Has there ever been so much talent concentrated in one human being? Both a powerhouse singer and an actor of staggering emotional range, Judy Garland was the consummate entertainer, a born-in-a-trunk show-business lifer who grew up before the eyes of America and who could embody girl-next-door innocence, vivacious vitality, and tremulous vulnerability with equal conviction. The combination of her dazzling talent and tragic offscreen struggles endeared her to a generation of gay fans—and one hundred years after her birth, Garland remains the most famous musical leading lady in the history of Hollywood. This selection of the beloved MGM films that defined her early career—including collaborations with her frequent costars Mickey Rooney (GIRL CRAZY) and Gene Kelly (FOR ME AND MY GAL, SUMMER STOCK) and director and husband Vincente Minnelli (MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, THE PIRATE)—celebrates the awe-inspiring artistry of a once-in-a-generation performer.
Directed by Busby Berkeley • 1939 • United States
Starring Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Charles Winninger
Loosely adapted from the Rodgers and Hart Broadway hit, this quintessential “let’s put on a show” musical stars Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney as the talented teenage children of vaudeville ...
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard • 1941 • United States
Starring Judy Garland, James Stewart, Hedy Lamarr
Hollywood legends Judy Garland, Lana Turner, and Hedy Lamarr star alongside James Stewart as young women chosen for a life of fame as performers in the fabled Ziegfeld Follies revue. Susan Gall...
Directed by Busby Berkeley • 1942 • United States
Starring Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, George Murphy
Busby Berkeley directs Judy Garland, billed above the title for the first time in an early “adult” role, and Gene Kelly, making his film debut, in this glowingly nostalgic ode to the vaudeville day...
Directed by Norman Taurog • 1943 • United States
Starring Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Gil Stratton
Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, in the last of their nine screen pairings, star in this breezy adaptation of George and Ira Gershwin’s blockbuster Broadway musical. Danny Churchill Jr. (Rooney), t...
Directed by Norman Taurog • 1943 • United States
Starring Judy Garland, Van Heflin, Fay Bainter
This charming musical adaptation of the Booth Tarkington novel marked an important turning point in Judy Garland’s career, giving her the chance to play her first “grown-up” role after years of juveni...
Directed by Vincente Minnelli • 1944 • United States
Starring Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor
This glowingly nostalgic slice of turn-of-the-century Americana follows the daughters of the Smith family of St. Louis—including Esther (Judy Garland), Rose (Lucille Bremer), and Tootie (Marg...
Directed by Vincente Minnelli • 1945 • United States
Starring Judy Garland, Robert Walker, James Gleason
Judy Garland received her first serious, non-musical role in this swooning romance exquisitely directed by her soon-to-be husband Vincente Minnelli. While on forty-eight-hour-leave in New Yor...
Directed by George Sidney • 1946 • United States
Starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Angela Lansbury
Vittles, songs, and dance are amply ladled out when Judy Garland headlines THE HARVEY GIRLS, a joyous musical slice of Americana celebrating the restaurants that brought extra helpings of civiliza...
Directed by Charles Walters • 1948 • United States
Starring Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Peter Lawford
The only on-screen pairing of Fred Astaire and Judy Garland, this delightful musical confection bursts with classic tunes and turn-of-the-century charm. Astaire is a renowned dancer who, when hi...
Directed by Vincente Minnelli • 1948 • United States
Starring Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Walter Slezak
The larger-than-life talents of Judy Garland and Gene Kelly, the intoxicating songs of Cole Porter, and the imaginative direction of Vincente Minnelli come together in this colorful musical roma...
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard • 1949 • United States
Starring Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S. Z. Sakall
IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME—a tale of squabbling music-shop clerks who don’t know they're romantic pen pals—shares a celebrated movie lineage that includes James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan in ...
Directed by Charles Walters • 1950 • United States
Starring Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken
There’s an unusual harvest at Falbury Farm: beans, hay, and show tunes! It’s a bumper crop, too, with Judy Garland and Gene Kelly leading all the hoofing, singing, and sparking. In her final MGM m...
