ABOUT THE FILM:

The Pirate can be considered "Judy's cult film". Producer Arthur Freed said that it was "twenty years ahead of it's time". Indeed, the film is unlike any other musical (or other film) released in 1948. People either love it or hate it. There is no in-between. It's lauded for Minnelli's use of color and Gene Kelly's dancing although critics were (and still are) divided on the merits of the acting. Some felt it was over-acted. Others loved the high farce the production was going for. I personally love Judy's performance in the film. Yes, sometimes you can see some of the strain she was under, but overall her talents as a comedienne really shine through.

The production was plagued with problems from the start. This was Judy's return to the studio after giving birth to Liza Minnelli and she suffered severe postpartum depression. She also did not relish the thought of returning to the intense grind (and dieting) required in making musicals. She had been talked into renewing her MGM contract paying her an incredible $6,000.00 per week and requiring she only make two films a year. Later she would say that it was "one of the classic mistakes of my life".

But all of the issues can't be blamed solely on Judy. The script went through many changes. Most famously the Anita Loos and Joseph Than take on the story altered the premise by making the pirate impersonate an actor impersonating a pirate, rather than the more believable story of an actor impersonating a pirate (who happens to have become the mayor of the town). The husband-wife writing team of Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett were brought in to re-write the script.

The music went through many changes as well. The first scoring of "Mack The Black" had what Freed called a sound "like a Chinese carnival", i.e. very over arranged and shrill. When going through a rehearsal of "You Can Do No Wrong", Judy and Porter had words over the pronunciation of the word "caviar". The argument was attributed to Judy being over medicated, because she normally adored Porter and his talent. "Love Of My Life" was also re-recorded.

Over the years, The Pirate has become one of Garland fan's most well loved films in spite of its minor faults. It may not make the top 10 list of everyone's favorite musicals, but it was a great experiment at the time and helped advance the film musical to the heights it would achieve in just a few years.

• This was the only film Judy made at MGM that did not turn a profit. The studio reported a loss of $2,290,00, although this included unused screenplay drafts and other work dating all the way back to 1943.
• The "Be A Clown" song and dance by Gene Kelly and The Nicholas Brothers was shot in one day on July 9, 1947.
• On August 29, 1947 producer Arthur Freed along with Judy, Vincente Minnelli, Irving Berlin and Cole Porter viewed a rough cut of the film. Porter did not like the film, even though Freed and Berlin sang its praises. Porter is reported as saying "We shall see." Porter went on to report that he felt The Pirate was "a $5,000,000 Hollywood picture that was unspeakably wretched, the worst that money could buy."

* 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".