ABOUT THE FILM:

Judy had been at MGM for a year and a half before finally making her first feature for the studio. She had auditioned and was signed by the studio in September 1935, and while she had immediate and continued success with audiences through her many radio appearances, MGM just couldn't figure out how to feature her. That didn't stop them from loaning her out to 20th Century-Fox in 1936 for a supporting role in her feature debut Pigskin Parade. She got to sing 3 songs and received unanimous praise from the critics and audiences. And yet, still nothing at MGM (excepting her "official" film debut in the 1936 short Every Sunday).

The events that led to her casting in Broadway Melody had become studio legend even before she left in 1950. Judy's musical coach and mentor Roger Edens had been working with and coaching her from almost the day she first entered the studio gates. It was Edens who wrote most of the special material for her radio appearances, and everyone knew it was just a matter of time before Judy became a star.

In early 1937, Edens created a fun take on "You Made Me Love You" for Judy to sing to Ben Bernie on his radio variety show. She had originally wanted to sing "Drums In My Heart" a torrid love song Edens had originally arranged for Ethel Merman. He told Judy that she was too young to sing such an adult song and to appease her, he made a deal that if he came up with something that she liked better she would sing that. If not, she could sing "Drums". He took "You Made Me Love You" and framed it with a musical love letter. The joke was that Bernie was one of the last persons in Hollywood to inspire such passion. Judy liked it, and they were all set for the Bernie show when studio chief Louis B. Mayer's personal secretary (and champion of Judy) Ida Koverman stepped in. She tapped Edens to provide some entertainment for their planned on-set celebration of Clark Gable's birthday, knowing that it would help bring attention to Judy. With a few lyric changes, Judy performed the song for Gable at the party on February 1, 1937. She was a smash. Reportedly Gable had tears in his eyes and Mayer ordained that a part had to be found for this little girl.

Contrary to popular belief, Judy was already slated to appear in Broadway Melody when she performed at the Gable party. The song did not get her the part, but obviously the script was altered to allow her to perform in on screen. It was her first big hit, her first "signature" song, and she would keep the song in her repertoire (minus the "Dear Mr. Gable" part) throughout the rest of her life.

When the film was released, Judy received the bulk of the praise and effectively stole the film from the real stars. Her previous few years of inactivity at the studio were now over. From here on out, she would be working almost non-stop until her time off in 1946/1947 to give birth to daughter Liza Minnelli. The rest, as they say, is history....

• The film Gable was making when the birthday celebration happened was Parnell. He hated wearing the period clothing so much that he vowed never to make a period film again. A few years later, when he was approached to play Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind, part of his reluctance to take that role was his experiences on Parnell.
• The filming for Broadway Melody started Judy's busiest decade. She worked almost non-stop in films, radio, and the recording studio (Decca) until her pregnancy with Liza in 1945/1946.
• Decca Records president Jack Kapp was so impressed with Judy after seeing the premier of the film, that he immediately drew up a contract for her. Judy had previously cut a few records for Decca without the benefit of a contract. This new contract began an association that would last until 1947, and gave Judy a chance to record material in a style that was much different than her recordings for her films with MGM. Check out the Decca Records page at The Judy Garland Online Discography for more info.
• Years later, Mickey Rooney joked that when Judy burst into tears at Gable's reaction to her performance at his birthday party, that it was probably due to the fact that "Gable had such terrible halitosis"!!!
• The studio milked "Dear Mr. Gable" for all its worth. A studio portrait of Judy features her showing off a charm bracelet supposedly given to her by Gable out of appreciation. In reality, the bracelet and accompanying story was concocted by the studio publicity department for the fan magazines.
• Prior to the film's release, Judy performed "Dear Mr. Gable" several times in public: The night of the Gable party she performed it at the Café Trocadero, stealing the show from veterans like Sophie Tucker, Eddie Cantor, and George Jessel; At MGM's annual show for theater exhibitors and owners (Ann Rutherford later stated that Judy's performance electrified the audience to the point that they "banged the tables!"); She premiered the song on radio the night of February 23, 1937 on "Jackie Oakie's College" on the CBS Radio Network.
• Sophie Tucker was quite taken with Judy, calling her the next "Red Hot Mama", referring to Judy's voice and her own nickname.
• The song "Yours And Mine" was recorded and filmed by Judy and later cut from the film prior to release. A separate snippet of the song as sung by Judy can be heard during the film's overture. The pre-recording is available on the 1996 CD "Collector's Gems From The M-G-M Films". Judy recorded another song, "Your Broadway And My Broadway" for the film's finale, which was also cut.
  
  
• TIMELINE AT A GLANCE:
  
  • February 1, 1937: The birthday party for Gable on the set of Parnell where Judy sings "Dear Mr. Gable" for the first time.
  • February 22, 1937: Judy sings "Dear Mr. Gable" at an MGM dinner/dance.
  • February 23, 1937: Judy sings "Dear Mr. Gable" on "Jackie Oakie's College" on the CBS Radio Network (this was Judy's first radio series on which she would be a regular guest).
  • March 5, 1937: Judy records "Everybody Sing" (with Sophie Tucker, Barnett Parker, J.D. Jewkes & The MGM Studio Chorus) on the legendary MGM recording stage. This is Judy's first recording for an MGM feature.
  • March 14, 1937: Judy records "Your Broadway And My Broadway" for the film.
  • April 16, 1937: Judy records "Yours And Mine" for the film.
  • Early May 1937: Judy performs "Dear Mr. Gable" as an MGM Exhibitor's gathering.
  • May 7, 1937: Judy records "Dear Mr. Gable" for the film.
  • June 22, 1937: Judy sings "Everybody Sing" on "Jackie Oakie's College" radio show.
  • August 13, 1937: Broadway Melody of 1938 previews at the Village Theater in Westwood, California.
  • August 30, 1937: Judy records "Everybody Sing" for Decca Records. This is her first recording session under her new long term contract with the label.
  • September 24, 1937: Judy records "Dear Mr. Gable" for Decca Records.

* Much of the data on this page is provided Hugh Fordin's fantastic book ""The World Of Entertainment" (now available under the reprint title "M-G-M's Greatest Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit") and the many Garland biographies both in and out of print, including the wonderful book by Scott Schechter "Judy Garland - The Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Legend".

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