Summer Stock is one of Judy’s (and MGM’s) most charming and enjoyable musicals, and notable in film history for two reasons:

1. It was the last film Judy completed for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.
2. It features one of her most iconic performances: The spectacular “Get Happy.”

At the time it was made Summer Stock was a let down for Judy.  After her artistic growth (and triumphs) with the Freed Unit in the mid-to-late 40’s (Meet Me In St. Louis, Easter Parade), followed by the professional and personal lows of the late 1940’s, going into Summer Stock was a step backward to the “let’s put on a show” musicals she made with Mickey Rooney a decade earlier.  In fact, Summer Stock producer Joe Pasternak had originally wanted Rooney for the role of Joe Ross, intending the film to be a nostalgic reunion for the two stars.  But by 1949 Rooney’s box office clout had waned and Gene Kelly was offered the part. Kelly was definitely great box office, having just completed two major hits, both released in 1949: Take Me Out To The Ball Game and On The Town.  Thanks to Kelly’s guidance, On The Town was also an artistic success with its advancement of dance on screen.  Due to this, under normal circumstances Kelly would have rejected the Summer Stock script as not worthy of his talents.  But as a favor to Judy, who was his helpful champion during his film debut when they co-starred in For Me And My Gal in 1942, Kelly agreed to make the film.  He later said: “We loved her and we understood what she was going through, and I had every reason to be grateful for all the help she had given me.”

When she reported for work on Summer Stock in October 1949, Judy had just returned to the studio from the disappointment of being fired from Annie Get Your Gun and the resulting recuperative stay at the Peter Brent Bingham hospital in Boston (“Rehab” as it’s termed today).  During her stay in Boston she had gained some needed weight along with some physical and emotional stability.  Knowing that putting Judy on a crash diet for the film meant a return to the diet pills and the horrors that went with them, Pasternak wisely did not require any weight loss thus alleviating undue pressure on Judy.  Still, after about a month of work on the film, Judy asked the studio to let her out of her contract and the film.  She was fearful that she would lose the physical and psychological good health she had just achieved.  Studio head Louis B. Mayer convinced her to carry on.

As filming commenced, Judy was still shaky both physically and emotionally.  Chuck Walters recalled: “Gene took her left arm and I took her right one, and between us, we literally tried to keep her on her feet.  But it wasn’t easy.  Emotionally she was at her lowest ebb.  Physically she was pretty unsure of herself as well.  There were even times when we had to nail the scenery down and provide her with supports so she wouldn’t fall over.  Once, I remember, she had to walk up a few steps, and she couldn’t do it.  So I had to cheat the shot, and shoot the scene from a different angle.  The whole experience was a ghastly, hideous nightmare which, happily, is a blur in my memory.”  Insecure about her weight and her ability to perform, costume designer Walter Plunkett was exposed to some of her lowest points, later recalling: “She was paranoid about her inability to work,” he said, “and felt she was letting Gene and Chuck Walters down terribly.  And the more she tried to pull herself together, the more hysterical she became.  It was heart-breaking to see.”

At one point even Pasternak, who had been in awe of Judy’s talent from as far back as the mid-30’s, thought it best to stop filming for Judy’s sake.  He went to Mayer to convince him to shut down the production.  Thinking he had Mayer’s sympathy, Pasternak was surprised by his response.  Per Pasternak, Mayer said to him: “Judy Garland has made this studio a fortune in the good days, and the least we can do is to give her one more chance.  If you stop production now, it’ll finish her.”  Pasternak went back and finished the film.

It wasn’t all difficult times.  Many times Judy could summon up her special magic and deliver.  Just watch her dance with Kelly in “The Portland Fancy.”  It’s some of the best and most intricate dancing she ever put on film.  She could also help out the rest of the cast.  For example, she went to Eddie Bracken’s aid when he was in fear of losing a stage role in New York due to the film’s being over schedule.  He later recalled: “[The Executives] would tell me how difficult Judy was to deal with.  I said, ‘Do you mind if I call her?’ and Dore Schary said, ‘No, but it won’t do any good.’  He laughed at me, really.  But I called Judy and said, ‘I know that you’re feeling terrible, but I’ve got another job on Broadway, and could you try and gain enough strength to get here and knock off this scene?’ and she said, ‘I’ll be there at ten o’clock [that next morning].’  And she was there at ten o’clock; that was Judy.  She would do anything for a friend.  But the authority – the upper echelon – people who were yelling at her, telling her what to do, that she refused to do.  And if someone had asked her nicely, it would have been done in one second.  That was the difference with Judy Garland.”

In spite of the issues, filming took only fifty days and was over budget a minor 43k (it was common for films to be over budget, especially musicals).  Much of the final success of the filming can be attributed to the affection and support of Judy’s co-stars and crew.  Everyone rallied around her because everyone loved her and wanted her to succeed.  Ever the trouper, Judy delivered regardless of her physical and emotional weaknesses.

Summer Stock turned out to be a breezy and sparkling lark.  Critics and audiences love it (see reviews below), making the film a financial and critical success.  Audiences applauded Judy’s numbers as though they were watching a live stage show, something unheard of even today.  Judy’s performance is, as usual, wonderful.

Of particular note is the fact that Summer Stock bridges the style of Judy’s on-screen singing from the sweeter sound of the 40’s to the fuller, more mature sound that she would present to moviegoers in 1954’s A Star is Born.  In Summer Stock Judy really lets go vocally, more than she ever had in her previous films. To electrifying effect.  Her voice is strong with a new maturity.  This is nowhere more evident than in the the usually overlooked “Friendly Star.”  Judy sings with such intensity of emotion the result is an instant classic.

Judy’s final solo number in the film is also the last number she filmed at MGM: “Get Happy.”  For years many critics and fans assumed the number was an outtake from a previous film and inserted into Summer Stock to pep things up at the end.  The reason for this is that Judy’s physical appearance in “Get Happy” is much thinner than the rest of the film.  This is because “Get Happy” wasn’t an outtake but an addition that was recorded and shot after most (but not all) of the production had been completed.  During that time, Judy was able to get some more rest and lose more weight – a lot!.

It was Judy’s idea to sing “Get Happy” as it was a personal favorite.  She had requested that MGM buy the song.  This means that it was obviously in the works to buy the song for Judy before production wrapped.  It would take a bit of time for MGM to buy the song and then have Conrad Salinger or Skip Martin arrange the music for Judy before the actual pre-recording date.  Judy also requested to perform it in the outfit that Vincente Minnelli originally came up with for Easter Parade’s outtake number “Mr. Monotony.”  It became an iconic Garland look:  A man’s tuxedo jacket and fedora.  “Get Happy” turned out to be one of the best numbers Judy ever performed on film and was a fitting finale to her MGM era.

Also contrary to the legends, “Get Happy” wasn’t the last number recorded or filmed for Summer Stock.  Kelly’s “Newspaper Dance” was recorded on March 31st and he filmed it in early April.  The post-filming scoring sessions were completed in late April.

Not long after completing Summer Stock, Judy was called back to replace a pregnant June Allyson and reunite with Fred Astaire for Royal Wedding.  Sadly, her health had not recovered sufficiently to allow her to endure the toll of making another big-budget musical, and she was suspended from the film.  Contrary to popular belief, Judy was not fired by MGM.  On September 29, 1950, she asked for (and was given) a release from her MGM contract.  Within a year she would successfully begin the next era of her career: The legendary “Concert Years” which are chronicled here.