(April 23, 1928—Present) BACKSTORY: Hard to believe that this icon only lived to the age of 47. The body of work that she left behind is staggering. Her movies will continue to live on: "The Wizard of Oz," "Meet Me In St. Louis," "Easter Parade," and "A Star is Born." Her music still enthralls each new generation: "Over the Rainbow," "The Man that Got Away," and so many others.
Judy was originally cast in the title role of "Annie Get Your Gun," the splashy MGM Musical that was eventually released in 1950 with Betty Hutton. Judy worked for approximately 2 months on the film and pre-recorded all of the film's musical numbers and even filmed two ("Doin' What Comes Naturally" and "I'm an Indian Too"). Exhausted even before the film production began, Garland's mental health was exacerbated even further by the choice of the manic Busby Berkeley as director. Berkeley was eventually replaced by George Sidney, but it was too late for Judy, as her physical health forced the studio to replace her. Below are the surviving costume test photos of Judy that were taken in preparation of filming the movie.
