Gene & Judy at MGM, Pt. 2

Director Charles Walters yelled for quiet on the set and then in a much quieter voice asked Judy, “Darling, are you ready to rehearse the number yet?”

“Rehearse it?” barked Judy. “Hell, I’m ready to shoot it! Don’t waste everyone’s time, Buster—let the film roll!”

There was much nervous laughter; Walters didn’t want to offend the emotional star, so he played along. “OK crew—you heard her—action!”

Gene whispered to Sydney, “Are they really going to do this without a rehearsal?”

“It would appear so!”

Out came the clapboard, “Get Happy—take one! Playback—begin!” CLACK!

The trumpets from the prerecorded number blared over the loudspeaker. The tuxedoed dancers performed their steps in a circle, with Judy not yet visible to the camera. When the introduction quieted down to a pulsing beat, the dancers stepped away and revealed Judy, standing casually against a backdrop of a pink sky with white fluffy clouds. Looking young and refreshed, Judy lip-synched perfectly to the playback, moving effortlessly through the routine. Gene watched in awe; she couldn’t believe that this was the same person that MGM was ready to write-off as a loss only a few months before.

At the end of the number, Judy was all smiles as she tipped her fedora to the crew. Chuck Walters applauded wildly as did the rest of those on set. Judy had done the number perfectly—in one take! Her entourage surrounded her quickly with a towel and water; she politely waved them off as she made her way over to Gene and Sydney. Judy gave Gene a big hug and said, “What are you doing here on your day off? Surely you have better things to do than to watch me do this pitiful little number!”

“Pitiful?” exclaimed Gene. “That has got to be one of the most memorable musical numbers I have EVER seen!”

“You are too kind, my dear! Now come on back to my dressing room—we have a lot to catch up on!”

As the set cleared and everyone went home, Judy and Gene locked arms, laughing and giggling uncontrollably along the way to Judy’s dressing room. After quite some time, a knock at the trailer door interrupted the two. Judy opened the door to reveal Sydney.

“Judy—they need your outfit back in wardrobe and your assistant has already left. Would you be a dear?”

Turning to her friend, Judy said, “Gene, I have to take this outfit back to wardrobe; how about going with me? It seems we’ve gabbed so long that my assistant has already gone home! Some assistant!”

“I’d love to, Judy!” Gene replied. “I wouldn’t mind seeing some of the other costumes you get to wear, too—I am so jealous of all those beautiful designs! What I wouldn’t give to wear some of the gorgeous outfits Walter Plunkett, Irene, and Helen Rose created for you!”

At that, Judy’s mouth crinkled into a devilish smile as an idea popped into her head. Without any notice, she grabbed Sydney and Gene’s hands and started pulling them with her.

“Judy, what are you doing? I need to get home to walk the dogs,” said Sydney.

“Sydney, with what they pay you here, you can afford a new rug if they leave a mess! Come with me, you two!”

Next thing Gene knew, they were at the wardrobe department. Helen Rose was getting ready to close up for the day.

“Oh thank you so much, Judy. I appreciate you bringing this back to us.”

“Just how much do you appreciate it, Helen?” Judy shot back with a grin. She whispered something in Helen’s ear; Sydney and Gene looked back and forth at each other, puzzled.

“Oh Judy, I really don’t know…I’m not sure if we’re allowed to do that.”

“Whatever she asked, Helen, just do it; you know as well as I do that there’s just no saying ‘no’ to Judy!” said Sydney, happily exasperated.

“I’m glad you feel that way, Sydney!” said Judy with a smirk. “Because I need a little help from you as well! Get a photographer from publicity, help Gene into my ‘Get Happy’ costume, and we’ll meet back on the set for photos!”

Both Helen and Sydney rolled their eyes, but knew they were helpless. Who could resist the bewitching charms of Judy Garland?

“Gene—your wish is going to come true today!” Judy said to her confused friend.



In part 3, see Gene model more of Judy's famous costumes. Follow my Gene Marshall updates on Twitter. See more Gene Marshall & Friends photos at my regular website.

Gene & Judy at MGM, Pt. 1

Welcome to a 3 part series I wrote detailing a very special meeting between Judy Garland and Gene Marshall. Hope you enjoy!

It was Monday, March 20, 1950; Gene Marshall would never forget that day for as long as she lived. It began with an early morning call from her friend Sydney Guilaroff, hair stylist supreme from rival film studio, MGM. Although he didn’t work at Monolithic Studios, Sydney was a close personal friend of Gene’s and often styled her hair for premieres, parties, and other special events.

“She’s coming in today!” Sydney breathlessly relayed to Gene. She knew exactly who he was talking about, even though he never said her name. “She recorded the song last week and is going to film the dance number this afternoon; please come if you could—she really could use a friend on the set.”

The “she” that Sydney was referring to was none other than the legendary Judy Garland. The last few years had been very troubling for the talented young lass; she’d been removed from a number of high-profile pictures (such as “Annie Get Your Gun”), was in a crumbling marriage to Vincente Minnelli, and was battling an addiction to pills that began from being overworked at the studio. Instead of giving their star the rest she deserved and needed after the fiasco of “Annie Get Your Gun,” MGM called her back prematurely for her next film, “Summer Stock,” and told her that she was required to lose weight—and fast! In the role of a farmgirl, the extra pounds hardly mattered. Still, Judy found herself back into the routine of taking pills to stay awake at work and then more pills to help her sleep at night. Years of doing this had finally begun to take their toll on her body.



After filming had wrapped up in early February, Judy took another break to try to get herself together and figure out just what her future held. Once again, MGM had other plans. “Summer Stock” was a cute picture, but it lacked the big production number Judy’s fans required of her. Summoning her back barely a month later, it was decided that the song “Get Happy” would provide the necessary punch.

Everyone at the studio was on pins and needles. Her recording session a few days ago had gone well; she sounded better than ever as she belted out the number. Still, she seemed so weak and tired—how could she ever pull off this solo dance number?

Gene Marshall knew that her support on the set would mean so much to Judy. They had met at several parties and always found themselves off in a corner giggling like schoolgirls. Judy had been there to help Gene with her first musical, teaching her every vocal trick in the book. When Gene was having difficulty with the steps in the “Song of Spain” dance number, Judy secretly rushed over to Monolithic and broke the difficult routine into manageable parts. On set, everyone thought that Gene made it look effortless; little did they know that MGM’s top musical star had assisted in Gene’s success! Needless to say, Gene cleared her appointment book and headed over to the MGM soundstages.

Naturally, Gene had no problem getting through the security gate! Each guard waved and smiled at their favorite beauty from Monolithic. Sydney was there at the soundstage entrance and quickly ushered Gene in. He had already done Judy’s hair and she was about to do the first run-through. “Gene, I can’t believe it,” Sydney whispered to her. “This just can’t be the same plump little girl who went home exhausted a month ago. She’s slim, trim, and full of energy! You will be shocked when you see her!”

Sure enough, Gene’s jaw hit the floor when she watched Judy step out of her trailer and onto the set. She was thinner than she’d been in years, wearing only the top of a men’s tuxedo jacket and a matching black fedora hat. Her long legs were shown to full advantage as she practically strutted towards the male dancers that were in the number with her. Judy saw Gene and gave her a loving wink, happily acknowledging the support she was showing by being there on the set. The two had just enough time for a quick hug before Judy had to get to work.



Stay tuned for part 2! Follow my Gene Marshall updates on Twitter. See more Gene Marshall & Friends photos at my regular website.