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Judy Garland's sad, terrible life...

Judy Garland left audio tapes that first came to light ten years ago?????

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by Anonymousreply 35July 25, 2019 12:31 AM

I had no idea Judy was so broke she was homeless and there were times there was no food. Lorna was 12 at the time. And Begelman, that slimy piece of garbage stole all her money. Even when she performed at Carnegie Hall. My God, the injustice of it.

by Anonymousreply 1July 22, 2019 5:18 PM

I've been hearing those tapes for at least 20 years.

"I've got the tenacity of a praying mantis."

by Anonymousreply 2July 22, 2019 5:26 PM

Ok it sounds very sad. I watched the video posted. But what are the FACTS? There's so much myth around her. Was she given drugs by her mother? Did LB Mayer molest her? Was she treated badly by the studio??

by Anonymousreply 3July 22, 2019 5:36 PM

Her father was a homosexual.

by Anonymousreply 4July 22, 2019 5:37 PM

Her best friend was a hoarder.

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by Anonymousreply 5July 22, 2019 5:43 PM

But WAS her dad gay or is that just another myth? She gave so many interviews in the late 60s and said many things but she was often so stoned or drunk who knows if any of it was true?

by Anonymousreply 6July 22, 2019 5:48 PM

There are implications that he was gay, because of the supposed scandal of him being caught with a teen usher at his theater, but I don't know that we've ever gotten actual verification of that.

by Anonymousreply 7July 22, 2019 6:14 PM

There's a phone call, recorded by a fan that's really sad. It seems Judy got all involved with her fan club, and this guy was giving her the lowdown on some other member who was spreading "nasty rumors." This upset Judy, and then Lorna got on the phone at age 12 and was asking him what the rumors were. Judy got back on and asked him if he would give her money, and if he would ask the other fans to contribute too. It's very sad to hear.

by Anonymousreply 8July 22, 2019 7:26 PM

Since she was so goddamn funny, I can't consider her "sad."

by Anonymousreply 9July 22, 2019 7:32 PM

I think it's been proven as much as it can be that Frank Gumm was at the very least bisexual. Several biographies and documentaries have discussed it, and people who lived in Grand Rapids and Lancaster talked to the biographers about the fact that in both places, the town fathers told him to skedaddle when he couldn't keep his hands off the young men. Marcella Rabwin, a long time friend of the family, more or less confirmed it in an interview in the A&E Biography of Judy. The Gerald Clarke biography has the most detail about Frank's private life, and it was pretty sordid. Ethel may have been a pushy bitch, but her husband did her seriously wrong.

by Anonymousreply 10July 22, 2019 7:38 PM

But do we believe that Mayer felt her up as a teenager? I wouldnt be surprised to be honest. There's many stories that he was an old creep.

by Anonymousreply 11July 22, 2019 8:02 PM

The Clarke bio says he used to always talk about how Judy sang with her heart, and then give her a big old pat on the boob when he said it. The Frank bio says differently though, that Mayer liked long-legged All-American types (the kind he used as beauties in his movies) and never thought of Judy as anything but a daughter/cash cow.

by Anonymousreply 12July 22, 2019 8:05 PM

I saw someone interviewed once who said Judy told him, ‘behind every dark cloud, is another dark cloud’ as the bank was carting off her furniture.

by Anonymousreply 13July 22, 2019 8:05 PM

Judy never learned how to do the basics of managing a life- bills, checking account, food shopping etc. All was done for her and she became an addict so early in life that entertainment and maintaining her habit were the focus of her life. And romance and sex. The older she got the more the addict took over until it killed her. It is a harrowing story although she WAS very funny and of course supremely talented- an entertainment genius really. She loved her children but addiction took over that too.

by Anonymousreply 14July 22, 2019 9:08 PM

But what about her nephew, Jame?

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by Anonymousreply 15July 22, 2019 9:11 PM

Yes, that was the tragedy of working for MGM, especially as a child. You were both coddled like a baby and treated like a slave. All the child actors who went through the system were damaged to some extent. Judy probably the most, because she was already fragile due to her family circumstances.

by Anonymousreply 16July 22, 2019 9:59 PM

I always thought she had a big crush on Mickey Rooney but he just saw her as a pal. He was such an asshole with women though. Do you think he was a true friend? Or did he use her for publicity. I mean considering after 1945 her fame outshine his.

by Anonymousreply 17July 22, 2019 10:06 PM

He certainly spoke fondly enough of her throughout his long life, and at one point, towards the end of hers, he was trying to convince some of their old showbiz pals to band together, pay off Judy's debts, and give her enough money to have a year or two of complete rest. It didn't work out for some reason, and she died soon after that, anyway.

by Anonymousreply 18July 22, 2019 10:11 PM

After Liza won the Oscar for Best Actress in Cabaret and following the success of her television special "Liza With a Z," Liza knocked herself out going on tour, selling out concert halls all over the world to pay off her mother's debts. She was a good, loyal daughter. Hollywood owed Judy everything and gave her nothing.

by Anonymousreply 19July 22, 2019 11:33 PM

I have always wondered if Judy would have been an addict anyway, without the influence of the studio system or show business more generally.

She always struck me as a borderline.

by Anonymousreply 20July 22, 2019 11:34 PM

"The rest of us will be forgotten. Never Judy."

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by Anonymousreply 21July 22, 2019 11:34 PM

Why was it Liza's responsibility to pay off Judy's debts?

Her mother was dead. The debts should have been erased.

Not like they could legally come after Liza or anything.

by Anonymousreply 22July 22, 2019 11:37 PM

Liza did that tour instead of making more movies, which was a big mistake, as she had a lot of Hollywood career heat at the time. But she switched managers from Stevie Phillips to the man who managed her new boyfriend, Desi Arnaz Jr.,, and he sent her out on multiple tours where she could party her ass off and make loads of quick cash. Her movie career stopped cold, though.

If she did pay off Mama's debts, she was as bad with money as Judy: As R22 said, legally she was not required to do that.

by Anonymousreply 23July 23, 2019 1:36 PM

I read that she had an abortion at a young age, teenage perhaps? Was she raped or molested?

by Anonymousreply 24July 23, 2019 1:43 PM

Judy had at least one abortion: She got pregnant by her first husband David Rose, but her mother and the studio agreed Judy was too young for motherhood and that it would destroy her virginal image. She was browbeaten into doing it, and never forgave her husband for not supporting her in her efforts to keep the baby. She divorced him not long after. There's also a rumor that she aborted Tyrone Power's baby, but that's less reliably sourced.

by Anonymousreply 25July 23, 2019 1:52 PM

Lots of female celebrities back then got swindled out of their money because they entrusted their husbands to manage their money (the husbands just spent it all) or they had disreputable people handling their finances. There are so many examples of this. Modern celebrities are much smarter - they leave their finances in the hands of actual professionals at blue-chip firms.

by Anonymousreply 26July 23, 2019 2:01 PM

Yes, R26, the manager/husband swindling the talent out of money is an oft repeated story. But back in the days of Garland's ascendancy, the law didn't support women. Husbands and fathers controlled everything financial. My mother couldn't get a mortgage, or open a charge account or get a bank loan or buy a car without permission, co-signing from her husband or her father. Women had very little legal power and were often discouraged from asking questions or becoming too knowledgable about "business. They were"taken care of."

by Anonymousreply 27July 23, 2019 2:38 PM

Found an article from 1991 about Liza doing the concerts to pay off the debts, and they specifically mention Judy owing $500K to the IRS. I would bet the IRS went after the estate for the money and that's what she had to pay off.

BWW had a thread where someone claimed Sinatra helped pay the debt off, too. He wouldn't have done that if the debt simply disappeared upon Judy's death.

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by Anonymousreply 28July 23, 2019 4:09 PM

I can't even get my head around them having no food in the house. Lorna confirmed it, but that had to be humiliating and horrible for Judy.

by Anonymousreply 29July 23, 2019 4:37 PM

Sid Luft pissed away Judy's money at the racetrack and casinos.

by Anonymousreply 30July 23, 2019 4:58 PM

She sounds a very needy person. She must have yearned for love and acceptance, unfortunately she didn't have the wisdom to choose with discernment. I really think she was one of the most talented people in hollywood history.

by Anonymousreply 31July 23, 2019 7:39 PM

lots and lots of stars of that era lived way beyond their means. They werent making that much back then and during the 50 s and 60 s the federal income tax rate was 90% for the top tier. The only way around it was to incorporate yourself (like Marilyn Monroe did) and the tax rate was 50%. Judy made poor choices in life career wise, relationship wise, health wise and of course money wise. Yet 50 years later she is still a household name which is worth a lot more than money.

I tend to think her father was gay also as all the men in Judy s life were borderline bi and the same goes for Liza. Judi s favorite sex act per the racy biographies was anal..............you do the math.

by Anonymousreply 32July 23, 2019 8:39 PM

You think Judes ever rimmed her fellas like Mickey Dean's and Mark Herron?

I don't see Sid being into anything other than missionary or violent rape.

by Anonymousreply 33July 24, 2019 1:19 AM

You think Judes ever rimmed her fellas like Mickey Dean's and Mark Herron?

I don't see Sid being into anything other than missionary or violent rape.

by Anonymousreply 34July 24, 2019 1:19 AM

^^ Deanna is still holding a grudge about losing that singing contest.

by Anonymousreply 35July 25, 2019 12:31 AM
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