Judy by the Numbers: "The Land of Let's Pretend"
Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at 7:43AM 
Judy at 8. In just ten years time she'll have a mini "Juvenile" Oscar!Editor's Note: With Anne-Marie in grad school we're taking it easier on her for 2016. After her invaluable deep dives into Katharine Hepburn with "A Year With Kate" and female directors in "Women's Pictures" something much shorter but reliably tuneful for you each Wednesday morning in '16: Judy Garland numbers!
Anne Marie returning to you. Welcome to a new series exploring Judy Garland through the music she made famous and the songs that made her a star. Before she was Judy Garland, Frances "Baby" Gumm was the youngest of a three sister Vaudeville act. The child of Vaudeville performers, a family story states that she made her stage debut at 30 months singing "Jingle Bells." She was so entranced by the footlights that her father had to remove her after she sang the song - 7 times.
The Movie: "Bubbles" (Vitaphone Short, 1929 or 1930)
The Songwriters: Harry Akst (Music) and Grant Clark (Lyrics)
The Players: The Gumm Sisters, directed by Roy Mack
The Story: "Bubbles" is close to Frances Gumm's film debut; she and her sisters made a series of Vitaphone shorts for Warner Brothers. Though she's just 8 years old, it's already clear that there's something about young Frances - the short one on the right who mugs to a spot right of camera during her brief closeup. At the moment, that "something" is a big smile and an equally big (if tinny) voice. But such small stuff is what stars are moulded from.
Reader Comments (11)
Fascinating. It's always interesting to see these early clips of her performing with her sisters. The older girls are obviously talented but Judy pops out. I watched one of the other clips and while sisters Suzy and Jimmie go through their paces professionally Judy never loses that contact with the camera, always face forward.
There is almost something forensic about these old clips, seeing the traces of the actress who was to come in a few very short years. This should be a very interesting series, see you next week.
Love, loooooove this as a series idea! Judy's career is so fascinating and so full for its duration I'm sure this will make for really rich material.
I can think of no clip more important to be restored and saved forever than this one, which I've never seen.
I think if Judy was ten years older or younger, she probably never would have happened as a movie star, so thank heavens she came along when she did.
I've often wondered whatever became of the other Gumm sisters. Is Lorna Luft the only child of any of the sisters who had children herself? Are there any descendants at all of the other Gumms? Or are those fabulous singing genes hanging on by Lorna alone?
@Dave-Oldest sister Mary Jane/Suzy didn't have any children. Unfortunately it seems she had many of the same problems that plagued Judy and ended up committing suicide at 48.
Middle sister Virginia/Jimmie made out better settling happily in Texas with her second husband although apparently afflicted with heart problems she died from a heart attack at 59. She had one daughter Judaline, who also died at 47 the same as Judy.
She had two daughters-Stephanie who has one daughter, and Alondra who has two daughters, Amanda and Audra Mae who has become a professional singer under that name and has several videos on YouTube.
Unsurprisingly she has a strong voice, somewhat more country tinged than Judy.
Here's a link to one of her songs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcHpsnTp6Cw
NIFTY!!!! I'd never seen this short. Looking forward to the rest of this series.
@ joel6: How did I not know that Audra Mae was Judy's great-grand-niece? Thanks.
Hi everyone! Glad you like the series idea. It's surprising the amount of young Judy you can dig up, but Baby Judy is nearly impossible to find still!
Dave in Hollywood - did you move? Didn't you used to be in Alamitos Beach?
joel6 - I never knew that about either of her sisters! Thanks for the YouTube vid!
Anne Marie, I'm sorry I didn't say how happy I am that you will be doing this series. Yay! I still live in Alamitos Beach, but I still work in Hollywood, and let's face it, that's where I always am mentally, no? But I really don't know how/when my handle changed. (Do they still call it a handle or did that term go out with CB radios?)
Joel6, you are scaring me...and I love it. How do you know all this stuff? So Judy's genes live on in Lorna's kids and Virginia's three daughters? And all those kids are second cousins I believe?
Dave, those three women are Virginia's great-grandkids!
We're baaaaack! And your fans are all absolutely delighted you are back, too. Judy.....classic Hollywood, what a sweet spot
So Lorna's kids are Judy's granchildren, and Stephanie and Alondra are Lorna's second cousins, so their daughters, i.e. Audra Mae & co. are Lorna's kids' second cousins once removed. Phew, math! And I guess I always thought there were four Gumm sisters but Anne Marie's video only shows three.
Well clearly, this question went too far, but really, when you have vocal genes like that, you have to pass them on, right! Hmm, must investigate Julie Andrews and Barbra Streisand now. :-)