On June 10, 1922 a star was born. Born in a trunk to a vaudeville couple, Ethel and Frank Gumm. They christened their new born daughter "Frances Ethel Gumm", whom we all know as Judy Garland, our very own Dorothy. The moment she stepped into those ruby, red slippers she stepped into our hearts, skipping her way on the yellow brick road to stardom.

She made her debut at a tender age of two and a half "Baby Gumm" as she was named then, made on the stage of the New Grand, between showings of the movie entitled "Thru The Back Door" starring Mary Pickford, on December 26, 1924.

Judy Garland, whose singing talent was described as the "little girl with the big voice", sang her way into the hearts of her adoring fans. She was dubbed as the next Ethel Merman, her voice noted as a "belter". She sang and she reached into our souls with all the passion and emotions, that separate the amatuers from the pros. Judy Garland was, indeed, a pro.

One of the big events in Judy's life was a birthday party for Clark Gable in 1936. Roger Edens wrote a special treatment of the song "You Made Me Love You", which he called "Dear Mr. Gable." MGM assigned Judy to sing the song at the party on the lot. As she sang the song, she looked up to Mr. Gable and he wept. Mr. Gable gave Judy a bracelet, and everytime he heard her sing thereafter, he always stood up while she sang. Judy rose to international fame after she performed the song "Dear Mr. Gable, You Made Me Love You" at the age of 15.

Appearing in 32 feature films. She starred with Mickey Rooney in three Andy Hardy films. Sixteen Hardy films in all. The series won a special Academy Award in 1942 for "Furthering the American Way of Life."

Television loved Judy as well, starring in 30 Judy Garland Television series garnering a total of 10 Emmy Award nominations. She fulfilled more than 1,100 theater, nightclub and concert performances in 18 years from 1951 until 1969. She Received a special Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for record-breaking Broadway engagements at the Palace.

The record Judy at Carnegie Hall received an unprecendented 5 Grammy Awards in 1962, including Album of the Year. Her radio work encompassed several hundred broadcasts. She sang at countless benefits for the military during WWII.

Judy appeared in a total of 43 films. Dubbed the reigning "queen of the musicals", making more musicals than any other actress during her time at MGM. Musicals which are the most demanding movies, requiring not only acting skills but also singing and dancing. Almost all of Judy's movies at MGM were major hits as well as breaking box office attendance records.

As an adult, Judy was four feet, eleven inches tall. Her favorite color was red. Her favorite dinner was steak and kidney pie. Judy was married five times; her husbands were David Rose, Vincente Minnelli, Sid Luft, Mark Herron, and Mickey Deans. She had three children: Liza Minnelli, born March 12, 1946 Lorna Luft, Born November 29, 1952 Joseph Wiley Luft, born March 29, 1954 Judy has two grandchildren: Jesse Cole Richards and Vanessa Jade Richards, by her daughter Lorna Luft.

She was famous for many songs which ironically also portrayed the searching she seemed to be doing in her personal life. Songs such as "The Man That Got Away", 'You Made Me Love You" and "Stormy Weather". The movie that was a milestone in her career, "The Wizard Of OZ", enchanting new generations of movie goers, still charms the young and the old; remains this day a classic. The first movie to introduce technicolor to the big screen. Judy was 16, when the Wizard of Oz was released in August, 1939. Judy won a special miniature Oscar for "most outstanding performance by a juvenile". It was the only Academy Award Judy ever received. She referred to the miniature statuette as her "Munchkin Award". The Wizard of Oz won an Academy Award for Best Song ,"Over the Rainbow" in which Judy introduced, a song that is still synonymous with Judy Garland.

The critics comments of the Wizard of Oz and Judy Garland were more than favorable. From the New York Times: "A delightful piece of wonder-working which had the youngsters' eyes shining and brought a quietly amused gleam to the wiser ones of the oldsters. Judy Garland's Dorothy is a pert and fresh-faced miss with the wonder-lit eyes of a believer in fairy tales." (Frank S. Nugent)

The New York Daily News had this to say: "4 stars. Judy Garland is perfectly cast as Dorothy. She is as clever a little actress as she is a singer and her special style of vocalizing is ideally adapted to the music of the picture." (Kate Cameron)

The New York Post: "Excellent. Brilliantly Technicolored...a beautiful and humourous fantasy the appeal of which is not limited to juvenile trade. The performances are beyond cavil. Miss Garland makes a delightful Dorothy. [It's] a picture to put on your things-to-do today list." (Archer Winsten)

A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Picture (1939), Judy Garland starred in the cast along with Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charles Grapewin, Clara Blondick, Pat Walshe, and The Singer Midgets as the Munchinkins, and last but not least, that adorable dog "Toto".

Judy Garland wrote a collection of poems, "Judy Garlands Book of Poems", in her teenage years. The First Cigarette is one of many we found entertaining.