Judy Garland

There WAS Al Jolson, regarded as the world's greatest entertainer. Then, in the early '60's, Judy staged yet another of her comebacks and took the world by storm in a series of concerts at Carnegie Hall in '63 and the London Palladium. She was a performing prodigy - like George Gershwin as a composer - beginning her career on stage as Frances "Baby" Gumm, of the three singing Gumm Sisters. Ethel Gumm, Judy's mother, is known in theatrical history as the quintessential hard-driving, overbearing and obsessed stage mother. She began giving Babe amphetamines at age 9 declaring "I've got to keep my girls going". The woman who should have been her defender, her bulwark against those wishing to 'use' Judy's talent, became her pusher.
At the age of 12 Judy landed an audition with the legendary Louis B. Mayer of MGM. Judy sang a Jewish traditional song in Hebrew, bringing tears to Mayer's eyes. Normally, singing auditions are allied with screen tests. After this one song, Mayer said not to bother with the test. "Prepare the contracts", he said to an aid. Two weeks later Babe Gumm inked a contract for $100.00 per week and the rest is musical history.