorted body image. Garland’s love for food didn’t help. Because her calories were so restricted - executives would go so far as to remove a plateful of food when she was about to eat it - she was permanently hungry and fantasized wildly about such things as a chocolate sundae with pecan nuts and whipped cream.
The Introduction of Pills
To cope with the demanding schedule and maintain her energy levels, Garland, along with other young performers like Mickey Rooney, was prescribed amphetamines to stay awake and barbiturates to sleep. Garland stated that she, Rooney, and other young performers were constantly prescribed amphetamines to stay awake and keep up with the frantic pace of making one film after another. They were also given barbiturates to take before going to bed so they could sleep. This regular use of drugs, she said, led to addiction and a life-long struggle. The studio put her on a daily diet of chicken soup, black coffee, 80 cigarettes, diet pills, and amphetamines. She was sustained by a diet of pills; she was dependent on them by the age of 15. Ethel, a controlling stage mom, was the first person to put 10-year-old Frances on a diet of pills: Amphetamines in the morning, sleeping pills at night. The pattern would continue once she signed with MGM and her diet was monitored.
Garland later described this as "a way of life." She came to resent the hectic schedule and believed MGM stole her youth. According to Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland biographer Gerald Clarke, Garland’s mother was the first to provide pills-both for energy and sleep-to her not yet 10-year-old daughter.
Sexual Harassment
Garland endured rampant sexual harassment as a teenager. Garland was harassed by some of Hollywood’s most powerful men. According to Gerald Clarke, Garland's biographer, she was frequently approached for sex as a teenger. Mayer, who’s been compared to Harvey Weinstein, is said to have groped Garland in his office. While she was singing, he placed her hand on her breast. Mayer also called her the “little hunchback” for her height. According to her third husband’s biography, the actors who played Oz’s munchkins also sexually harassed her. "They would make Judy's life miserable on set by putting their hands under her dress," recalled Sidney Luft in his memoir, Judy and I: My Life With Judy Garland.
Personal Struggles and Health Decline
Garland's early exposure to drugs led to a lifelong struggle with addiction and mental health issues.
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Addiction and Mental Health
After getting hooked on pills at 15, Garland’s health declined throughout her life. She developed dependencies on prescription medications that affected her physical and mental well-being. Her obituary in the LA Times lists her illnesses: “hepatitis, exhaustion, kidney ailments, nervous breakdowns, near-fatal drug reactions, overweight, underweight, and injuries suffered in falls.”
While filming The Pirate in 1947, Garland suffered a nervous breakdown and was admitted to a private sanatorium. She was able to complete filming, but in July 1947 she made her first suicide attempt, making minor cuts to her wrist with a broken glass. During this period, she spent two weeks in treatment at the Austen Riggs Center, a psychiatric hospital in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Financial Difficulties and Marital Problems
Garland's personal life was tumultuous. She was married five times and had three children, including actresses Liza Minnelli and Lorna Luft. Financial difficulties, including substantial tax debts, added to her burdens.
Her first marriage was essentially a bid for freedom. In 1941, a 19-year-old Garland married 30-year-old composer David Rose against the wishes of her mother and MGM. In 1945, she married director Vincente Minnelli. They had a child, Liza, but divorced in 1951, as Minnelli was having an affair with a man. Garland had two children with her next husband, Sidney Luft. Her fourth husband, actor Mark Herron, was gay. Garland divorced him after he was abusive toward her. After his brief marriage to Garland, Herron was in a committed relationship with another actor. Garland met her last husband, Mickey Deans, when he was delivering stimulants to her. They were married only three months before she died. “He gave in to her and he fed her all the things she wanted,” Rosalyn Wilder, a colleague, said.
She was forced into having abortions.
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Later Career and Final Years
Despite her personal struggles, Garland continued to perform and record music. In 1961, she won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for Judy at Carnegie Hall. However, her health continued to decline, and her performances became increasingly erratic.
In the late ‘60s, when Garland was in her 40s, she was destitute, near homeless, and owed thousands in back taxes to the IRS. She sustained herself making $100 a night singing in bars. She was suicidal and broken down from a series of illnesses. Take that, put it in front of a live audience, and you’ll get the series of London performances she did in 1969. Some nights, she put on a good show. Other nights, she came in extremely late, slurred her speech, and was booed offstage.
Her last concert was on March 25, 1969 in Copenhagen. She died months later in her London home, the result of an accidental barbiturate overdose. She died from an accidental barbiturate overdose at age 47 in 1969.