PRODUCTION
On June 15, 1945, Judy Garland married Vincente Minnelli. It was her second marriage, his first. The marriage seemed like a match made in MGM Heaven. Minnelli had just risen to fame as the studio’s top director of their top musicals. He was the man responsible for completing Judy’s successful transition from juvenile parts to adult roles, making her (with the invaluable help of make-up guru Dottie Ponedel), into MGM’s premier musical leading lady. Three of Judy’s four films prior to Till The Clouds Roll By had been directed by Vincente: Meet Me In St. Louis (1944), in which Judy was made up for the first time by Dottie); Ziegfeld Follies (1946), Judy’s number filmed by Vincente in 1944; and The Clock (1945), Judy’s rare non-singing dramatic role.
Upon their return from a 10-week honeymoon in early September 1945, the couple announced that Judy was pregnant. The studio wasted no time in re-scheduling her scenes for Till The Clouds Roll By. Although the bulk of the film was directed by Richard Whorf, Judy’s numbers were the creation of her husband. When watching the film, Judy’s scenes have a different look to them, especially the musical numbers, which was the result of that special Minnelli flair.
Playing the part of Broadway legend Marilyn Miller, Judy was slated to perform three numbers: “Sunny/D’Ya Love Me?” “Who?” and “Look For The Silver Lining.” The songs had been huge hits for Miller, but due to Vincente’s direction and of course, her own special magic, Judy made them her own. “D’Ya Love Me?” was from the film prior to its release. And with good reason. The surviving footage of the number shows that it was oddly static and slow. It was to take place during the circus number, “Sunny,” coming after the big opening and Judy’s entrance and before “Who?” (which was not part of the circus sequence). It obviously impeded the flow of the sequence. The surviving footage (see below) allows us to see that even the great Vincente Minnelli made a few misjudgments.
Below: The footage of the deleted number, “D’Ye Love Me?” Note that the first part is silent due to the fact that the dialog was to be dubbed in later. No recordings of the dialog are known to survive.
The rest of Judy’s sequences are excellent, and she is glowing throughout. She was at the peak of her MGM years in both the quality of her vocals and her beauty. While filming “Who?” Judy found it hysterically funny to be running around singing “Who stole my heart away?” to a group of men while in her “condition” as an expecting mother. The future was bright, and Judy was looking forward to a new baby and domestic bliss. She completed her work on the film on November 8, 1945. That final day was devoted to finishing the “D’Ya Love Me” number. Time called: 10 am, Judy arrived at 10:30 am, dismissed (done) at 6:40 pm.
Till The Clouds Roll By was Judy’s third of four “guest appearances” in an MGM all-star extravaganza. She appeared as herself in Thousands Cheer in 1943 singing “The Joint Is Really Jumpin’ Down At Carnegie Hall,” she then performed the wickedly funny and satirical “A Great Lady Has An Interview” number for Ziegfeld Follies (Judy’s number filmed in 1944 but the film was not released until 1946), and then again as herself in the 1948 composer biopic Words And Music – which was Judy’s last appearance singing and dancing with Mickey Rooney on film. However, Judy’s guest appearance in Clouds is in the role of an actual historical person, and it’s by far the best of her guest spots. Judy is presented as a glamorous leading lady of Broadway, which is what Marilyn Miller was, and she gets to sing beautifully while also looking quite wonderful.
Till The Clouds Roll By was a first for producer Arthur Freed. It was the first time the studio made a musical biography based on the life of a composer/songwriter. Freed had his hopes of having the first musical of this kind dashed when, in 1945 during the production of Till The Clouds Roll By, Warner Bros. released their version of George Gershwin’s life entitled Rhapsody in Blue which was very similar to Till The Clouds Roll By in that it was a biopic about a great Broadway and film composer/songwriter and featured guest appearances. But Freed’s production of Till The Clouds Roll By would prove to be the more popular of the two probably because it had more guest stars in much better presentations of great songs. Very loosely based on the life of Jerome Kern Till The Clouds Roll By was really an excuse to show off the abundance of musical talent at the studio, as well as their technical “know-how” and slick production values. Kern himself was a participant, but died early in the filming, necessitating the script to be fictionalized even more. The end result doesn’t really portray Kern’s life very accurately, but that doesn’t really matter. Kern’s life was pretty void of any “tabloid scandal” or real heart-wrenching drama anyway. Instead, he was lucky to be able to concentrate on being one of the pioneers of the American Musical. It’s Kern’s melodies, married to Oscar Hammerstein’s words, that make the seminal musical “Show Boat” so powerful. As Till The Clouds Roll By shows, Kern was able to write serious, thought-provoking music as well as fun and light ditties. In fact, Kern’s music is so beautiful, and so beautifully arranged and orchestrated by Conrad Salinger, that the studio decided to release several of the film’s pre-recordings (some heavily edited) on the first MGM Records soundtrack album.
In 1947, MGM Records created the first “movie soundtrack album” when it released the soundtrack of Till The Clouds Roll By. Disney had released a few songs from Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs on a limited RCA two-record set, however, MGM’s release of Till The Clouds Roll By on record became the first-ever “original soundtrack album.” Previously, artists would prerecord songs for films at the studio and then turn around and record “singles” versions of some of those songs for a recording label for play on the nation’s ever-growing jukeboxes. Throughout the 1930s and ’40s, Judy recorded many of her film songs under contract to Decca Records. The arrangements of those recordings usually differed greatly from those heard in the actual films as the intent was more in the “pop” arena than in faithfully recreating the film experience. In 1947, when the Till The Clouds Roll By soundtrack came out, it coincided with the completion of Judy’s contract with Decca. And of course, MGM was only too happy to take advantage of having Judy Garland’s songs in their catalog.
The limitations of the time meant that only eight songs could fit on the four 78 rpm records (eight sides total) that made up an “album.” Long-playing 33 1/3 rpm records were several years away. Judy’s “Who” was a slightly shorter version than what was heard in the film, and “Look For The Silver Lining” had a few seconds trimmed as well. The Judy Garland Online Discography features detailed information and images of all of the LP and CD releases of this soundtrack.
After completing her work in Till The Clouds Roll By, Judy took a much-needed vacation from the studio and give birth to daughter Liza Minnelli on March 12, 1946. Judy then enjoyed over a year of relaxation before reporting back to MGM in 1947 with a new contract paying her over $5,000 a week (in 1947 dollars!), and an exciting new project in The Pirate (1948).
Till The Clouds Roll By would go on to become one of Judy’s most popular MGM films, even if she’s only in it a short time. Part of this is due to MGM Records including Judy’s songs from the film in just about every compilation they would release from the 1940s through the 1980s (and of course the rereleases of the soundtrack album). The other reason is due to the copyright on the film being allowed to lapse in the 1960s, making it a part of the public domain – and Judy’s numbers became some of the most seen of any of her work. They were the easiest and cheapest for companies to include in any documentary or compilation that included a mention or two of Judy Garland. This wasn’t a bad thing. Although sometimes the picture quality was horrendous, I can’t think of a better encapsulation and representation of Judy’s beauty and talent at this golden time in her career.
Below: Our friend (and audio guru) Mark Milano has shared his amazing stereo remix of “Look For The Silver Lining.” It’s wonderful! The number is preceded by the short scene showing Marilyn Miller (Judy) getting ready to open the second act with the song.
PHOTOS
MEDIA
JUDY'S "LOST" MGM RECORDING
A lost Judy Garland MGM recording? Well, sort of...
Not long after giving birth to daughter Liza Minnelli on March 12, 1946, Judy participated in a radio show memorial honoring the late composer Jerome Kern, broadcast “live” from the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on July 20, 1946. “Live” is in quotations because a chunk of the broadcast was provided by MGM pre-recordings.
In February of 1946, the Hollywood Bowl Association approached MGM producer Arthur Freed to produce a Kern memorial concert for their summer season. Freed accepted. At the time of the request, the studio was finishing up production of Till The Clouds Roll By. The film previewed on July 2, 1946, so the timing of the concert gave MGM some great promotion, even though it didn’t go into general release until January 3, 1947.
Most of the guest stars who appear in the film also appear on the broadcast on July 20, 1946, recreating their numbers with Robert Walker narrating.
The concert was divided into three sections:
1) The California Junior Symphony Orchestra conducted by Peter Meremblum played a medley of Kern songs.
2) Johnny Green conducted the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra with some of the stars from the film recreating their numbers (including Judy singing “Look For The Silver Lining” and “Who?”) followed by Green and the orchestra performing the “Mark Twain Suite” (a Kern eulogy written by Freed himself).
3) The extensive “Finale Medley” from the film. This is the section of the broadcast that MGM cleverly used their orchestra-only pre-recordings for the stars to sing with.
Twenty minutes after the concert had started, word came that Lena Horne would not be able to appear. Since they were using the MGM pre-recordings for the finale section, which included Lena’s “Why Was I Born?” solo, her section couldn’t be cut at such short notice. At intermission, MGM’s musical director Roger Edens went to Judy’s dressing room and persuaded her to step in for Lena. They quickly rehearsed the song at a “small, broken-down piano” in a “passageway leading to the dressing rooms backstage.” Judy came through with a beautiful performance.
Because of this last-minute change, and the fact that the broadcast was recorded, we’re treated to a unique MGM recording of Judy Garland singing “Why Was I Born?” Yes, an MGM recording. It’s Judy singing with the studio pre-recording of the MGM Studio Orchestra. That’s not as crazy as it sounds. MGM pre-recorded their music in a multi-track system on separate audio optical film tracks, a process dating back at the studio to about 1931. This was done to create perfect takes and a balanced mono track for the films. Many of the recordings you hear in their films are culled together from multiple vocal and orchestra takes.
The only public release of this performance was on a 1970s record “The Judy Garland Musical Scrapbook” without any explanation of its history. Over the years, collectors have wondered if this was a rare, unreleased, and possibly undocumented pre-recording that Judy made for the studio. Maybe she was even slated to sing it in the film?
As nice as it would be to think that this is a rare test record Judy made at the studio, it’s not. Judy completed her work on Till The Clouds Roll By on November 7, 1945. Already pregnant with Liza, Judy was off work for the rest of her pregnancy and shortly thereafter. In fact, this broadcast is one of Judy’s first public appearances after Liza’s birth. Lena pre-recorded “Why Was I Born?” on March 22 & 26, 1946. It makes no sense for MGM to call Judy in to record a vocal to marry to the orchestra track of a Lena recording from March 22, 1946. Besides, Judy was never slated to sing it in the film. It was always planned as Lena’s solo in the film’s “Finale Medley” section.
In the end, thanks to this concert being recorded we have this “lost” Judy Garland MGM recording.
PRODUCTION TIMELINE
Photo: Director Vincente Minnelli with composer Jerome Kern and Judy on the “Who?” set.
10-02-45 – Judy’s first day of work was devoted to pre-recording “Look For The Silver Lining.” Time called: 2:30 pm, dismissed (done) at 4:30 pm.
10-03-45 – Dance rehearsals with Robert Alton were canceled because Judy was sick and could not come into work.
10-04-45 – Wardrobe fittings, Judy was Time called: 1 pm. She showed up at 2 pm and was dismissed (done) at 3:30 pm
10-05-45 – Rehearsals for Clouds during the day. That night Judy and Frank Sinatra substituted for Danny Kaye on “The Danny Kaye Show” (CBS Radio). Danny was on a USO tour. Judy sang “How Deep Is The Ocean?” and duetted with Sinatra on “My Romance”; “Gotta Be This Or That”; and a comedy sketch on what life would be like in 1995, Judy also plugged her upcoming film The Harvey Girls.
10-06-45 – Rehearsals. Call for 11 am – dismissed (done) at 3:10 pm.
10-08-45 – Filming of Judy’s scenes in Marilyn Miller’s dressing room. Time called: 10 am, Judy arrived at 10:25 am, dismissed (done) at 5:40 pm.
10-09-45 – Judy pre-recorded “Who.” The call was for 1 pm, Judy arrived at 1:15 pm – dismissed (done) at 3:53 pm.
10-10-45 – Filming of Judy’s scenes inside the theater. Time called: 10 am, Judy arrived at 10:30 am, dismissed (done) at 5:45 pm.
10-11-45 – More filming of Judy’s scenes in Marilyn Miller’s dressing room. Time called: 10 am, Judy arrived at 10:18 am, dismissed (done) at 6 pm.
10-12-45 – Filming of Judy’s scenes in the backstage corridor area, and on the stage. Time called: 10 am, Judy arrived at 10:12 am, dismissed (done) at 2 pm.
10-13-45 – Judy rehearsed dance routines with Bob Alton.
10-15-45 – Judy pre-recorded “D’Ya Love Me” and “Sunny.” The recording session lasted only one hour from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. “D’Ya Love Me” was be deleted from the film but the footage exists and has been released on various home media formats in both audio and visual formats (see the video above).
10-16-45 – Judy filmed “Look For The Silver Lining.” Time called: 10 am, Judy arrived at 10:45 am, dismissed (done) at 4:45 pm. This number was filmed in just one day (which was unusual for the time) at a cost of $21,397.50.
10-17-45 – Judy rehearsed “Who?.” Time called: 1 pm, Judy arrived at 2:15 pm, dismissed (done) at 3:45 pm.
10-18-45 – 1:45 to 2:40 pm: Wardrobe fittings. 2:40 to 3:25 pm: “Who?” rehearsal.
10-19-45 – 1:50 to 2:30 pm: “Who?” rehearsal.
10-20-45 – Judy was out sick this day.
10-22-45 – Camera and dress rehearsal for “Who?” Time called: 1 pm, Judy arrived at 2 pm, dismissed (done) at 3:30 pm.
10-23-45 – Filming on the “interior stairs set” for the “Who?” number. Time called: 10 am, dismissed (done) at 5:50 pm.
10-24-45 – Filming on the “interior stairs set” for the “Who?” number. Time called: 10 am, dismissed (done) at 5:30 pm.
10-25-45 – Filming on the “interior stairs set” for the “Who?” number. Time called: 10 am, Judy arrived at 10:50 am, dismissed (done) at 4:30 pm.
10-26-45 – Judy was out sick this day.
10-27-45 – Filming on the “interior stairs set” for the “Who?” number. Time called: 10 am, Judy arrived at 10:52 am, dismissed (done) at 2:30 pm.
10-29-45 – Filming on the “interior stairs set” for the “Who?” number. Time called: 10 am, Judy arrived at 10:47 am, dismissed (done) at 5:35 pm.
10-30-45 – Filming on the “interior stairs set” for the “Who?” number. Time called: 10 am, Judy arrived at 10:55 am, dismissed (done) at 6:25 pm. The total cost of filming “Who?” number was $198,224.59.
11-01-45 – Judy arrives for at 10 am call at 11 am, but the company was dismissed at 11:30 am because Judy went home sick.
11-02-45 – Filming on the “interior circus set” for the “Sunny” number. Time called: 3 pm, Judy arrived at 4:54 pm, dismissed (done) at 6:20 pm.
11-03-45 – Filming on the “interior circus set” for the “Sunny” number. Time called: 10 am, dismissed (done) at 4:10 pm.
11-06-45 – Filming on the “interior circus set” of both the “Sunny” and “D’Ya Love Me?” numbers. Time called: 1:30 pm, dismissed (done) at 5:45 pm.
11-08-45 – This final day of filming (for Judy) was devoted to finishing the “D’Ya Love Me” number. Time called: 10 am, Judy arrived at 10:30 am, dismissed (done) at 6:40 pm. The final cost of filming the “Sunny”/”D’Ya Love Me” was $248,682.97. Judy officially went on maternity leave after this last day of work on Till The Clouds Roll. She gave birth to her first child, daughter Liza Minnelli, on March 12, 1946. A few months later she made a few radio appearances as well as some recordings for Decca Records. She returned to MGM on December 2, 1946, for wardrobe tests and rehearsals for The Pirate.
11-11-45 – Composer Jerome Kern died. Production on Till The Clouds Roll By was temporarily halted. The script was changed. It had originally been planned to open the film with Kern’s birthday celebration at his Beverly Hills home, with a surprise all-Kern radio broadcast that was tuned into by the guests as a tribute to Kern. The writers’ fees totaled $166,773.34.
12-06-45 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “The Sun Shines Brighter” (chorus); “Leave It To Jane” (June Allyson, Ray McDonald, & Chorus); “Cleopatterer” (June Allyson); “Leave It To Jane – Finale” (Chorus); “How’d You Like To Spoon With Me?” (Angela Lansbury & Chorus); “Cleopatter – Sweetener” (Angela Lansbury & Chorus). It’s unclear if the latter really had Lansbury’s vocals as the printed takes are only 13 and 12 seconds long. It could be a typo on the MGM Daily Music Report.
12-18-45 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “One More Dance – I Won’t Dance” (Van Johnson, Trudy Irwin, & Chorus). Irwin was the vocal double for Lucille Bremer.
01-03-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “Till The Clouds Roll By” (Ray McDonald & Chorus).
01-21-46 – Rerecording session. Recorded on this day: “Kalua” (Orchestra); “I’ve Told Every Little Star” & “The Song Is You” (Kathryn Grayson & Johnny Johnston).
01-22-46 – Filming of the dramatic sequences began under the direction of Richard Whorf.
01-28-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “Show Boat” Parts 1, 2, 3, & 4 (Kathryn Grayson, Tony Martin, Virginia O’Brien). Songs in these parts: “Where’s The Mate For Me?” “Make Believe” & “Life Upon The Wicked Stage.”
01-29-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: Piano tempo tracks for “Old Fashioned Wife,” “How Would You Like to Spoon With Me,” and “They Didn’t Believe Me.”
01-29-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “Show Boat” Parts 3 & 4 (Lena Horne and Caleb Peterson). Songs in these parts: “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “Old Man River.”
02-01-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: Various recordings of “Old Man River” with Caleb Peterson and the MGM Studio Chorus.
02-07-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “They Didn’t Believe Me” (Imogene Carpenter).
02-11-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “They Didn’t Believe Me” (Imogene Carpenter).
02-12-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “They Didn’t Believe Me” (Imogene Carpenter).
03-07-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “They Didn’t Believe Me” (Ruth Clark); “Who?” (Trudy Erwin for Lucille Bremer); “Kalua” (piano tracks).
03-18-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “Old Man River & End Finale” (Frank Sinatra & Chorus); “Finale Parts 1 & 2” (“The Land Where Good Songs Go” Trudy Erwin for Lucille Bremer; “Yesterdays” Chorus; “Long Ago and Far Away” Kathryn Grayson); “Finale Parts 1 & 2 (Bar 79-end & Part 2)” (“Long Ago and Far Away” Kathryn Grayson; “Dearly Beloved” Johnny Johnston).
03-22-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “Finale Part 1” (“The Land Where Good Songs Go” Trudy Erwin for Lucille Bremer); “Finale Part 3” (“A Fine Romance” Virginia O’Brien; “All The Things You Are” Tony Martin”); “Finale Part 3” (“Why Was I Born?” Lena Horne).
04-05-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” (Piano track played by Roger Edens).
04-08-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “They Didn’t Believe Me” & “The Last Time I Saw Paris” (both by Dinah Shore).
04-19-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “She Didn’t Say Yes” & “Lovely To Look At”/“Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” (both by The Wilde Twins & Chorus); “Bill” (Lena Horne).
04-23-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “Why Do I Love You?” (Piano track played by Roger Edens)
06-03-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day: “Bill – vocal sweetener” (Lena Horne); “Finale Part 3 – vocal sweetener – A Fine Romance” (Virginia O’Brien). Also recorded were piano tracks played by Lennie Hayton: “Kalua – piano solo sweetener”; “Jerry Meets Eva Part 1”; “They Didn’t Believe Me”; “Till The Clouds Roll By” and rehearsal of “Who?”
06-17-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day was background scoring with the MGM Studio Orchestra conducted by Lennie Hayton: “Friendship Montage”; “Memphis Dressing Room”; “Kern Goes To England”; “At The Fair”; “Frustration Montage”; “News of Sally”; “Kern In Love”; “Kern Missed The Boat”; The New Dean”; “Timpani Roll” (drums only).
06-18-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day was a “New Chorus Track” for “Old Man River – Show Boat Part 4” with the MGM Studio Chorus with “track Kay Thompson” and J. Dolan conducting. Also recorded were was more background scoring with the MGM Studio Orchestra conducted by Lennie Hayton: “How’d You Like to Spoon With Me?”; “Bicycle Scene”; “Kern At Phone & Sick Scene & Search Montage”; “Main Title”; “New Intro – Finale”; “Broadway Montage – Part 7”; “Hessler’s Death Scene” (with vocal by L. Jean Norman).
06-19-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day (Lennie Hayton conducting): “Show Boat – Part 4” (Woman’s Chorus playback); “Show Boat – Part 4” (Men only). Also recorded was more background scoring (with Hayton conducting – all are “orchestra only” unless otherwise noted): “Memphis Montage” & “Broadway Montage Part 1” (Orchestra & Singers); “Happiness Montage” (Orchestra & Singers); “Picnic Scene”; “Proposal Scene”; “The New Dean – Part 2”; “Sally Leaves The Show.”
06-20-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day was background scoring with the MGM Studio Orchestra conducted by Lennie Hayton: “Jerry Meets Eva – Part 1”; “Jerry Meets Eva – Part 2”; “They Didn’t Believe Me – Eva Version”; Sally Montage”; “Kern Leaving Theatre”; “Scrap Book Montage”; “Kern In Love”; “Jane Insert”; “Intro – Silver Lining”; “Sally Returns From School”; “Intro – Make Believe”; “After Make Believe”; “Bill – Revised”; “Intro – Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man.”
06-21-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day was background scoring with the MGM Studio Orchestra conducted by Lennie Hayton: “Broadway Montage” (Parts 2 through 6); “Intro to Sunny”; “1st Insert Sunny-Who”; “2nd Insert Sunny-Who”; “Tipani for Sunny & Cymbs” (Drums, etc.); “Intro Old Man River & Show Boat Pt 4 – Sweetener”; “Show Boat Pt 3 – Sweetener”; “Show Boat Pt 3 – Sweetener”; “Show Boat – Pt 1 – Violin”; “Show Boat – Drum – Sweetener.”
06-24-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day was background scoring with the MGM Studio Orchestra conducted by Lennie Hayton: “Bicycle” (Parts 1 & 2); “Spoon – Piano B Flat”; “Bill” (the latter two were piano tracks with Hayton at the piano).
07-29-46 – Prerecording session. Recorded on this day was background scoring with the MGM Studio Orchestra conducted by Lennie Hayton: “Harp Glissando.”
December 5, 1946: Till The Clouds Roll By premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The film went into general release on January 3, 1947.
CREDITS
STATS:
Premiere Date: December 5, 1946 (Radio City Music Hall, New York City)
General Release Date: January 3, 1947
Production No. 1369
Running Time: 137 minutes
Production: 1945 through 1946
Cost: $2,841,608
Judy’s numbers cost a total of $468,305.52:
$198,224.95 for “Who;
$248,682.97 for “Sunny/D’Ya Love Me”
$21,397.50 for “Look For The Silver Lining”
Total cost of the film: $2,841,608. The extensive finale sequence cost $170,174.43.
Total Box Office Gross: $6,724,000
CAST:
Robert Walker … Jerome Kern
Judy Garland … Marilyn Miller
Lucille Bremer … Sally Hessler
Joan Wells … Sally as a girl
Van Heflin … James I. Hessler
Paul Langton … Oscar Hammerstein
Dorothy Patrick … Mrs. Jerome Kern
Harry Hayden … Charles Frohman
Paul Maxey … Victor Herbert
Mary Nash … Mrs. Muller
GUEST STARS:
June Allyson
Kathryn Grayson
Lena Horne
Van Johnson
Tony Martin
Dinah Shore
Frank Sinatra
Gower Champion
Cyd Charisse
Angela Lansbury
Ray McDonald
Virginia O’Brien
Caleb Peterson
William “Bill” Phillips
Wilde Twins (Lyn and Lee)
Cameo by Esther Williams
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Produced by: Arthur Freed
Directed by: Richard Whorf (Judy Garland’s numbers directed by Vincente Minnelli)
Screenplay by: Myles Connolly and Jean Holloway (story by Guy Bolton, adapted by George Wells, based on the life and music of Jerome Kern)
Music by: Jerome Kern
Musical Direction: Lennie Hayton
Vocal Arrangements: Kay Thompson
Orchestration: Conrad Salinger
Musical numbers staged and directed by: Robert Alton
Photography: Harry Stradling, George Folsey
Editor: Albert Akst
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons
Filmed: In planning since 1940,
Judy’s parts filmed October and November 1945 (she was 23)
Released: January 1947
Much of the information here has been provided by Scott Schechter’s invaluable book “Judy Garland – The Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Legend“, and Hugh Fordin’s “MGM’s Greatest Musicals – The Arthur Freed Unit.“
“Cotton Blossom” – MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Where’s the Mate for Me?” – Tony Martin
“Make Believe” – Kathryn Grayson & Tony Martin
“Life Upon the Wicked Stage” – Virginia O’Brien and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” – Lena Horne
“Ol’ Man River” – Caleb Peterson and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Ka-Lu-a” – MGM Studio Orchestra
“How’d You Like to Spoon with Me” – Angela Lansbury and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“They Believe Me” – Ruth Clark (for Dorothy Patrick)
“They Didn’t Believe Me” – Dinah Shore
“Till the Clouds Roll By” – June Allyson, Ray McDonald and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Leave It to Jane” – June Allyson with Ray McDonald and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Cleopatterer” – June Allyson with Ray McDonald and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Leave It to Jane” (Reprise) – June Allyson with Ray McDonald and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Look for the Silver Lining” – Judy Garland
“Who?” – Trudy Erwin (for Lucille Bremer)
“Sunny” – Judy Garland and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Who?” – Judy Garland and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“One More Dance” – Lucille Bremer (Dubbed by Trudy Erwin)
“I Won’t Dance” – Van Johnson & Lucille Bremer (dubbed by Trudy Erwin)
“She Didn’t Say Yes” – Lee and Lyn Wilde, aka “The Wilde Twins”
“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” – Dance by Cyd Charisse & Gower Champion
“The Last Time I Saw Paris” – Dinah Shore
“The Land Where the Good Songs Go” – Lucille Bremer (dubbed by Trudy Erwin)
“Yesterdays” – MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Long Ago and Far Away” – Kathryn Grayson
” A Fine Romance” – Virginia O’Brien
“All the Things You Are” – Tony Martin
“Why Was I Born?” – Lena Horne
“Ol’ Man River” (Reprise/Finale) – Frank Sinatra and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
OUTTAKES:
“D’Ya Love Me?” – Judy Garland
“Bill” – Lena Horne
“I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star”/”The Song Is You” – Kathryn Grayson & Johnny Johnston
“The Sun Shines Brighter” – MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“They Didn’t Believe Me” – Imogene Carpenter
“Lovely To Look At”/”Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” – Lee and Lyn Wilde, aka “The Wilde Twins,” and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Dearly Beloved” – Johnny Johnston
The following people who have shared many wonderful items from their collections: Kim Lundgreen, Mike Siewert, Rick Smith, Histato M., Bobby Waters. Thank you!
Much of the information here has been provided by Scott Schechter’s invaluable book “Judy Garland – The Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Legend“, and Hugh Fordin’s “MGM’s Greatest Musicals – The Arthur Freed Unit.“
A huge thanks go out to all of the amazing Garland fans and collectors who, over the past two decades, have also shared items from their collections. Without you, these pages would be empty!
STATS:
Premiere Date: December 5, 1946 (Radio City Music Hall, New York City)
General Release Date: January 3, 1947
Production No. 1369
Running Time: 137 minutes
Production: 1945 through 1946
Cost: $2,841,608
Judy’s numbers cost a total of $468,305.52:
$198,224.95 for “Who;
$248,682.97 for “Sunny/D’Ya Love Me”
$21,397.50 for “Look For The Silver Lining”
Total cost of the film: $2,841,608. The extensive finale sequence cost $170,174.43.
Total Box Office Gross: $6,724,000
CAST:
Robert Walker … Jerome Kern
Judy Garland … Marilyn Miller
Lucille Bremer … Sally Hessler
Joan Wells … Sally as a girl
Van Heflin … James I. Hessler
Paul Langton … Oscar Hammerstein
Dorothy Patrick … Mrs. Jerome Kern
Harry Hayden … Charles Frohman
Paul Maxey … Victor Herbert
Mary Nash … Mrs. Muller
GUEST STARS:
June Allyson
Kathryn Grayson
Lena Horne
Van Johnson
Tony Martin
Dinah Shore
Frank Sinatra
Gower Champion
Cyd Charisse
Angela Lansbury
Ray McDonald
Virginia O’Brien
Caleb Peterson
William “Bill” Phillips
Wilde Twins (Lyn and Lee)
Cameo by Esther Williams
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Produced by: Arthur Freed
Directed by: Richard Whorf (Judy Garland’s numbers directed by Vincente Minnelli)
Screenplay by: Myles Connolly and Jean Holloway (story by Guy Bolton, adapted by George Wells, based on the life and music of Jerome Kern)
Music by: Jerome Kern
Musical Direction: Lennie Hayton
Vocal Arrangements: Kay Thompson
Orchestration: Conrad Salinger
Musical numbers staged and directed by Robert Alton
Photography: Harry Stradling, George Folsey
Editor: Albert Akst
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons
Filmed: In planning since 1940,
Judy’s parts filmed in October and November 1945 (she was 23)
Released: January 1947
MUSIC PROGRAM:
“Cotton Blossom” – MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Where’s the Mate for Me?” – Tony Martin
“Make Believe” – Kathryn Grayson & Tony Martin
“Life Upon the Wicked Stage” – Virginia O’Brien and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” – Lena Horne
“Ol’ Man River” – Caleb Peterson and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Ka-Lu-a” – MGM Studio Orchestra
“How’d You Like to Spoon with Me” – Angela Lansbury and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“They Believe Me” – Ruth Clark (for Dorothy Patrick)
“They Didn’t Believe Me” – Dinah Shore
“Till the Clouds Roll By” – June Allyson, Ray McDonald and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Leave It to Jane” – June Allyson with Ray McDonald and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Cleopatterer” – June Allyson with Ray McDonald and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Leave It to Jane” (Reprise) – June Allyson with Ray McDonald and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Look for the Silver Lining” – Judy Garland
“Who?” – Trudy Erwin (for Lucille Bremer)
“Sunny” – Judy Garland and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Who?” – Judy Garland and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“One More Dance” – Lucille Bremer (Dubbed by Trudy Erwin)
“I Won’t Dance” – Van Johnson & Lucille Bremer (dubbed by Trudy Erwin)
“She Didn’t Say Yes” – Lee and Lyn Wilde, aka “The Wilde Twins”
“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” – Dance by Cyd Charisse & Gower Champion
“The Last Time I Saw Paris” – Dinah Shore
“The Land Where the Good Songs Go” – Lucille Bremer (dubbed by Trudy Erwin)
“Yesterdays” – MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Long Ago and Far Away” – Kathryn Grayson
” A Fine Romance” – Virginia O’Brien
“All the Things You Are” – Tony Martin
“Why Was I Born?” – Lena Horne
“Ol’ Man River” (Reprise/Finale) – Frank Sinatra and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
OUTTAKES:
“D’Ya Love Me?” – Judy Garland
“Bill” – Lena Horne
“I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star”/”The Song Is You” – Kathryn Grayson & Johnny Johnston
“The Sun Shines Brighter” – MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“They Didn’t Believe Me” – Imogene Carpenter
“Lovely To Look At”/”Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” – Lee and Lyn Wilde, aka “The Wilde Twins,” and the MGM Studio Orchestra & Chorus
“Dearly Beloved” – Johnny Johnston
Much of the information here has been provided by Scott Schechter’s invaluable book “Judy Garland – The Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Legend“, and Hugh Fordin’s “MGM’s Greatest Musicals – The Arthur Freed Unit.“
A huge thanks go out to all of the amazing Garland fans and collectors who have so selflessly shared items from their collections. Without you, these pages would be empty!
