Friday, June 10, 2016

JUDY GARLAND AND THE GUMM SISTERS

Everyone who is a classic movie fan knows the tragic story of Judy Garland. She was one of the most talented entertainers of all-time, but she is also one of the most tragic. Many people do not know the story of Garland's sisters as well. From 1924 to about 1934 the trio of girls toured as the Gumm Sisters and then The Garland Sisters.

In 1928, the Gumm Sisters enrolled in a dance school run by Ethel Meglin, proprietress of the Meglin Kiddies dance troupe. They appeared with the troupe at its annual Christmas show. Through the Meglin Kiddies, they made their film debut in a 1929 short subject called The Big Revue, where they performed a song-and-dance number called "That's the good old sunny south". This was followed by appearances in two Vitaphone shorts the following year, A Holiday in Storyland (featuring Garland's first on-screen solo) and The Wedding of Jack and Jill. They next appeared together in Bubbles. Their final on-screen appearance came in 1935, in another short entitled La Fiesta de Santa Barbara.

In 1934, the trio, who by then had been touring the vaudeville circuit as "The Gumm Sisters" for many years, performed in Chicago at the Oriental Theater with George Jessel. He encouraged the group to choose a more appealing name after "Gumm" was met with laughter from the audience. According to theatrical legend, their act was once erroneously billed at a Chicago theater as "The Glum Sisters". However that did not matter because when young Judy's star rose, the sisters faded into the back ground.


Mary Jane Gumm (1915-1964) was the oldest daughter of vaudevillians Frank and Ethel Gumm and future older sister of the actress Judy Garland. She was raised in Grand Rapids and, along with her younger sister Virginia 'Jimmie', performed a dancing act at their father's vaudeville theater known as The Gumm Sisters, while their mother played the piano. The sisters had tremendous talent, although they were nothing compared to their youngest sister Baby Frances, the future Judy Garland. Their mother continuously kept trying with all three of her daughters and after moving from their home in Minnesota in 1927 when Mary Jane was 12, they began to go for auditions in shows and bigger more famous nightclubs. After some bad reviews, Mary Jane decided that a life of show business wasn't what she wanted and, along with Jimmie, she backed out only to perform at their father's vaudeville theater in 1930. She later went on to marry Lee Kahn and changed her name to Suzanne Kahn. Then later married band conductor Jack Cathcart, who ended up leaving her for a younger woman. Suzanne succumbed to alcoholism and eventually committed suicide in May 1964 at the age of 48. From all accounts, Judy was estranged from sister Mary Jane at the time of Mary's death,

The other Gumm Sister was Virginia Gumm. She was born on July 4, 1917 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA as Dorothy Virginia Gumm. She was an actress, known for La Fiesta de Santa Barbara (1935), The Wedding of Jack and Jill (1940) and The Harvey Girls (1946). She was married to Johnny Thompson and Bobby Sherwood. She died on May 27, 1977 in Dallas, Texas, USA. Virginia had a daughter, Judy Gail "Judaline," with her husband, musician Bobby Sherwood. Judaline means "little Judy" in Jewish and was originally the endearing nickname given to Judy Garland by one of her directors when she was a child. The name was subsequently used by the family to differentiate between "Big" Judy and "Little" Judy). Judaline loved the name so much she had it made legal when she grew up. She was born in May 1938 and was named after her aunt, actress Judy Garland. Her daughter sadly died in the 1980s. In the Gumm family, Judy was not the only family member that had a hard time finding happiness over the rainbow....


40 comments:

  1. I was just looking for information on the Gumm Sisters yesterday. Totally on point that you posted something today. What are the odds?

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  2. Good article. I've wondered about Judy's sisters, what became of them. Thank you for posting.

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  3. Does anyone know how Viginia Gumm died? Fifty-nine is pretty young...
    Thanks for the great post!

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    1. It doesn't seem like anyone in this family (from Frank/Ethel down to Judaline) lived past 59. I've seen some sources say Mary Jane died of cancer. Not sure what is true.

      I'd like to learn more about the sisters and their relationship in the later years. What has become of Judaline's children if any.?

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    2. Death certificate issued in Dallas on 31 May 1977 indicates she'd suffered from 'ischemic heart disease' for a year and suffered an 'acute myocardial infarction' on 26 May 1977, with death instantaneous.

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  4. I wish more could be known about Frank Gumm.Despite the marriage troubles I hear he was a good father. Such a sad life.The whole Gumm family had tragic stories.

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    1. If you can consider Frank Gumm's homosexual liaisons and encounters in and around Grand Rapids, MN as being part of being a good father, I suppose you could twist him into being a "Good Father" ...

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    2. Gay people can be good parents, and given the rampant homophobia of the time, it seems a little uncharitable to pass severe judgement on a gay person of that time for living a closeted existence.

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    3. Here, here!: "Gay people can be good parents, and given the rampant homophobia of the time, it seems a little uncharitable to pass severe judgement on a gay person of that time for living a closeted existence." He could have been an opening gay father in today's time, but not back then. It's sad. It's sad for the whole family that they had to deal with hate, judgement - like yours, misunderstanding, and a tendency to become easily addicted.

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    4. Here here don-t get your panties in a bunch not everyone dislikes gay people Don't be so touchy

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    5. Yes it sure sounds like you do.

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    6. I think the main complaint would be the tendency he had towards 'teen' boys. I haven't read anything about him having age appropriate partners.

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  5. You always hear about Judy, and rightfully so, given the talent that she possessed. But it's nice to know what happened to the two older sisters.

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  6. My Father was Virginia's Doctor before she died in Dallas, Tx. She gave my Dad an autographed book by Judy.

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    1. What she died of?

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    2. Virginia died of Heart Disease following open heart surgery in Dallas, Texas. Sadly she died in the recovery room post-op.

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    3. Thanks for posting that info on Virginia.



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    4. wow! I didn't know that thanks for the info

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    5. judy died of an overdose of medicine

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    6. No an overdose of sleeping pills!!

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    7. What a terrible family. It seems that everything you read about Judy Garland and her family, they were for the most part into alcohol and drugs.

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  7. Read: Gerold Frank auto simply titled: Judy 1975...

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  8. I know Virginia is a fairly common name but it's interesting that a nearby town to Grand Rapids is also named Virginia - I wonder if that had any influence on the parents naming their daughter.

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  9. Many years ago I saw a movie about Judy Garland and her sisters, I believe it featured the song I’m Always Chasing Rainbows”. Am I crazy because I can’t find anyone else who knows what movie I’m referring to.

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    1. It was called Rainbow. Great movie.

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    2. I don't remember the title or the details of the movie but i remember her singing that song in a movie i watched starring Judy years ago.

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  10. In answer to the question above,it was possibly the 1979 tv film "Rainbow"about Judy's childhood, with Andrea McArdle playing her. Some clips from it are currently on youtube.

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  11. The song "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" was featured in a movie called "The Dolly Sisters". Could this be the movie you recall

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  12. i love the song "somewhere over the rainbow"

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  13. Hollywood is very cruel I believe it destroyed this beautiful family

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    1. We can never know the truth of a family, especially one dating back so many decades, but it would seem this family was in trouble long before their encounter with Hollywood.If we are to believe legend, Garland's mother set the fate of her daughters in motion.

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  14. Addiction is hereditary, more often than not. Probably were some substance abusing relatives we don't know about, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins.

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    1. I think you are right. Judy's mother was obviously very well versed in dispensing drugs! Where and how did she become so knowledgeable?!

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    2. I don't believe addiction is hereditary. Trauma is passed down through families. Traumatic childhoods increase your chances of becoming an addict. Read 'In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts' Gabor Mate to understand this.

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    3. Addiction is hereditary. It’s a fact. Environmental factors obviously come in to play. But it most definitely is.

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    4. Actually no it's not are there are plenty of adoption studies to back that up.Sexual abuse and massive family trauma usually go hand and hand with addiction and that is not hereditary.

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    5. People that struggle with addiction often have what is called a pre disposition to such mental health issues. Meaning for example a child brought up by alcoholics is at greater risk of being an alcoholic than the child who was raised by parents that didn’t drink. Environment, developmental needs, learned coping mechanisms, even certain personality characteristics have more addictive type tendencies, but there is no actual hereditary gene found.

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  15. "After some bad reviews, Mary Jane decided that a life of show business wasn't what she wanted and, along with Jimmie, she backed out only to perform at their father's vaudeville theater in 1930."

    Suzanne (Mary Jane) Gumm performed with her two sisters from 1924 to 1935, at first locally around Grand Rapids, Minnesota, then in the Lancaster, California area after the family moved to that town, and eventually on the vaudeville circuit in California and around the country. Known as The Gumm Sisters and later The Garland Sisters, they also appeared as a group in several short films in 1929-1930, as well as the 1935 short comedy film "La Fiesta de Santa. Barbara."

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  16. Ethel Gumm was the classic stage mother of all time, and Judy hated her. According to Hollywood lore, Judy married David Rose just to get away from Ethel.
    After Judy was fired by MGM she became totally estranged from her mother, and Ethel died alone of a heart attack in a parking lot. The real-life story of the Gumm family would make a fascinating book or film of itself.
    When Judy was first hired by MGM, CEO Louis B. Mayer is said to have stated: "I'll take this fat one, Garland, and make her a bigger star than Deanna Durbin." He fulfilled his promise, at terrible cost to Judy.

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  17. Correction: Virginia was not in "The Harvey Girls." That's an urban legend that's popped up thanks to an incorrect listing at IMdB. She was a part of the MGM Studio Chorus for a coupe of years, but she was never on screen. Her last film appearance was that last of the Garland sisters, 1935's "Le Fiesta De Santa Barbara." She, nor Judy's other sister, were ever on screen in any MGM films. As stated, their last was that 1935 short.

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