The Great Films of Judy Garland: Part One

More than one billion people have seen The Wizard of Oz. That's pretty impressive, but what's more impressive is that Oz was just one of 28 films Judy Garland churned out during her 15 years at MGM (and she made four more after that). Unless you're a Turner Classic Movies addict, you probably haven't seen a lot of them. Which ones are worth renting? Consult this handy, two-part guide:

Love Finds Andy Hardy, 1938

The plot: Mickey Rooney must decide which girl he's going to take to the dance (nice Ann Rutherford or wild-woman Lana Turner), and scrounge up eight bucks to pay off his car. Andy's young neighbor (Judy) helps him with his woman troubles, even though she has a wicked crush on Andy herself.

Why see it: Judy made two other films in the Andy Hardy series, but this one is the best. She sings three songs, and she's so dang cute.

Behind the scenes: Art imitated life: Judy (four years older than the 12-year-old she played) had a wicked crush on Mickey Rooney, but he thought of her as a sister.

For Me and My Gal, 1942

The plot: Gene Kelly and his gal (Judy) are vaudeville performers who fall in love while struggling to make it big. Gene fears that World War I will interfere with his showbiz plans, and he breaks his own hand to avoid the draft. Judy dumps him when she finds out he's such a yellah-belly, and Gene has to find a way to kill some Germans so she'll take him back.

Why see it: It's by far the best of the three Judy-Gene Kelly musicals. If there's anything better than Judy Garland dancing with Gene Kelly, I don't wanna know about it.

Behind the scenes: When preview audiences complained, scenes were added to make Gene's character less of a jerk.

Girl Crazy, 1943

The plot: Mickey Rooney is a smart-aleck rich kid whose father ships him off to an agricultural college in the middle of nowhere. He's horrified to discover it's not co-ed (he is girl crazy, after all), until he meets the dean's granddaughter (Judy) and decides it's not so bad. When the governor threatens to close the school, Judy and Mickey stage a fancy rodeo (which everyone pronounces "ro-DAY-o" for some reason) to boost enrollment.

Why see it: The extravagant "I Got Rhythm" finale is amazing. Granted, it caused Judy to collapse from exhaustion, but the finished product is mighty entertaining.

Behind the scenes: During that same sequence, notice how Judy's eyes look like they're about to pop out of her head. Evil choreographer Busby Berkeley constantly screamed at her, "Eyes! Eyes! I want to see your eyes!", and she could never open them wide enough to satisfy him.

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