1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,440 Speaker 1: This episode contains content that may be disturbing to some listeners. 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:07,640 Speaker 1: Please check the show notes for more information. Hollywood Land 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: is a production of Double Elvis. 4 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 2: You Do When I'm On of. 5 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 1: The stories about Judy Garland are insane. She began a 6 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: daily regiment of diet pills and downers when she was 7 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: only fourteen years old. She subsisted on a diet of 8 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,600 Speaker 1: chicken soup, black coffee, and cigarettes to remain ninety eight 9 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: pounds at the request of MGM's studios. Her decades long 10 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: dependence on pills caused her liver to swell to four 11 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 1: times its normal size, nearly killing her in her late thirties. 12 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 1: But despite all the abuse her body received from a 13 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: very early age, Judy Garland made great films. Unlike that 14 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: clip I played for you at the top of the show. 15 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: That wasn't a clip from a great film. That was 16 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 1: a fair use sample from the Library of Congress of 17 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 1: the Homestead Trio performing Just a Baby's Prayer at Twilight 18 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 1: in nineteen eighteen. I played you that clip because I 19 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: can't afford the rights to Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard, And 20 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:42,960 Speaker 1: why would I play you that specific slice of ready 21 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: for my close up Cheese. Could I afford it? Because 22 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: that was the number one movie in America On September 23 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: twenty ninth, nineteen fifty in that was the day MGM 24 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 1: dissolved their contract with Judy Garland, leaving her completely alone 25 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: for the first time in her life. On this episode, 26 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: Uppers Downers near fatal diets MGM in their Little Movie 27 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 1: Star Too, Judy Garland, I'm Jake Brennan and this is 28 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:48,080 Speaker 1: Hollywood Land. The taxi blitz through another red light. Judy 29 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 1: Garland watched the traffic signal shrink in the rear view 30 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,000 Speaker 1: mirror as the car raced forward. That was the second 31 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 1: one the driver ignored for count was correct. The cab 32 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: glided like a checkered yellow race car, swore speeding, switching 33 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: lanes on a dime with fractions of a second despair. 34 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: Red lights were merely suggestions, and this cabby wasn't taking 35 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 1: any unsolicited advice. Today, you'd be hard pressed to find 36 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: an ambulance driver who could do any better. Judy's husband 37 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: flagged the right cab driver that day, and that much 38 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:21,120 Speaker 1: was certain. It didn't matter who he pissed off for 39 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,080 Speaker 1: whose new paint job he dinged this ride was a 40 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 1: matter of life or death. Frankly, at this point it 41 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: was closer to death. Judy rested her hands over her stomach, 42 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: like an expectant mother in the back seat. The plush 43 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:38,839 Speaker 1: fabric of her gown strained to contain her swollen flesh. 44 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: She imagined the buttons down her back bursting off one 45 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: at a time, in the sleeves of her gown, cutting 46 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: into her thick biceps in the stage clothes, slicing her 47 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 1: porcelain skin. Her third and current husband said love. Rested 48 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: a hand on her knee, also swollen. Everything about Judy 49 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: Garwin was swollen. You didn't even think could swell. Sidney 50 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: had never seen anything like it perform. He gave her 51 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 1: inflated knee as sympathetic squeeze and forced a smile, But 52 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: when his gaze drifted to the martini in Judy's hand, 53 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: his smile crumpled into a grimace. November nineteen fifty nine. 54 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 1: In the beginning, Sidney didn't think anything of Judy's weight game. 55 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: Not when her current tour began right here in New 56 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 1: York roughly six months prior. In May. She looked exuberant 57 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: well as exuberant as a woman addicted to prescription pills 58 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:36,240 Speaker 1: could be. While Judy eight pills like candy. Her fans 59 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: ate up her live performances, swooning over her renditions of 60 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 1: famous show tunes. Sidney booked the shows, Judy sang the classics. 61 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 1: It was an arrangement that kept Judy off movie sets 62 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 1: and kept her hardcore admirers aka the Cult of Garland happy. 63 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: By nineteen fifty nine, Judy had repeated this rigorous regimen 64 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,280 Speaker 1: of performances hundreds of times. She even said a new 65 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 1: record for most consecutive shows at the Palace Theater in 66 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 1: Los Angeles. Judy once packed the Palace every day, twice 67 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 1: a day for nineteen weeks straight, no days off. Judy 68 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:14,719 Speaker 1: single handedly brought eight hundred thousand people to the Palace 69 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 1: between nineteen fifty one and nineteen fifty two, making her 70 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,920 Speaker 1: solely responsible for the renewal of America's premiere vaudeville theater. 71 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 1: But that was at the beginning of the fifties. This 72 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: was the tail end of the decade. Judy was thirty seven. Now, 73 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: she wore almost twenty five years of showbiz, and the 74 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: lines on her face most people with deep seated addictions 75 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:39,559 Speaker 1: didn't make it to twenty seven, let alone thirty seven. 76 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:42,919 Speaker 1: She and Sydney had to cough up their own cash 77 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:47,279 Speaker 1: to finance and promoter performances. As Judy's figure bloated further 78 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:50,359 Speaker 1: over a six month operatur, it became clear why no 79 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 1: insurance company wanted to touch her. Sidney knew his wife, he 80 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 1: knew her way fluctuated whose didn't. But something was different 81 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 1: this time. This didn't just seem like extra pounds. Something 82 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:06,719 Speaker 1: was very wrong. So Sidney devised a plan. He rang 83 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: up a doctor pal of his and invited him to 84 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 1: stop backstage before a show. Sidney instructed the doctor to 85 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 1: visit him and Judy away from the crowds, and while 86 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: he was back there, he needed to get a good 87 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 1: glimpse of Judy. He was to report back to Sydney 88 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:24,920 Speaker 1: under the radar. The doctor's discreete diagnosis was worse than 89 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: Sydney imagined. Judy hadn't gained weight, not in the normal sense. Instead, 90 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:34,719 Speaker 1: her body was flush with toxic fluids and after effect 91 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:37,080 Speaker 1: of her daily pill popping. That went back to her 92 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 1: formative years as a teenage actress, back when MGM pumped 93 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: her full of chemicals like a labrat. The build up 94 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 1: meant that something in Judy's body wasn't functioning properly, her spleen, 95 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:52,160 Speaker 1: or her pancreas, even her liver, maybe all the above. 96 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:55,839 Speaker 1: Her condition was so severe that the doctor informed Sidney 97 00:06:55,839 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: that Judy could slip into a coma at any moment, 98 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 1: and there was no guarantee she come out of it either. 99 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 1: The odds were grim, but not as grim as what 100 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 1: Judy demanded next. Apparently, the urgency of her current medical 101 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: situation paled in comparison to Judy's urgent thirst for a 102 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 1: stiff drink. When Sydney tried to coerce her into a cab, 103 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:21,760 Speaker 1: Judy's face snapped, and there was her stubbornness smuggled inside 104 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: that Transatlantic accent of hers. She wasn't going anywhere she 105 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:28,360 Speaker 1: had found her husband, not until she had a martini 106 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 1: in her hand. Sidney wanted to snap right back at her. 107 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 1: She was a stuck up fool, incapable of seeing the 108 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:38,360 Speaker 1: irony of her request, but arguing meant losing precious time. 109 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 1: Sidney conceded. Judy got her triple vodka. She nursed it 110 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 1: in the back seat of the taxi. That Sidney had 111 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 1: flagged down. Judy clutched her drink in one gloved hand 112 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 1: and tapped the cavey on the shoulder with the other. 113 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 1: She instructed him to whisker her away to the doctor's 114 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:55,280 Speaker 1: hospital on East End Avenue and to fucking step on it. 115 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: Judy didn't slip into a coma in the backseatraculously, her 116 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: liver held out for the ride as she doused it 117 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 1: with more alcohol, even more poison on top of the 118 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 1: poison she was already packing. After she weakly sauntered into 119 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 1: the hospital, doctors drained twenty quarts of toxic fluids from 120 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 1: her body. That's five gallons, five gallons of poison swishing 121 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 1: around in her body, inflating her limbs, her stomach, her 122 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 1: face every day for god knows how many months. As 123 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 1: it turns out, Judy's liver had grown to four times 124 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:33,840 Speaker 1: its normal size, undoubtedly the result of two plus decades 125 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 1: of pill and alcohol abuse. Judy wilted in a hospital 126 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: bed for nearly two months. The whispers, on the other hand, flourished. 127 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,680 Speaker 1: Judy Garland might not make it. Judy Garland had already 128 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:52,320 Speaker 1: performed her final show, but Judy's signature stubborness resurfaced. After 129 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:56,600 Speaker 1: seven weeks, she pulled through, perhaps if only, despite the naysayers. 130 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 1: When she regained her strength, the doctors shared one final 131 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:06,079 Speaker 1: earth shattering discovery she would likely never perform again. After 132 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,959 Speaker 1: such a close brush with death, Judy was bound to 133 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:10,920 Speaker 1: live the rest of her life as a quote unquote 134 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,319 Speaker 1: semi invalid. The recommendation was that the only time she 135 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 1: would appear on screens was for a rerun of the 136 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 1: Wizard of Oz. Pay at least it was a regular gig, 137 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:21,520 Speaker 1: and the pre cable era of The Wizard of Oz 138 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 1: was broadcast on CBS at least once a year from 139 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:27,840 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty nine to nineteen ninety one. But the doctors 140 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:31,920 Speaker 1: underestimated her. Few performers had ever spent more hours on 141 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 1: a set or stage than the great Judy Garland. She 142 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:38,839 Speaker 1: was born to perform. This debacle was just a short 143 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,000 Speaker 1: lived setback. If anything was going to bring down the 144 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 1: curtain on Judy Garland, it would be the one constant 145 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:49,880 Speaker 1: in her life since age fourteen, Not movie sets, not stages. 146 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:53,640 Speaker 1: It would be the tablets of second Off, bends a 147 00:09:53,720 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 1: train and decks a train. Oh my, Judy Garland felt 148 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 1: it in her chest. First, the delicate pitter powder of 149 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 1: her heartbeat graduated to thump's live pounding wallops that beat 150 00:10:33,559 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: against her rip cage. Her heart pumped blood and deep throbs. 151 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:41,120 Speaker 1: Energy surged through her veins. She gasped and sat up 152 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:46,719 Speaker 1: in her chair. It must be showtime. Judy didn't know 153 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:48,800 Speaker 1: what time it was. She didn't know how long she 154 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 1: had been knocked out either. She never knew much of anything. 155 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 1: When she jolted awake from the smog that washed over 156 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 1: her brain courtesy of a mighty do a sonepatal, Judy 157 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:00,080 Speaker 1: felt the speed coarse through her nerves, striking her her 158 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:03,080 Speaker 1: limbs like bolts of lightning. She twirled one of her 159 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 1: braids as she meandered back onto set. Munchkin Land was gone, 160 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:10,840 Speaker 1: so were the literal thousands of quote unquote munchkins frolicking 161 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:15,520 Speaker 1: around in their glittery garb. MGM's staff had apparently reset 162 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:18,120 Speaker 1: the scenery for the Wizard of ozshoot while Judy dozed 163 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 1: peacefully on the sidelines, so dead to the world you 164 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:24,640 Speaker 1: would have thought someone dropped a house on her. It 165 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:27,640 Speaker 1: was only natural then, then, another handful of diapills were 166 00:11:27,679 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 1: required to kickstart Judy's spunk and prepper for the next scene. 167 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:35,920 Speaker 1: MGM dished out those diapills like routine vitamins. Back when 168 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:38,680 Speaker 1: Judy Garland first inked the contract with the studio in 169 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty five, she was a perfectly healthy thirteen year 170 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 1: old with a taste for pistachio ice cream. But perfectly 171 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,960 Speaker 1: healthy just wouldn't do not by the unattainable standards of 172 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:54,240 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirties, an ice cream wouldn't do either. The 173 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:57,520 Speaker 1: studio had strict orders from Louis B. Mayor himself groom 174 00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:00,720 Speaker 1: that girl and slimmer The studio beginner regiment of daily 175 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:03,000 Speaker 1: diet pills for Judy, which she washed down with a 176 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 1: bowl of chicken soup every single day, hot sticky broth 177 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 1: in the dry California heat for lunch for dinner on 178 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 1: Christmas was practically torture, but it was torture that provided results, 179 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: and Louis Mayer was all about results. When Judy thinned out, 180 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 1: the constant stream of soup and pills didn't slow down. 181 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:28,480 Speaker 1: A diminutive, ladylike figure was a top priority if he 182 00:12:28,559 --> 00:12:32,040 Speaker 1: wanted to be in pictures. MGM liked Judy best when 183 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:36,400 Speaker 1: she was ninety eight pounds, no more, no less, So 184 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:40,600 Speaker 1: the regiment continued. The diet pills kept her upbeat and underweight, 185 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:44,320 Speaker 1: but they kept her wide awake at night too. MGM 186 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,679 Speaker 1: was unfazed. They had an easy solution for that, also 187 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:50,720 Speaker 1: in a pill form. She was already accustomed to taking 188 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:52,560 Speaker 1: a bunch of those every day. What were a few more? 189 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:55,840 Speaker 1: The studio doctor prescribed Judy a heavy dosage a second 190 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:57,959 Speaker 1: all to help her quickly slip into her beauty sleep 191 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:01,439 Speaker 1: every night, essentially over power the pep of the diapills. 192 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 1: The second halls worked so well that Judy now needed 193 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:06,560 Speaker 1: the diapills as she wanted some spring to her step 194 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:09,199 Speaker 1: on set lest she succumbed to the coma like slumber. 195 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:12,280 Speaker 1: Then the second afs provided her. It became, of course, 196 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: a vicious cycle. Practically overnight Judy needed downers to overpower 197 00:13:16,559 --> 00:13:18,800 Speaker 1: the uppers. She reached for uppers to snap her out 198 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:22,320 Speaker 1: of the drowsing as provided by the downers, popped down, up, down, 199 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,960 Speaker 1: a walking talking yo yo. MGM saw the cycle as 200 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 1: so effective that they started using nematod to course Judy's 201 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:30,520 Speaker 1: body and to rest when a set needed to be 202 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 1: changed in the middle of the sixteen hour days. If 203 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,280 Speaker 1: there were two or three hours to spare, and Judy 204 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:37,720 Speaker 1: was wide eyed and jeeped up, that minute was time 205 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 1: to metaphorically trapes through some poppy fields on the way 206 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:42,679 Speaker 1: to OZ and pass out for a spout. When the 207 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,720 Speaker 1: set was prepped, the diapills reanimated her and she was 208 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:48,680 Speaker 1: off to see the Wizard once again. Judy lived the 209 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:51,640 Speaker 1: life of a nineteen seventies era rock star, swinging between 210 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 1: states of consciousness, each triggered by a prescription pill. She 211 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:59,199 Speaker 1: was hopelessly hooked, But unlike the troubled rockers who pissed 212 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:03,079 Speaker 1: away their twenties thirties with pills, Judy Garland was sixteen 213 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: years old. Not to worry, though she'd be a full fledged, 214 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:10,320 Speaker 1: fully grown superstar at no time. Judy was on the 215 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 1: up and up, and so was her pill take. Judy 216 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,280 Speaker 1: Garland's migraine pulsed so intensely that it almost aligned with 217 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:23,920 Speaker 1: her heartbeat. The stream of California sun peeking into her 218 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:27,040 Speaker 1: trailer of pierced her vision like shrapnel. It cut to 219 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:30,600 Speaker 1: the core of her retinas, pinched her brain, and Judy 220 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:33,400 Speaker 1: snapped the blind shut and plopped onto her sofa, shielding 221 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:36,000 Speaker 1: her eyes from any extra light. With her pomp, she 222 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:39,200 Speaker 1: smeared a swath of face pain in the process. Oh shit, 223 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:42,600 Speaker 1: oh wow, wardrobe could do it again after her lunch break. 224 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:46,600 Speaker 1: It was a ridiculous sight. A lily white woman dressed 225 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:50,360 Speaker 1: head to toe in a phony Native American costume, the moccasins, 226 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:53,520 Speaker 1: the single red feather tucked between her brunette braids, White 227 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 1: and yellow lines drawn down her nose, her cheeks. She 228 00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:00,800 Speaker 1: was a gaudy caricature Hollywood stereotypical idea of what an 229 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 1: entire race of people looked like. And this was not 230 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 1: how Annie Oakley, Sharpshooter of the Wild West dressed. But 231 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 1: to the folks at MGM producing the film version of 232 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 1: Annie Get Your Gun, it was imperative to include a 233 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:17,600 Speaker 1: massive and wildly racist musical number called I Am an Indian. 234 00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:22,640 Speaker 1: Too horrific by twenty twenty two standards, but reprehensibly normal. 235 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 1: In nineteen forty nine, as one of the heavy hitters 236 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:29,000 Speaker 1: at the box office in MGM's Golden Girl next Door, 237 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:32,000 Speaker 1: Judy Garland was the obvious choice for the role of 238 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:35,160 Speaker 1: the titular markswoman, at least she was until it came 239 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 1: time to film the movie when it became obvious that 240 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 1: Judy was very much the wrong choice. By the end 241 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 1: of the nineteen forties, Judy Garland had filmed twenty seven 242 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: movies in thirteen years with MGM. She was hooked on 243 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: pills while she filmed every single one of them. Judy 244 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 1: had already been in and out of rehabilitation centers diagnosed 245 00:15:56,280 --> 00:16:00,440 Speaker 1: with malnutrition and exhaustion. Her strict chicken soup Died expanded 246 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:03,160 Speaker 1: to include black coffee, benz a dream, and four packs 247 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:07,000 Speaker 1: of cigarettes a day required to curb the hunger. After 248 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: working sixteen to eighteen hour days while shooting The Pirate 249 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:14,320 Speaker 1: just a year or so prior, Judy became so thin 250 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:18,080 Speaker 1: that MGM even asked her to gain weight. The diet 251 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:21,360 Speaker 1: pills were useless, even harmful now, but the withdrawals not 252 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:24,920 Speaker 1: at Judy's acting abilities. She kept with her uppers and 253 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:28,200 Speaker 1: downers rutine just to spare herself with the pain. A 254 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,560 Speaker 1: former US Commissioner of Narcotics even suggested to MGM, did 255 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:33,680 Speaker 1: Judy get a year of rest because of her severe 256 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:37,960 Speaker 1: drug problem. MGM scoffed at the notion. They had fourteen 257 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:41,280 Speaker 1: million dollars tied up in this woman, Judy wasn't going anywhere. 258 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:43,480 Speaker 1: You could say that the shit started to hit the 259 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:45,920 Speaker 1: fan when the camera started rolling for Anny Gay a gun, 260 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:49,400 Speaker 1: But truth was, the shit had been splattering all over 261 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 1: MGM sets for years. This was just a breaking point, 262 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 1: one of many to come with the course of Judy's career. 263 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:01,800 Speaker 1: It started with that migraine present stab wound between her 264 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:05,240 Speaker 1: eyes and her forehead and striking her brain and her 265 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:09,240 Speaker 1: skull simultaneously. The pain made it difficult for Judy to 266 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:12,800 Speaker 1: retain her lines, or the immense amount of coordination required 267 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:15,639 Speaker 1: to remain in step with the choreography for a complicated 268 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:19,359 Speaker 1: musical number. And then there was the Southern drawl, or 269 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:22,960 Speaker 1: Judy's complete lack thereof. She struggled to pick up a 270 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,760 Speaker 1: convincing twang that would hide her crisp way of speaking. 271 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:29,479 Speaker 1: But the most glaring evidence that Judy Gerlin had been 272 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:32,960 Speaker 1: woefully miscast is that Judy Gerwin was afraid of guns. 273 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:36,399 Speaker 1: The movie's hero and outlaw with a quick draw was 274 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:40,640 Speaker 1: terrified to pull the trigger. MGM found a replacement before 275 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:42,919 Speaker 1: they wasted much more time trying to sell Judy as 276 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:45,159 Speaker 1: a rifle to a rough and tumble rascal of the 277 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:48,600 Speaker 1: wild West. A knock on Judy's trailer roused her from 278 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 1: her position on the sofa. She dragged herself over to 279 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:56,119 Speaker 1: the door telegram. Her eyes struggled to focus on the message. 280 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:59,119 Speaker 1: She squinted at the brief note, don't bother to report 281 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: back to work after lunch because you were dismissed from 282 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:05,720 Speaker 1: the picture, The telegram stated, those rats. She crumpled the 283 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:08,520 Speaker 1: letter in her fist with disgust, tossed it on the floor, 284 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:12,000 Speaker 1: and stomped on it with her tacky moccasins. The audacity 285 00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 1: dropped from a picture like a hapless has been or 286 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:18,720 Speaker 1: an underwhelming amateur. She was Judy Garland. She practically invented 287 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:22,040 Speaker 1: the great MGM musicals. What was Louis v. Mayor thinking? 288 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 1: Judy collapsed back onto the sofa with a huff. This 289 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:28,760 Speaker 1: wouldn't sit well with her fans, that much was for sure. 290 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:31,760 Speaker 1: So while the public and the press salivated over their 291 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 1: so called scandals of Jewy's medical matters, she jetted to 292 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:37,280 Speaker 1: the East Coast to try to pry herself from her 293 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:40,640 Speaker 1: pill popping yet again. She checked into the Peter Bent 294 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:44,720 Speaker 1: Brigham Hospital in Boston in May of nineteen forty nine. 295 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:47,440 Speaker 1: In place of the pills, the facility provided Judy with 296 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:50,920 Speaker 1: three hearty meals a day. Chicken soup was finally off 297 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:54,159 Speaker 1: the menu. Judy gained back her spirit in some healthy 298 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:57,520 Speaker 1: weight over the course of thirteen weeks, right up until 299 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:01,520 Speaker 1: Louis B. Mayor closed his checkbook. He insisted that Judy 300 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 1: returned to Hollywood to film Summer Stock, MGM's next musical 301 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:09,040 Speaker 1: starring Judy and Gene Kelly, but according to the hospital staff, 302 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,360 Speaker 1: Judy still needed another three months of treatment to fully recover. 303 00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 1: Mayor dangled Judy's contract over her shredder SB. When Judy 304 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:20,640 Speaker 1: left the facility that summer, she left behind her hard 305 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:28,320 Speaker 1: earned personal growth too. As predicted, Summerstock undid everything. The 306 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,199 Speaker 1: progress with the kicking of the pills her healthy new 307 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:36,000 Speaker 1: figure both gone instantly. Upon her arrival in California, MGM 308 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:38,960 Speaker 1: reeled at Judy's weight game, and the studio demanded that 309 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:41,560 Speaker 1: she dropped fifteen pounds before the start of Summer Stock, 310 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:45,280 Speaker 1: and Judy only managed to drop eleven pounds in seven days, 311 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:49,520 Speaker 1: a frightening medical feat but a major disappointment for MGM. Nonetheless, 312 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:56,040 Speaker 1: Boston had recharged Judy's battery, but barely. She suffered through summerstock. 313 00:19:56,640 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 1: She got happy when she needed a smile on set 314 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:03,040 Speaker 1: as the flick's famous musical number demanded, but summerstock depleted 315 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:06,600 Speaker 1: Judy Garland. She was running on empty once again, and 316 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,560 Speaker 1: when she missed a handful of rehearsals for MGM's next picture, 317 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:12,639 Speaker 1: Royal Wedding, the studio gave Judy the boot before she 318 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:16,400 Speaker 1: had the chance to redeem herself. Another failed starring role, 319 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:20,280 Speaker 1: another telegram, and a final parting message from MGM straight 320 00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 1: from Western Union. You're fired, this time for good. First, 321 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:29,800 Speaker 1: MGM suspended Judy's contract in June of nineteen fifteen. They 322 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:33,280 Speaker 1: officially ripped it up in September. MGM offered her no 323 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:36,919 Speaker 1: severance pay. She had no retirement funds, no residuals nowhere 324 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:39,920 Speaker 1: to turn for new film work, no directors to guide 325 00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:42,600 Speaker 1: her through her next steps. Her career was in her 326 00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:45,560 Speaker 1: own shaky hands. Now for the first time since she 327 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:52,119 Speaker 1: was thirteen, Judy Garland was on her own. We'll be 328 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:53,439 Speaker 1: right back after this. 329 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:54,920 Speaker 2: We're we're where. 330 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:03,360 Speaker 1: Judy Garland hunched over and placed both hands on her knees. 331 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:08,119 Speaker 1: She panted, the blue and white polka dotted kerchief knodded 332 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:10,800 Speaker 1: around her neck, seen a squeezy air from her throat, 333 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:15,160 Speaker 1: Sweat soaked into her itching nylons, pins in her hair, 334 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:18,639 Speaker 1: pulled at her scalp. Picture perfect updues weren't made to 335 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:21,439 Speaker 1: wear all day, not unless you were on set. Of course. 336 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 1: They then stayed in until the scene was picture perfect, literally, 337 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:28,720 Speaker 1: and this musical sequence for the song The Man That 338 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:32,320 Speaker 1: Got Away was far from it. From her crouched position, 339 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:36,040 Speaker 1: Judy slowly raised her eyes to director George Qcor as 340 00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:38,879 Speaker 1: if to say, are we done yet? He shook his 341 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:45,040 Speaker 1: head no. Judy almost collapsed, almost, but instead she dabbed 342 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:48,040 Speaker 1: the beads of perspiration from her forehead and went back 343 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:51,880 Speaker 1: to her seat at the piano bench. Was this take twelve, 344 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:55,159 Speaker 1: Take twenty three? Judy couldn't keep track as she tried, 345 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:58,280 Speaker 1: especially not over the course of three days singing the 346 00:21:58,359 --> 00:22:01,880 Speaker 1: same song for the same She caught her breath at 347 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:04,679 Speaker 1: the piano and reset her mind, and then her voice, 348 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:06,920 Speaker 1: and then her face, and she did what the prose did. 349 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:10,560 Speaker 1: Judy Garland was still a pro even if she wasn't 350 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:15,359 Speaker 1: making movies with MGM anymore. For one Judy had already 351 00:22:15,359 --> 00:22:17,639 Speaker 1: proven herself to the public hundreds of times over with 352 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:21,959 Speaker 1: her live performances of Garland catalog classics, hundreds of thousands 353 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:25,200 Speaker 1: of tickets sold almost a million. But could Judy still 354 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:29,560 Speaker 1: move movie tickets? That was the real question. You're only 355 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:32,200 Speaker 1: as good as your last picture, and Judy's last picture 356 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:35,119 Speaker 1: was well, she got kicked out of her last picture. 357 00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:38,720 Speaker 1: Royal Wedding was a few years ago. Now. That's why 358 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:41,600 Speaker 1: her return to the screen had to be larger than life. 359 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:47,240 Speaker 1: Personal musical, magical, intricately dotted with details about rising to 360 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:52,200 Speaker 1: celebrity status. Influenced by Judy's Verio own story, it had 361 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:57,520 Speaker 1: to be a Star as Born. The nineteen thirty seven 362 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:00,680 Speaker 1: films starring Janet Gainer had been on Judy's for more 363 00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:03,399 Speaker 1: than a decade. Judy had played the leading role of 364 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:06,800 Speaker 1: Vicky Lester in nineteen forty two Lux radio production of 365 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:10,399 Speaker 1: the story, but that was only audio. Judy yearned to 366 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:12,359 Speaker 1: bring her to life in a proper remake of A 367 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,560 Speaker 1: Star was Born to depict two lives entangled in the 368 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:18,480 Speaker 1: nefarious nature of fame, as one of her rises to 369 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:21,360 Speaker 1: the height of celebrity while the other sinks from standing 370 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:26,000 Speaker 1: ovations into obscurity. Since MGM was no longer forcing her 371 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:29,600 Speaker 1: to tap dance through mind numbing musical numbers, the project 372 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 1: was a real possibility. Now she switched to studios and 373 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 1: secured the rights to make a new version of A 374 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:39,080 Speaker 1: Star Is Born with Warner Brothers. Judy could continue her 375 00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:41,919 Speaker 1: career on her own. She could make a movie on 376 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:44,639 Speaker 1: her own. So to speak. Judy Garland could do the 377 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:47,600 Speaker 1: same scene and I mean the same scene, same voice inflection, 378 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:51,679 Speaker 1: same facial expression, same showgirl poised twenty seven times over 379 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:55,119 Speaker 1: the course of the three days. Judy Garland could do 380 00:23:55,359 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 1: anything if she had the proper pills. Was the caveat. 381 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:04,760 Speaker 1: It had always been the caveat. Nothing could keep Judy 382 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:09,320 Speaker 1: down except a lack of pills. When filming for A 383 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:13,400 Speaker 1: Star Is Born began, Judy's husband, Sidney, created a compromise 384 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:16,680 Speaker 1: of sorts. He hired a studio doctor from MGM, who 385 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:19,560 Speaker 1: was already familiar with Judy's medical history, to oversee her 386 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:21,639 Speaker 1: pill and take over the course of the film shoot. 387 00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:25,160 Speaker 1: At the time, it seemed like the most humane option. 388 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:28,560 Speaker 1: The work would still get done. Judy could focus, There 389 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:31,399 Speaker 1: would be no withdrawals to weaken her performance, and the 390 00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:34,719 Speaker 1: doctor could ensure that her intake didn't escalate, not that 391 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:37,960 Speaker 1: it could escalate. Really pop uppers and downers every day 392 00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:40,000 Speaker 1: of your life from age fourteen and onwards in your 393 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 1: tolerance will rocket over the rainbow. For months, Judy chased 394 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:47,440 Speaker 1: a new personal career high as she filtered her own 395 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,320 Speaker 1: life story through the explosive passion of the character of 396 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:54,440 Speaker 1: Vicky Lester. The pills powered her through an unhinged portrayal 397 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:57,360 Speaker 1: of a new starlet witnessing an older star crumble into 398 00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:00,679 Speaker 1: ashes at the hand of alcoholism, and Judy took her 399 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:03,639 Speaker 1: time developing her rendition of the story, giving it the 400 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:06,760 Speaker 1: care and attention to detail she knew it deserved. In 401 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:10,560 Speaker 1: the movie's final cut clocked in at just over three hours, 402 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,000 Speaker 1: but the film that the cult of Garland saw on 403 00:25:14,119 --> 00:25:17,679 Speaker 1: opening night in September of nineteen fifty four was not 404 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:19,760 Speaker 1: the same film that the rest of the nation would 405 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 1: see later that fall. With a runtime of one hundred 406 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:25,359 Speaker 1: and eighty two minutes, movie theaters could only show the 407 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 1: film three times per day, so they demanded a shorter cut, 408 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:31,840 Speaker 1: a cut that could show five times every day to 409 00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 1: sell more tickets and bring in more moviegoers with more cash. 410 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:38,120 Speaker 1: Warner Brothers wanted to see more ticket sales too, Since 411 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 1: the film had cost them six million dollars instead of 412 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:43,280 Speaker 1: the two and a half million they originally budgeted for, 413 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:47,080 Speaker 1: the studio cut the film to one hundred minutes, removing 414 00:25:47,119 --> 00:25:51,840 Speaker 1: almost half of the movie. The story was ruined. Judy's authentic, 415 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:54,639 Speaker 1: well developed drama was reduced to a shallow set of 416 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:59,120 Speaker 1: musical numbers. A Star Was Born was considered a financial failure. 417 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:04,160 Speaker 1: It was a failure controlling Judy's pill problem too. Sidney's 418 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:06,000 Speaker 1: heart was in the right place when he hired that 419 00:26:06,119 --> 00:26:10,119 Speaker 1: studio doctor, but his common sense was not. Once the 420 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:12,280 Speaker 1: couple returned to their home in bel Air, just a 421 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:16,040 Speaker 1: stone's throw from fellow Hollywood hotshots being crosby Lana Turner, 422 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:19,600 Speaker 1: he suspected things were worse than he could have ever imagined. 423 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:24,560 Speaker 1: Sidney realized it the moment he accepted a package from 424 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:29,800 Speaker 1: Sacks Fifth Avenue on Judy's behalf. Of course, under normal circumstances, 425 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:32,040 Speaker 1: a flush film star receiving an order from a high 426 00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:35,480 Speaker 1: end clothing store might not raise any red flags, but 427 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:38,359 Speaker 1: Sidney knew that Judy wasn't on set anymore where she 428 00:26:38,359 --> 00:26:41,560 Speaker 1: could cop pills from almost anyone on payroll, even from 429 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:45,639 Speaker 1: the masseuse if she needed to. But now Judy was home, 430 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:49,680 Speaker 1: and that meant she had to get crafty. Sydney unwrapped 431 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:52,439 Speaker 1: the package. He removed a flowing robe from the box, 432 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 1: rubbed the plush fabric between his fingers. That's when he 433 00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:59,560 Speaker 1: felt a tuine old capsule sewn into the lining. He 434 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:01,800 Speaker 1: ran his hands down the length of the rope. He 435 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:05,920 Speaker 1: felt another, and another, and then another. He unfolded the 436 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:09,440 Speaker 1: robe to find dozens of pills, each carefully sewn into 437 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:14,960 Speaker 1: the fabric, hidden from unsuspecting mailmen and snooping husbands. Sidney's 438 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:18,520 Speaker 1: cheeks went pale with shock, and then pink with shame, 439 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:22,200 Speaker 1: and then they darkened to red. He chucked the robe 440 00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:25,639 Speaker 1: onto the floor and started tossing open drawers, lifting up rugs, 441 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:29,240 Speaker 1: digging through old trunks, examining the curtains. How many pills 442 00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:32,679 Speaker 1: could one woman possibly hide? He couldn't fathom the answer, 443 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:34,879 Speaker 1: not even after he saw it with his own eyes. 444 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:39,000 Speaker 1: There were second alls buried in Judy's bathpowder stray pills 445 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:42,159 Speaker 1: sleeping at the bottom of her cigarette packages. Her stashes 446 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:45,240 Speaker 1: spread across every square inch of the house, each in 447 00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:49,080 Speaker 1: different unique locations lest someone find one collection. It was 448 00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:52,320 Speaker 1: like a treasure hunt that never ended. After all, a 449 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:55,160 Speaker 1: woman who would consume forty dexadrine in a single day 450 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:57,119 Speaker 1: had to keep hundreds of tablets on her if she 451 00:27:57,119 --> 00:27:58,840 Speaker 1: wanted to keep up with her habit for more than 452 00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:02,280 Speaker 1: a few days at a time. God damn it. It 453 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:06,200 Speaker 1: was an enabler, a fucking enabler. Sydney saw that. Now 454 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 1: he let Judy keep her precious pills on the set 455 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:11,520 Speaker 1: of a star was born. And this is what he 456 00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:15,160 Speaker 1: got in returned stashes of second halls and a secretive wife. 457 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:19,440 Speaker 1: Some good the humane approach had done no more, mister 458 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:24,359 Speaker 1: nice guy. Sidney loved Judy fiercely, so fiercely that he 459 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:27,159 Speaker 1: knew we had to be a prick about it. So 460 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:30,240 Speaker 1: the gloves came off when Judy came too. Later that day, 461 00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 1: Sidney confronted her about the veritable pharmacy hidden into their 462 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:36,920 Speaker 1: family's home. He threatened to leave, but his heart wasn't 463 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:39,480 Speaker 1: in it. He just wanted to scare Judy into action. 464 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:44,000 Speaker 1: His threat fell flat. It only confirmed Judy's feelings that 465 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:47,640 Speaker 1: Sidney was nothing but a square. Judy would have her 466 00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:50,800 Speaker 1: pills tonight and tomorrow night, and for as long as 467 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:54,120 Speaker 1: she liked. I don't give a fuck get lost. I 468 00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:58,440 Speaker 1: dare you leave, Judy cried out. So Sidney did just that. 469 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 1: He stormed out of these and checked into a nearby motel. 470 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:05,479 Speaker 1: Another farce. It did little more than spur on rumors 471 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:07,520 Speaker 1: in the papers that the couple was headed for divorce. 472 00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 1: The entire argument was a losing battle, just like Judy's addiction. 473 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:17,360 Speaker 1: The pills would always be with Judy, even when MGM wasn't, 474 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:41,160 Speaker 1: even when Sydney wasn't. Call Judy Garland a has been 475 00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:43,400 Speaker 1: in the Hollywood scene, and she'll shoot a three hour 476 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:46,760 Speaker 1: masterpiece that the public will never see. Call her a 477 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:49,840 Speaker 1: semi invalid, and she'll perform a show herald it as 478 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:54,080 Speaker 1: the greatest knight in show business history. Judy held Carnegie 479 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:56,320 Speaker 1: Hall in the palm of her hands on April twenty third, 480 00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:59,640 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty one, well over a year since her incident 481 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:02,600 Speaker 1: with the large liver and toxic fluids polluting her body. 482 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:07,120 Speaker 1: Never mind that speed bump right now, that was all 483 00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:10,720 Speaker 1: at the back of Judy's mind. Headlining Carnegie Hall was 484 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:14,120 Speaker 1: about glistening like a newly reborn phoenix under those storied 485 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:18,440 Speaker 1: stage lights. About regaling an A list audience featuring the 486 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:22,320 Speaker 1: likes of Richard Burton and Marilyn Monroe. About recording one 487 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:25,800 Speaker 1: of the greatest live albums of all time, a Billboard 488 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:30,200 Speaker 1: bestseller and multi Grammy Award winner. The adoration for Judy 489 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:33,000 Speaker 1: and the music hall reflected off of her cheeks. She 490 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:40,720 Speaker 1: was a revelation. She glowed. But that was not tonight. Tonight, 491 00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty nine, Judy Garland disgraced the stage in London. 492 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:49,400 Speaker 1: Cigarette ashes rained down on her from ash trays. The 493 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:52,960 Speaker 1: crowd had launched on stage and discussed. The audience pitched 494 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:56,520 Speaker 1: trash hissed from their seats. Debris was scattered all across 495 00:30:56,520 --> 00:30:59,760 Speaker 1: the stage. Judy crouched down to a shrunken position and 496 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:03,400 Speaker 1: tried to collect it all. One fan catapulted some hard 497 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:06,360 Speaker 1: lump sugar across the piano on stage, which shattered a 498 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:10,080 Speaker 1: glass as it whirled. Buy Judy had showed up one 499 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:13,200 Speaker 1: hour and forty five minutes late that evening, after relentlessly 500 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:15,640 Speaker 1: trying to back out of the show. Her body was 501 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:18,960 Speaker 1: too weak, she protested, her voice was too weak. Her 502 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:22,560 Speaker 1: spirit was slipping too. Judy was quite the actress, but 503 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:27,000 Speaker 1: she wasn't exaggerating. By nineteen sixty nine, her nervous system 504 00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:30,480 Speaker 1: was shattered, Her sense of balance was non existent. Her 505 00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 1: body odor literally changed, a symptom of malnutrition. She craved 506 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:37,880 Speaker 1: twenty to thirty riddling tablets every day, followed by eight 507 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:40,960 Speaker 1: second alls to sleep. The same pills that propped her 508 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:45,840 Speaker 1: up for decades were finally pulling her under. When Judy 509 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:49,400 Speaker 1: Garland greeted her audience nearly two hours behind schedule, her 510 00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:52,280 Speaker 1: guests were elated to see her, elated because they could 511 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:55,200 Speaker 1: finally give her a piece of their mind. The boldest 512 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:58,000 Speaker 1: of the critics vaulted himself on stage amidst the chaos 513 00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:01,280 Speaker 1: and swiped the mic stand from Judy's trembling hands. If 514 00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:03,800 Speaker 1: you can't turn up on time, why turn up at all, 515 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:07,720 Speaker 1: he bellowed. Years ago, Judy could have at least barked 516 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:10,880 Speaker 1: a jab back at him, but tonight only a whimper 517 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:14,640 Speaker 1: escaped her lips. At least the malady she protested quietly 518 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:21,440 Speaker 1: before marching off stage. Both parties went home disappointed. For 519 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:25,080 Speaker 1: Judy Garland. The sixties swung like a fast moving pendulum. 520 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:27,960 Speaker 1: She could be a star reborn at one moment, smiling 521 00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:30,520 Speaker 1: under the lights of Carnegie Hall, recording one of the 522 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:33,240 Speaker 1: most lauded live albums of all time. She could be 523 00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:35,640 Speaker 1: in a coma at the next moment, clinging to life 524 00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:37,840 Speaker 1: in her weak seventy eight pound body, like she did 525 00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:41,040 Speaker 1: during an unfortunate stop in Hong Kong in nineteen sixty four. 526 00:32:41,640 --> 00:32:44,960 Speaker 1: She was unpredictable, and so was the public's opinion of her. 527 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:48,640 Speaker 1: They loved her, they hated her, They loved to hate her. 528 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:51,240 Speaker 1: The pattern began the moment that Judy was fired from 529 00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:55,320 Speaker 1: her first picture nearly two decades earlier. Up down, Up down. 530 00:32:55,960 --> 00:32:58,360 Speaker 1: Judy repeated the same old song and dance to win 531 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:01,280 Speaker 1: them back every time. But there wasn't much song left 532 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:04,760 Speaker 1: in Judy Garland by nineteen sixty nine, and dance, well, 533 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:09,120 Speaker 1: forget about it. Her role as the ascending singer faded 534 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:11,520 Speaker 1: in the rear view. It was time to embrace the 535 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:15,360 Speaker 1: role of the disintegrating star, free falling from celebrity status, 536 00:33:15,840 --> 00:33:19,160 Speaker 1: embracing for the impact of her inevitable crash and burn. 537 00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:22,360 Speaker 1: The very same circle of life Judy depicted and a 538 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:26,480 Speaker 1: star was born, condensed into one character, except Judy Garland 539 00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:29,280 Speaker 1: didn't drown herself in the ocean like her character's fictional 540 00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:33,840 Speaker 1: husband did. Instead, she drowned herself in barbituates on June 541 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:38,680 Speaker 1: twenty second, nineteen sixty nine. Judy's fifth and final husband, 542 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:40,920 Speaker 1: Mickey Deans, found her locked in the bathroom of the 543 00:33:40,960 --> 00:33:44,080 Speaker 1: rented London home that morning, sitting upright in a chair. 544 00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:48,440 Speaker 1: Her head collapsed onto her chest, body stiff from rigor mortis. 545 00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:53,080 Speaker 1: Doctors declared that the overdose was accidental after finding the 546 00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:57,480 Speaker 1: equivalent dose of ten second dollars in Judy's bloodstream. In 547 00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 1: Judy's final act, the masses swung in her favor one 548 00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:04,360 Speaker 1: last time. More than twenty thousand people gathered at Judy's 549 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:07,560 Speaker 1: memorial to pay their respects, to honor the early end 550 00:34:07,600 --> 00:34:10,040 Speaker 1: of a life once destined for three or four more 551 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:14,560 Speaker 1: decades of entertainment. Judy Garland's life mimicked a star is born, 552 00:34:14,680 --> 00:34:18,520 Speaker 1: right down to the pacing. Too much living, crammed into 553 00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:21,799 Speaker 1: a too short run time. If only it could have 554 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:27,839 Speaker 1: played out naturally, it could have been brilliant. It could 555 00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:34,680 Speaker 1: have been in pictures. I'm Jake Brennan in this This 556 00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:51,640 Speaker 1: Hollywood Land, Hollywood Land was created by Years Truly in 557 00:34:51,719 --> 00:34:55,759 Speaker 1: this produced in partnership with Double Elvis. Follow like, rate, 558 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:58,200 Speaker 1: and review hollywood Land wherever you get your podcasts, and 559 00:34:58,239 --> 00:35:01,120 Speaker 1: get in touch with us on social media at double Elvis. 560 00:35:01,719 --> 00:35:03,719 Speaker 1: If you like Hollywoodland, check out my other show, the 561 00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:06,800 Speaker 1: award winning Disgraceland, which looks at the world of music 562 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:09,400 Speaker 1: through the lens of true crime. Just search for Disgraceland 563 00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:18,040 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts. Good there's a laugh