She lived at full throttle on stage, screen, and in real life, with highs that made history and lows that finally brought down the curtain at age forty-seven. Judy Garland died over thirty years ago, but no biography has so completely captured her spirit -- and demons -- until now. From her tumultuous early years as a child performer to her tragic last days, Gerald Clarke reveals the authentic Judy in a biography rich in new detail and unprecedented revelations. Based on hundreds of interviews and drawing on her own unfinished -- and unpublished -- autobiography, Get Happy presents the real Judy Garland in all her flawed glory. With the same skill, style, and storytelling flair that made his bestselling Capote a landmark literary biography, Gerald Clarke sorts through the secrets and the scandals, the legends and the lies, to create a portrait of Judy Garland as candid as it is compassionate. Here are her early years, during which her parents sowed the seeds of heartbreak and self-destruction that would plague her for decades ... the golden age of Hollywood, brought into sharp focus with cinematic urgency, from the hidden private lives of the movie world's biggest stars to the cold-eyed businessmen who controlled the machine ... and a parade of brilliant and gifted men -- lovers and artists, impresarios and crooks -- who helped her reach so many creative pinnacles yet left her hopeless and alone after each seemingly inevitable fall. Here, then, is Judy Garland in all her magic and despair: the woman, the star, the legend, in a riveting saga of tragedy, resurrection, and genius.

Through her incomparable work on screen, stage, record, radio, and television, Judy Garland earned renown as “The World’s Greatest Entertainer.” It was as a motion picture star though, that she first rose to international fame. From her feature film debut in 1936 through the aptly titled I Could Go on Singing in 1963, she lit up the screen with a magic uniquely hers—and dazzled world-wide audiences of all ages. Judy Garland starred in two dozen of the all-time classic movie musicals, among them A Star is Born, Meet Me in St. Louis, Babes in Arms, Easter Parade, For Me and My Gal, and The Harvey Girls. Her dramatic turns in Judgment at Nuremberg, The Clock, and A Child is Waiting won added acclaim. And perhaps most unforgettably, she starred as Dorothy Gale in the best-loved motion picture of all time: The Wizard of Oz. Judy: A Legendary Film Career tells the story of Garland’s movie work in unprecedented detail. Hundreds of never-before-published photos, newly-assembled contemporary reviews, insight from her costars and coworkers, and production histories are provided for each film in which she appeared. Highlighting and complimenting the feature films is a definitive biography; an examination of Judy’s short subjects; details of the movies she did not complete; and an enthralling compendium of film projects for which she was considered or rumored. The text is illustrated by more than five hundred photos, encompassing poster art; costume tests; behind-the-scenes candids; onstage and backstage glimpses of her theatrical successes; and personal snapshots. Judy is the exhaustively researched work of historian John Fricke. He celebrates as never before the heart, humor, and incandescent motion picture achievement of the one-and-only Judy Garland.

A celebration of the actress who stole America's heart, this is the definitive book about the legendary Judy Garland, with reflections by the people who knew her best. In a career that spanned five decades and encompassed stardom in every medium, Judy Garland's professional achievements remain unsurpassed. Now her timeless joy comes alive in JUDY GARLAND: A PORTRAIT IN ART ANECDOTE. Hundreds of rare and previously unpublished photographs, studio memorabilia, and personal mementos from the family archives, along with scores of anecdotes drawn from interviews with her professional colleagues, friends, family, and Judy herself, showcase her on- and off-stage 'talent to amuse.'Decade by decade, her incomparable accomplishments on stage, film, television, radio, and recordings are lovingly illustrated and remembered by those who knew her best. Often funny, sometimes poignant, but always fascinating, this book singularly conveys the happiness that Garland's own great and buoyantly emotional performances have brought to hundreds of millions of admirers. Anyone who ever enjoyed a Garland song will revel in this glowing, lavishly illustrated tribute.

Edwards’s biography presents a complete picture of the late actress—and not just the boozing, drug-addicted caricature of a woman central to lesser biographies. We learn, for example, that Garland saw it as her duty to provide for her family financially, a generosity that her mother Ethel exploited with disastrous results. Above all, Judy Garland sought to please, whether it was an audience or a studio head, and therein lies her powerful and heartbreaking story.

In this highly-acclaimed biography, Shipman tells the whole story of this doomed and deified performer: her days as a child star, the daughter of a gay father; her ascension to teenage stardom; her introduction to drugs by MGM; her years of alcoholism and substance abuse; her relationship with daughter Liza Minelli; and more. Photos.

The diminutive performer with the unique magical effect on audiences remains the stuff of legend more than twenty years after her death. Her magic is captured in this magnificent book, graced with 600 photographs, many never before seen.

This day-by-day account of the legend's life—the first of its kind—succeeds in the daunting task of tracking Judy's myriad professional pursuits, the personal crises she triumphed over, and her many accomplishments. Lavishly illustrated with eighty rare photos, this volume contains new information to enthrall even the most knowledgeable Garland fan. For those just encountering Judy, this book provides the perfect introduction, an engrossing narrative bursting with information: her performance dates, concert set lists, and recording session schedules; the evolving critical reception to her work; the many celebrities that came into contact with and adored Judy, from the Beatles to Elvis to Sinatra; her filming itineraries and guest appearances; excerpts from rare interviews and press conferences; and much more. Here is Judy Garland as never viewed before, in a way that allows readers to see her whole life on a daily basis and come to their own conclusion about what her life was really about. They will encounter a survivor, parent, friend, and one of the greatest entertainers the world has ever known, who overcame one obstacle after another in order to devote forty-five of her forty-seven years to delighting her fans. From her debut performance as a Gumm Sister at age two to her final day, Judy Garland is the definitive chronicle of this remarkable icon.