December 30, 2014
There was a time, during the height of her career, that this A++ list singer/actress was almost cured of her addiction to speed. On the advice of her then (married) lover, a future Oscar winning director/writer, she underwent several psychoanalysis sessions at the Menninger Clinic. The shrink diagnosed her as being manic depressive and suggested that she temporarily retire and go off her current regimen of uppers and downers. Well, she went cold turkey with the pills (and it worked) but as for retiring, her stage mother from hell put a stop to that. The mother, one of the worst of all time, called up her shrink and screamed over the phone “NOTHING IS WRONG WITH MY DAUGHTER!!” (needless to say, the strained relationship between mother and daughter was further strained to the point of nonexistence). Mommy dearest also called up the head of the movie studio and the head demanded that the star go back to work because of time, money, blah blah blah. All attempts to get her off the pills failed due to her mother’s sabotage and she took the next train back to Hollywood. Needless to say, the film she was set to start work on was one she didn’t want to do att all but it turned out to be one of her best. As for her then lover, they broke up soon afterwards and he always regretted the fact that he didn’t stop her mother sabotaging her daughter’s sobriety.
Judy Garland/lover: Joseph L. Mankiewicz/mother: Ethel Gumm/studio head: Louis B. Mayer/movie: Meet Me in St. Louis
I love this blind. The Mankiewicz family is very interesting - many layers of old Hollywood involvement.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like he was the only one who had her best interests at heart, looking at the rest of her life. Everyone else enabled her to death.
Clang Clang Clang Went the Trolley....her performance was fantastic.
(The Trolley Song)
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad, sad reveal, though many guessed Judy anyway.
ReplyDeleteI loved that film so much, too.
Poor Judy. She made so much money for a lot of people..then they threw her away when she was no longer useful to them. I guess that happened a lot in Hollyweird and still does. still makes me sad.
ReplyDeleteAnd the train wreck greedy parents continue even today! Unfortunately, most child actors burn out long before they reach adulthood and then they are lost to trivia forever.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder Liza is so screwed up. And damn for Judy Garland; she reminds me of Monroe in that their lives were tragic and sad beneath the Hollywood veneer.
ReplyDeleteYep David. RIP Gary Coleman and his inept parents.
ReplyDeleteHer "momma" got hooked in the first place.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of another current reality pimp mommanager.
Wherever she is , I hope she's finally got peace.
Oh fuck, you gave me an ear worm!
ReplyDeleteNow "Clang, Clang, Clang..." is stuck in my head. We watched this all the way through not long ago. Pretty good movie.