If you ask most of the Americans where Grand Rapids is, the answer you get is in Michigan. After all, Grand Rapids is located along the Grand River, approximately 40 kilometers east of Lake Michigan.
But there is another Grand Rapids and it is situated in Minnesota. The city is named for the 5.6-kilometer rapids in the Mississippi River which was the uppermost limit of practical steamboat travel during the late 19th century.
I am currently here in Grand Rapids and one of the famous celebrities that came out from this city is Judy Garland, who was born on June 10, 1922.
I first came to know Garland when I was writing a column, “Hollywood Potpourri,” for now defunct Mod Magazine (then one of the most popular publications in the 1980s and 1990s). Later on, I penned some of Hollywood’s famous stars for its sister publication, SP Magazine (SP stands for Special People).
My interest with Garland started when I saw the red shoes she wore in the film The Wizard of Oz, where she sang “Over the Rainbow.” It received the Academy Award for Best Original Song and became the singer’s signature song.
“Over the Rainbow” has appeared on numerous all-time lists and has been interpreted by various artists in different languages. In 2017, it was chosen for inclusion in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress due to its “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” status.
The Wizard of Oz is renowned for its application of technicolor, imaginative narrative, musical composition, and unforgettable characters. It achieved critical acclaim and received nominations for five Academy Awards, among them Best Picture. Garland was honored with an Academy Juvenile Award for her appearance in the movie.
The movie is also noted for the ruby slippers which were worn by Dorothy Gale (Garland. Due to their legendary status, they are, as of December 2024, the most valuable pieces of film memorabilia globally. Multiple pairs were reportedly created for the film, although the precise count remains uncertain. It is known that five pairs have survived.
One of those pairs was displayed in the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History. I had personally seen the ruby slippers when I visited Washington, D.C. for the first time in 2001.
Speaking of the Academy Award, Garland was nominated twice. The first time was for her leading role in A Star is Born (1954). Before her, the part was also portrayed by Janet Gaynor in the 1937 version. Two other actresses played the role: Barbra Streisand in 1976 and Lady Gaga in 2018.
In 1961, Garland got another Oscar nomination for her supporting role in Judgment at Nuremberg, an US epic legal drama directed and produced by Stanley Kramer. Like in her first nomination, she failed to win the coveted trophy which went to Rita Moreno for her performance in West Side Story.
Garland was married five times: David Rose, a songwriter, composer, and pianist; Vincente Minnelli, a stage and film director; Sidney Luft, a show business figure; Mark Herron, an actor; and Mickey Deans, a musician and entrepreneur.
These marriages produced three children: Oscar winning actress and singer Liza Minnelli (who was brilliant in Cabaret) and Lorna Luft and Joey Luft. Her relationships with them were frequently tumultuous, shaped by her overwhelming fame and personal difficulties.
But in spite of her challenges, Garland maintained a strong relationship with her children, each of whom would eventually forge a link to the entertainment industry. Her ability to persevere through adversity, combined with her extraordinary talent, ensured her a permanent position in popular culture and a legacy that endures.
Her passing was a tragedy, similar to that of many singers both prior to and following her. On June 22, 1969, at the age of 47, she was discovered deceased by her husband, Deans, in the bathroom of their rented residence located on Cadogan Lane in Belgravia, London.
During the inquest, Coroner Gavin Thurston determined that the cause of death was due to “an incautious self-overdosage” of barbiturates, with her blood revealing the presence of an amount equivalent to ten 1.5-grain Seconal capsules. Thurston emphasized that the overdose was unintentional, and there was no evidence to suggest that she had any intention of taking her own life.
The autopsy conducted on Garland revealed no signs of inflammation in her stomach lining and no traces of drugs in her stomach, indicating that the substances had been consumed over an extended period rather than in a single instance. Her death certificate classified her demise as “accidental.”
At the time of her passing in 1969, Garland had featured in over 35 films. She is regarded as one of the legends of entertainment, and her legacy has persisted. In 1992, Gerald Clarke from Architectural Digest referred to Garland as “probably the greatest American entertainer of the twentieth century.”
Someone also wrote of her: “No one in the history of Hollywood ever delivered the musical impact that Garland did,” further elaborating, “She possessed the largest and most versatile voice in cinema. Her Technicolor musicals… shaped the genre. The songs she introduced were Oscar-winning material. Her film career encapsulates the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals.”
Garland was a dedicated and lifelong member of the Democratic Party. Throughout her life, she actively participated in the Hollywood Democratic committee and provided both financial and moral support to numerous causes, notably the Civil Rights Movement. She contributed funds to the campaigns of Democratic presidential candidates such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson II, John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy.