@Caproni you mentioned Judy Garland earlier and I have to say I think that is a perfect example of what this thread is about. To me, one of the most iconic stars we’ve ever seen and so multi talented as well. There’s nothing she couldn’t do. Such a tragic life but she never failed to entertain.
Judy Garland was the quintessential teen star of her day. She starred in so many big successes, although they've all been eclipsed by THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) in the history books. She made a smooth transition to adult roles in the 1940s with staggering ease. ZIEGFELD GIRL (1941) and FOR ME AND MY GAL (1942) presented her in more mature roles, and proved popular. If anything, her popularity rose as she aged into a young woman. The audiences loved her and she was one of the few women to appear on the list of top ten movie stars at the box office throughout the 1940s. Garland was one of MGM's biggest stars and her movies were practically guaranteed hits. She was given the "glamour treatment" in PRESENTING LILY MARS (1943), but that picture was quickly overshadowed by MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944), one of her biggest hits.
Her drug and alcohol dependency had a profoundly negative influence on her professional and personal lives. Garland earned a reputation for tardiness and causing expensive delays during the production of her films. THE CLOCK (1945) was one of her few straight dramas of the period, but it too was a big success. By the late 1940s, her films, such as THE PIRATE (1948), experienced such delays during filming that it ended up loosing money. On a more positive note, movies like EASTER PARADE (1948) and SUMMER STOCK (1950) were some of her biggest hits. She stayed away from the screen for a few years while she toured in concerts. Producers felt her declining box office power was not worth the headache of dealing with her behind-the-scenes antics that tested the limitations of those involved. Garland made a highly heralded comeback with a musical remake of A STAR IS BORN (1954), one of the most popular films of the 1950s. Her performance received an Oscar nod, although she controversially lost the award to newcomer Grace Kelly. Garland would only occasionally appear in films thereafter, although she would receive good notices for her work in JUDGMENT AT NUREMBURG (1961) and A CHILD IS WAITING (1963). Her last film was I COULD GO ON SINGING (1963), which remains one of her signature works. She later headlined a short-lived television series called THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW in the mid-sixties.
Her life went on a downward spiral until her untimely death in 1969.
Judy Garland is simply fascinating. Not only was she a great talent, she also led a colorful life that is sometimes more intriguing than the movies she made. It is baffling to me how brutal MGM was to her throughout her career. While they enjoyed the money she brought the studio because of the popularity of her films, they consistently criticized her looks. From the start of her career, when she was barely a teenager, Garland was pressured by MGM executives, especially studio head Louis B. Mayer, to fit a "type". They pretty much told her she was ugly and fat. She was put on a special diet, leading the studio commissary to only feed her a studio-assigned lunch, and given caps to straighten her teeth. Her contemporaries at the studio, such as Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr, Elizabeth Taylor, and Ava Gardner, were considered "real beauties", while Judy was always forced to "glam it up" just to get by. They fueled her drug addiction and took absolutely no ownership for it.
She's one of Hollywood's tragedy talents, that's for sure.
