Judy Garland years are a lot like dog years or cat years. In just one of them, she could cram in more triumphs and more misery than most people experience in their entire lives. A few months before her death at age 47, she told a friend that she was the oldest woman in the world - four hundred and twelve, by her count.
Here, then, is a timeline of the life and career of Judy Garland:
June 10, 1922 - Frances Ethel Gumm (nicknamed "Baby") is born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Her beloved father, Frank, is kind-hearted, well-liked in town, and secretly gay. Her mother, Ethel, will become the ultimate stage mom and Judy will later remember her as "the real-life wicked witch of the west." Both are former vaudeville performers, and Frank owns the local theater.
December 26, 1924 - Baby Gumm makes her public singing debut on her father's stage, appearing with her two older sisters. Baby sings "Jingle Bells" over and over, refusing to stop until her father carries her off the stage.
Summer, 1926 - Rumors fly about Frank's involvement with local teenage boys, and the Gumm family leaves town quietly. They relocate to Lancaster, California, 80 miles north of Los Angeles, and Frank buys another theater. Ethel pours her energy into getting her daughters, especially Baby, into show business.
1931 or '32 - When endless movie-studio auditions exhaust her nine-year-old daughter, Ethel begins giving her pep pills. When the pep pills keep Baby awake all night, Ethel provides sleeping pills.
Summer, 1934 -While performing in Chicago, Ethel and the girls officially change their last name to Garland. A year later, Baby re-names herself Judy, after a popular song.
September 27, 1935 - Judy lands a seven-year contract with MGM. Her teeth are capped, and she has to wear rubber disks in her nose so it won't turn up so much. The studio doesn't know what to do with her, however, and she won't appear in a Metro feature for almost two years.
November 16, 1935 - Frank lies in a hospital bed dying of spinal meningitis, but Judy's required to make a radio appearance. The doctor tells her that there's a radio next to Frank's bed, and, knowing her father will never hear her sing again, Judy pours out a gut-wrenching version of "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart." Frank dies the next afternoon. Judy later remembers thinking, "Now there is no one on my side."
