Judy's only pairing with Fred Astaire came about almost by accident. In 1946 songwriter Irving Berlin first approached 20th Century-Fox about making a film to be titled "Easter Parade" and to build the film around a catalog of his songs, as well as new songs he would write specifically for the film. In 1938 20th Century-Fox had done such a great job with another Berlin-based musical starring Alice Faye entitled Alexander's Ragtime Band, that makes sense that Berlin would first approach Fox. However, they balked at his request for $600,000 plus a percentage of the film's profits. He ended up getting the $600,000 but no percentage.

Ace MGM musicals producer Arthur Freed jumped at the chance to do a film with Berlin. Freed had already begun his series of musicals based on a particular composer's or songwriting team's catalogs of music with the release of the Jerome Kern bio-pic Till The Clouds Roll By in 1946. In the same year that Easter Parade was released (1948) Freed also released another biographical film based on a catalog of song hits, Words & Music (1948), this time from the catalog of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Although Freed would abandon the "bio-pic" idea, he continued to produce films based on song catalogs, culminating in the legendary Singin' In The Rain in 1952 and The Band Wagon in 1953. With a quick pre-approval of Berlin's shrewd money request from MGM Studio Chief Louis B. Mayer, Freed began pre-production on Easter Parade utilizing all the talents of his famous "Freed Unit".

Freed assigned Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett to write the script for Easter Parade. They had recently rescued the unworkable script for troubled The Pirate, which was currently in production starring Judy and Gene Kelly. The Pirate's director, Vincente Minnelli, was assigned as director for Easter Parade. MGM musical guru Roger Edens began the process of going through Berlin's song catalog to choose songs that best suited the story and stars, while Berlin began writing the new songs for the film. In February 1947, columnist Louella Parsons reported the Easter Parade was MGM's next big musical production, to star Judy, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, and Red Skelton.

MGM's biggest musical star, Judy Garland, was the logical choice to star. Even though Berlin first approached Fox, Arthur Freed later stated that "the reason I got Irving to agree to do Easter Parade was on account of Judy." And this was probably true. All of the top musical talent of the day, whether it be songwriters, composers, directors, or performers - they all wanted to work with Judy Garland. Such was her reputation for having a talent approaching genius. If fact, the song "It Only Happens When I Dance With You" came about because of Judy. As Judy told the story years later: "The photographer asked us to stand in a dancing position. I quipped, 'Maybe this will inspire one of the new songs.' Irving laughed and said 'Maybe,' Then, as I was leaving, he slipped a small piece of paper into my hand, saying, 'Don't show this to anyone yet.' When I looked at it, I read the words, 'It only happens when I dance with you'. I've always considered this my very own beloved melody."

As production got under way in the fall of 1947, a series of obstacles popped up. On September 18, 1947, director Vincente Minnelli was taken off the film and replaced with Charles Walters. Minnelli was married to Garland at this time and their working together on The Pirate had put a huge strain on their marriage. Judy's therapist suggested that they not work together so soon.

Judy's frail condition after completing The Pirate in late July 1947 had led her to make an unpublicized suicide attempt. She was admitted to the Las Campanas sanitarium in California, then spent a few weeks at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and was back home on August 20th. Just a short month later, on September 22nd, she began music rehearsals for Easter Parade with Gene Kelly, including the new Berlin song "A Couple Of Swells".

Then, on October 13th Gene Kelly broke his ankle either playing softball, volleyball, or baseball - depending on which book you read. Kelly himself later said "I told [MGM studio boss Louis B.] Mayer I'd been rehearsing a rather complicated dance step, because I didn't think he'd respond too well to the truth. I said, 'Why don't you give Fred Astaire a ring?'"

A call went out to the then nominally retired Fred Astaire. Per Kelly: "Fred called me back. He said, 'Are you sure you don't want to do this picture? It's a good picture.' I said, 'Fred, you'll be doing me a favor, 'cause they think I'm a bum. L.B. Mayer thinks I broke my leg on purpose. Please do it!"

Astaire was delighted at the chance of working with Garland, and quickly accepted, reporting to work on October 16th, just 3 days after Kelly broke his ankle. This move would begin a new 10 year association between Astaire and MGM resulting in some of Astaire's (and MGM's) best musical moments.

Another accident ended up helping the film. Cyd Charisse was slated to play Astaire's ex-dancing partner Nadine. But Cyd tore a ligament in her foot and had to be taken off the film. Ann Miller, a personal favorite of MGM studio boss Louis B. Mayer, auditioned for the role. Mayer told her that he couldn't help her with her audition, she would have to prove herself on her own. Ann got the role, beginning a successful new phase of her career becoming known as "tops in taps".

With the cast in place (the Sinatra, Grayson, & Skelton roles had long since vanished), the first item of business was the script. When Charles Walters came on board as director, he felt the script was terrible. The Kelly/Astaire character was a real heel. This was possibly due to Kelly's Broadway star-making hit "Pal Joey" and his film debut opposite Judy in For Me And My Gal (1942) in which he played similar "heel" characters to great effect. Sidney Sheldon was brought in to make rewrites. He tightened up the story and helped make it one of the best written musicals MGM ever made. The story is a slight departure from the average MGM musical fare of the day in that, although it's about musical performers, the story is more concerned with the love lives of the principal characters. In this case not just two or three, but FOUR people who's lives are intertwined romantically. Judy loves Fred; Fred loves Ann; Ann loves Peter; Peter loves Judy. The dialog is crisp and believable, and a definite improvement over most musicals. It's this storyline, peppered with the cavalcade of one musical showstopper after another, that keeps the audiences interest and makes Easter Parade one of the greatest of all MGM Musicals.

Judy was in wonderful spirits while making Easter Parade. In fact, during the early days of production on Easter Parade, she was doing double-duty byalso filming extensive retakes for the trouble-plagued The Pirate. She relished working with Fred Astaire who later remembered "Judy's the greatest entertainer who ever lived - or probably ever will live...an amazing girl. She could do things - anything - without rehearsing and come off perfectly. She could learn faster, do everything better than most people. It was one of the greatest thrills to work with her."

Filming went along smoothly and without a hitch. Easter Parade was completed on March 12th, 1948 and would go on to become MGM's biggest hit of 1948, grossing over 6 million dollars in it's initial release. As far as Judy's career is concerned, Easter Parade was the last big-budget MGM Musical she would make for the studio (aside from her guest appearance in Words & Music, also in 1948). Her films after Easter Parade, while all huge hits at the box office and with the public, were of a smaller scale and were produced not by the Freed Unit (where most of the big budget MGM musicals were made) but by the Joe Pasternak Unit, a unit known for making reliable small budget musicals. This was due to Judy's increasing problems with overwork, insecurities, and her growing addiction to several medications.

The pairing of Garland & Astaire was such a success that MGM immediately planned to team them again in The Barkleys of Broadway, written by the witty team of Betty Comden & Adolph Green. However, after the strain of making The Pirate, Easter Parade, and her guest appearance in Words & Music (all three released in 1948) Judy was unfit to endure another strenuous high profile production. Beginning on June 14, 1948 she was in rehearsals for Barkleys but missed so many days due to illness that MGM was forced to remove her from the film on July 18, 1948. She was replaced Ginger Rogers and put on suspension.

It wasn't until May, 1950 that MGM again tried to team Judy with Astaire, this time for Royal Wedding. Alas, it was not to be. During the interim, Judy had been on an emotional and physical roller coaster. She had bounced back to film a second guest spot for Words & Music in September of 1948, then in the winter of 1948/1949 she quickly completed In The Good Old Summertime (released in 1949) for the Pasternak Unit.

In March of 1949, Judy began work on Annie Get Your Gun - the Broadway mega-hit that had been purchased at great expense solely for her. But that production was plagued from the start. Busby Berkeley's awful direction, Judy's lack of sufficient rest between productions, and a myriad of other problems conspired against the film. Judy faltered and was suspended again on May 10, 1949. She entered Peter Brent Brigham Hospital in Boston to cure her dependency on prescription medications and recover from a complete physical collapse. After a few months she was well enough to return to MGM. She then went into rehearsals for Summer Stock and finally (and under great emotional strain) completed that film in March of 1950.

Judy then went to Carmel for a planned six month rest, but was lured back by MGM to replace the pregnant June Allyson and co-star once again with Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding. It was too much too soon. Judy endured another physical and mental collapse, and was suspended on June 17th, 1950. Two days later she attempted suicide again with a light scratch to her throat. More a cry for help than an actual suicide attempt, the act was leaked to the press and made international headlines. Rather than alienating her, the faux suicide attempt did the reverse by endearing her even more to her fans. On September 29, 1950 Judy was granted her request for a release from her MGM contract. Free from the constraints of the studio system, Judy would soon begin the legendary "concert years" phase of her career.

So, even though the pairing with Fred Astaire was tried and failed, Easter Parade will always remain as one of Judy and Fred's greatest films - and one of the great classics of the golden age of movie musicals.