Judy Garland
(1922 – 1969)
Inducted in 1991
Frances Ethel Gumm, known to millions of music and movie fans as Judy Garland, was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
Garland was the third daughter of vaudeville entertainers Frank and Ethel Gumm. 2 ½ year old Judy gave her first public performance at her father’s theater on Christmas of 1924 singing “Jingle Bells.” She toured the United States with her
sister in a musical act until her screen debut in the short film Every Sunday. Achieving
critical notice for the musical film Broadway Melody of 1938, she followed with Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry, a film that initiated her partnership with juvenile star Mickey Rooney. The Wizard of Oz in 1939, based on the novel by L. Frank Baum,
brought Garland international stardom and became an all-time film classic, for
which she was honored with a special Academy Award. Judy’s musical career also took her to further stardom, with many hits on major label MGM Records. Nobody worked harder than Judy Garland, nobody equaled her magical hold over audiences, and nobody was ever so loved by her public!
