After appearing in Vaudeville theater with her sisters, Judy was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a teenager. There she made more than two dozen films, including nine with Mickey Rooney, and the film with which she would be most identified, "The Wizard of Oz" (1939). After 15 years, Judy was released from the studio but gained renewed success through record-breaking concert appearances, including a critically acclaimed Carnegie Hall concert, a well-regarded but short-lived television series, and a return to film acting beginning with "A Star Is Born" (1954).
Despite her professional triumphs, Judy battled personal problems throughout her life. Insecure about her appearance, her feelings were compounded by film executives who told her she was unattractive and overweight. Plied with drugs to control her weight and increase her productivity, Garland endured a decades-long struggle with addiction. Garland was plagued by financial instability, often owing hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes, and her first four of five marriages ended in divorce. She attempted suicide on a number of occasions. Garland died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 47, leaving children Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft, and Joey Luft.
Legacy
Judy Garland's legacy as a performer and a personality has endured long after her death. The American Film Institute named Garland eighth among the "Greatest Female Stars of All Time". She has been the subject of over two dozen biographies since her death, including the well-received "Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir" by her daughter, Lorna Luft. Luft's memoir was later adapted into the multiple award-winning television mini-series, "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows", which won Emmy Awards for two actresses portraying Garland (Tammy Blanchard and Judy Davis).
Garland was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. Several of her recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. These include "Over the Rainbow," which was ranked as the number one movie song of all time in the American Film Institute's "100 Years...100 Songs" list. Four more Garland songs are featured on the list: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (#76), "Get Happy" (#61), "The Trolley Song" (#26), and "The Man That Got Away" (#11).
Judy Garland has twice been honored on U.S. postage stamps, in 1989 (as Dorothy) and again in 2006 (as Vicki Lester from A Star Is Born).
A Fella With An Umbrella
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A fella with an umbrella,
Looking for a girl who saved her love for a rainy day.
I'm just a fella,
A fella with an umbrella,
Glad to see the skies of blue have turned into skies of gray.
Raindrops have brought us together and that's what I longed to see.
Maybe the break in the weather will prove to be a break for me.
If you'll be the girl who saved her love for a rainy day.
I met a fella,
A fella with an umbrella,
Looking for a girl who saved her love for a rainy day.
I met a fella,
A fella with an umbrella,
Waiting for the skies of blue to turn into skies of gray.
Raindrops will bring us together and that's what I long to see.
Maybe a break in the weather will prove to be a break for me.
I told the fella, the fella with the umbrella,
I could be the girl who saved her love for a rainy day.
The song "A Fella with an Umbrella" is a charming duet between Judy Garland and Peter Lawford, two iconic performers of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The lyrics describe two people who happen to meet on a rainy day, both looking for love under the umbrella. The singers are hopeful that the rain will bring them together, and they acknowledge the possibility of finding a meaningful connection despite the gloomy weather. The repeated lines of the chorus suggest that they are both searching for each other, and by the end of the song, they have found a potential match.
The song's themes of romance, coincidence, and optimism are typical of the Hollywood musical genre, and they reflect the post-war era's desire for glamour, escapism, and happiness. The rain serves as both a metaphor and a setting for the lovers' encounter, highlighting the beauty and unpredictability of nature. The use of the umbrella as a prop also adds a playful touch to the performance, as the characters use it to shield themselves from the rain but also as a symbolic object of courtship. Garland and Lawford's voices harmonize well, and their charisma and chemistry make the song a delightful duet.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm just a fella,
I am a man, nothing more than that.
A fella with an umbrella,
I carry an umbrella with me wherever I go.
Looking for a girl who saved her love for a rainy day.
I wish to find a woman who has saved her love for a difficult time.
I'm just a fella,
I am a man, nothing more than that.
A fella with an umbrella,
I carry an umbrella with me wherever I go.
Glad to see the skies of blue have turned into skies of gray.
I am happy to see that the weather has changed for the worse.
Raindrops have brought us together and that's what I longed to see.
The rain has brought us together and this is what I have been hoping for.
Maybe the break in the weather will prove to be a break for me.
Perhaps this change in weather will bring me good luck.
So I'll be the fella, the fella with an umbrella,
I will continue to be the man with the umbrella.
If you'll be the girl who saved her love for a rainy day.
As long as you are the woman who has saved her love for difficult times.
I met a fella,
I encountered a man.
A fella with an umbrella,
He too carries an umbrella.
Looking for a girl who saved her love for a rainy day.
He too wishes to find a woman who has saved her love for a difficult time.
I met a fella,
I encountered a man.
A fella with an umbrella,
He too carries an umbrella.
Waiting for the skies of blue to turn into skies of gray.
He is waiting for the weather to change.
Raindrops will bring us together and that's what I long to see.
The rain will bring us together, and this is what we both desire.
Maybe a break in the weather will prove to be a break for me.
Perhaps this change in weather will bring us good luck.
I told the fella, the fella with the umbrella,
I informed the man with the umbrella.
I could be the girl who saved her love for a rainy day.
I too have saved my love for difficult times.
Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@emmad.176
Judy garland is amazing in this. So warm, full of emotion and funny. How she was considered 'ugly' is beyond me.
@aliali-ce3yf
she was gorgeous, kind of a girl next door look - which is far better than model good looks
@jan-olofjohansson9238
The taste is like the butt, divided. I personally find Judy to be a very beautiful woman in the sence of that it comes from within and out. And Her singing. Woow. We all know what happened with Garland and Lawford later. That system (Hollywood) did create great things while destroying Human Beeings.
@bennylevine387
It's a matter of taste, but I don't think it has to be one or the other. She is pretty, but not abundantly so. I think it's a misrepresentation to refer to her as being unattractive. Her looks aren't a dealbreaker or a dealmaker.
@mike48877
This is such a throwaway little song, and Peter's voice is so thin, yet when Judy covers it in her rich voice, the song becomes beautiful.
@julee2014jw
Ugh he was so cute and that accent too!! 😍❤️
@angelinalook
his voice was adorable!! what a doll <3
@joejoebrian1014
One of my favorite movies of all time.
@reneehurt387
Rest in peace and birthday wishes to Peter Lawford 9 7. This is one of my favorite tunes in a musical, soothing tones comforting delivery
@schippendale91
My birthday! #September7