But this year, in the film Judy , Garland's gay fans have finally been recognised for having a strong impact on the singer in return.
Two small characters in the film, the gorgeously named Stan and Dan, are shown waiting for Garland outside a nightclub in London. Lonely, the star invites the pair to join her for dinner. Later on in the night, Garland finds herself at Stan and Dan's apartment, learning all about the challenges faced by gay people in London at a time where homosexuality meant persecution. They explained to her, through tears, just how much her music had helped them.
While the film's subplot may act as something of a history lesson for younger viewers, many don't need reminding, with Garland's status as a gay icon interwoven into our collective understanding and appreciation of gay culture. She better slay. Sign out. Judy Garland remains one of the most recognised and celebrated gay icons, decades after her death.
Roadside Attractions Source: Roadside Attractions. Previous Next Show Grid. Previous Next Hide Grid. But this year, in the film Judy, Garland's gay fans have finally been recognised for having a strong impact on the singer in return. By Samuel Leighton-Dore. Entertainment greats are mourning the loss of the 'Hello Dolly! In Social. As she reached the crescendo of Over the Rainbow — the song which made her a global star aged just 17 — it was unknown to the audience that they were watching her final live performance.
Four months later, 47 year-old Garland was found dead in Chelsea, London, after accidentally overdosing on the drugs she had self-medicated with since childhood.
The rainbow is gone. Fifty years on, Garland superfan Ross Semple, 27, still listens to that Copenhagen concert religiously. He began watching her films, listening to her music and learning about her life. I sing to people! The buzz surrounding the release, partnered with the remake of A Star is Born — the iconic showbiz drama that earned Garland an Academy Award nomination in — has brought her distinctly gay legacy back into focus.
To many gay men, Garland is the mother of all icons. But why? While Garland was still alive, critics made ham-fisted attempts to answer this question. They are a persecuted group and they understand suffering. And so does Garland. But it's also important to recognise that they aren't the totality of gay men. In fact, her life story is practically a blueprint for our modern understanding of what makes a gay icon.
Analysing her story, from upbringing to death, helps us understand how and why some gay men look to famous women to help them navigate the world. When Garland was four, the family moved to California following rumours that her father, a closeted bisexual, had made sexual advances towards young men. After the family settled in California, Ethel Gumm began to promote her daughters as a performing trio, known as The Gumm Sisters.
Much like her gingham-dressed alter ego, swept away by the winds into a magical, Technicolor world, Garland was plucked from obscurity to become a cultural icon.
From a young age, her self-image was relentlessly criticised by film executives who believed that she was unattractive. Alongside her mother, MGM executives controlled her image and encouraged her to take drugs to stay slim.
She became this avatar for the rejected: not sexy enough, not pretty enough. She married five times and two of her husbands were, like her father, suspected of being gay or bisexual. Garland first married at 19 when she eloped to Las Vegas with musician David Rose. A year later, when she fell pregnant, her mother convinced her to have an illegal abortion. Drugs and financial instability were a near-constant presence in her life and she was suspended numerous times by MGM for missing shoot days or being incoherent, intoxicated and abusive on set.
At 32, she had already been divorced twice and suffered numerous breakdowns. The high-budget project was seen as her final throw of the dice in Hollywood. I hate him for failing and I hate me too. Yet the critical acclaim Garland received for A Star is Born was tarnished by its commercial underperformance. Deemed too long, the film had to be cut considerably, leading to a botched edit that left viewers underwhelmed.
It flopped at the box office and Warner Bros then cancelled the lucrative multi-film deal Garland had signed with them. She was widely expected to take home the Academy Award for her role in the film, with reporters even waiting by her hospital bedside to capture her reaction as she prepared to give birth.
Garland had a comeback moment in showbiz drama A Star is Born — but it was short-lived Credit: Alamy. Like a true survivor, Garland rebounded from the commercial failure of A Star is Born.
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