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).
Smilin' Through
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To a little white cot by the sea
There's a little green gate
At whose trellis I wait
While two eyes o' blue
Come smilin' through at me
There's a gray lock or two in the brown of the hair
But in all the long years
When the clouds brought their tears
Those two eyes o' blue
Kept smilin' through at me
And if ever I'm left in this world all alone
I shall wait for my call patiently
For if Heaven be kind
I shall wait there to find
Those two eyes o' blue
Come smilin' through at me
The lyrics of "Smilin' Through" by Judy Garland are a romantic ode to enduring love. The singer describes a little road that winds over the hills and leads to a white cottage by the sea. The singer waits at a green gate by the trellis, and two blue eyes come "smilin' through" at her. The song implies that the singer and the person with the two blue eyes have grown old together, as there are "gray locks" in their hair and "silver" in the singer's hair. However, despite the challenges of time and the "clouds" that have brought their tears, the two blue eyes have continued to smile at the singer, conveying love and affection through the years.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a little brown road windin' over the hill
There is a small, winding path that leads up and over the hill
To a little white cot by the sea
At the end of that path is a small, white house by the sea
There's a little green gate
Before the little white house is a small gate, painted green
At whose trellis I wait
I wait patiently at the gate's trellis for someone to arrive
While two eyes o' blue
Finally, two bright blue eyes appear, belonging to someone special
Come smilin' through at me
They smile at me, giving me a sense of warmth and belonging
There's a gray lock or two in the brown of the hair
As the years have gone by, there are now a few gray hairs intertwined with the brown
There's some silver in mine too, I see
I too have some silver hairs, which I have noticed in the mirror
But in all the long years
Despite the passage of time
When the clouds brought their tears
During times of sadness or hardship
Those two eyes o' blue
The special eyes that have been mentioned before
Kept smilin' through at me
They have consistently been a source of comfort and joy, even during difficult moments
And if ever I'm left in this world all alone
In the event that I find myself alone in this world
I shall wait for my call patiently
I will wait patiently for whatever comes next, whether that be death or something else
For if Heaven be kind
If there is a Heaven, and it shows kindness
I shall wait there to find
I will wait in hopes of finding what I have been searching for all along
Those two eyes o' blue
The special eyes that have stuck with me throughout my life
Come smilin' through at me
I hope to once again be met with their comforting smile
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ARTHUR A. PENN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
S Robin Dittrich
Oh! These candid home pictures of Judy and Vincente and little Liza are just too precious. Thank you. Both Judy and Vicente look very happy. Thank you for this glimpse into Judy's personal past life.
Davidalp1
Wow I've never seen so many candid's of Judy before! At 01:16 it looks like she is in costume for the dance scene in MMISL, but her wig is not on?? Is that right?? Or did she wear the red dress to go out in? The other thing I noticed is that at 01:32 she seems to be wearing the same orange necklace and ear-rings she wore in THE PIRATE - she is seated next to Kay Thompson at some kind of public event, or cinema screening? Another interesting shot is 02:14 ? She seems to be in make-up for THE PIRATE, but not in costume? I cannot determine if the jewellery is from THE PIRATE or not? One very unflattering shot is at 02:32 ? I've never seen this pic before? Her eyes do not look synchronised? she sort of looks a bit cross eyed? I wonder what was going on? Wow I had no idea this song was recorded whilst Judy was on honeymoon in NY. Amazing!