JUDY GARLAND | EVERYBODY SING (1938) Portrait

[Los Angeles: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1938]. Vintage original 8 x 10″ (20 x 25 cm.) black-and-white glossy silver gelatin print photo. Minor crease at top right corner, near fine.

Judy Garland at 15 displays a lovely smile for this portrait used to promote her move to star status. When MGM bought the rights to The Wizard of Oz in late 1937, it was bought to make Garland a star. In preparation for over a year before it went before the cameras, Judy was rushed through three films.

The first was a vehicle to move her from the character/juvenile classification to the star roster at MGM. Originally called The Ugly Duckling (to which mother Billie Burke refers to in the script), it was retitled Everybody Sing. Judy sang — a lot — but so did everyone else. As Oz was being prepared and she tested various hair, costume and make-ups, she finished this film as well as Love Finds Andy Hardy and Listen, Darling. This portrait was used all through 1938 to promote those films.

There is a date stamp on the verso of Nov. 28, 1938.