Judy Garland became a household name as a child actress, dancer, and singer. Perhaps her most famous credit remains The Wizard of Oz, but most recently, her performance in Everybody Sing has attracted infamy. That’s due to a photo circulating online of Garland in the 1938 film while she is done up in blackface. Online, the now-viral picture has sparked a passionate debate.
Just one year before Garland traveled down the Yellow Brick Road, she starred in Everybody Sing, which is billed as a musical comedy and an important stepping stone in Garland’s career. One plot point has Garland’s character trying out for a musical show as a blackface singer, which led to the image now circulating online.
A photo circulates showing Judy Garland in blackface
two movies. a year apart. same bitch.
shoutout to Gen Z for teaching me this. pic.twitter.com/kAb0EZN2QN— Twi. (@browardbully) August 16, 2023
On August 16, Twitter user @browardbully shared a post that features side-by-side images of Garland, first from Everybody Sing and second from The Wizard of Oz. The caption reads, “two movies. a year apart. same [b—]. shoutout to Gen Z for teaching me this.” By time of writing, the post has 57.3 million views, broken into over 9k shares, 6k reposts with additional comments, and 42k likes.
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From there, things divide even further, with 4k comments in just that thread alone, not accounting for the discussions from related subsequent posts. Some people learned of this incident for the first time, with one person mourning, “Dorthy!!! No!!!!” Another chimed in, “That’s why I only watch The Wiz.”
From there, the discussion split further still.
Additional discussion comes to the forefront
The life of Judy Garland was a troubled one and today she is remembered as the first and most infamous case of an abused child star. In the ensuing discussion under the original blackface post, one user noted, “She was essentially property of the studio. She was forced to do a number of roles.” Another user queried, “Forced you say? Forced to act? Ehhhhh. What was the threat against her refusal?” Another reply summed it up, “Apparently starvation, forced drug intake, and sexual abuse.”
It is alleged that Garland was under constant surveillance and under near-totalitarian control by the studio and her own mother to force her into the mold of the star they wanted. This meant Garland endured eating disorders, physical abuse – including slapping – and emotional abuse, including relentless insults to her appearance.
However, the debate might fall in the middle, acknowledging all the wrongs of the situation – those who had an iron grip of control over Garland’s life were wrong to have her perform such an offensive stunt, not to mention the other horrors they leveled at her. The situation can also speak to the nature of that time period, with other prominent stars like Mickey Rooney and Bing Crosby wearing blackface when they were very much adult men with far more say than Garland. As one user noted, it is important to be aware of the systemic nature of stunts like this, pointing out, “Billy Crystal did what she did Except he did it in 2006 at 58, not 15 in 1938 That 1938 movie was wrong then and is now Blame the filmmakers. Not the child actors.”
Ultimately, Garland would have a strong history of supporting the Civil Rights movement, backing the 1963 March on Washington, and fundraising alongside Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis, Jr., Josephine Baker, and many more.
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