Killing a classic.

you know, I don't know how many people will find this interesting, but this story just enthralled me and I couldn't break away from it till the end.

The wizard of oz, a timeless classic that im sure most of you have heard of, came on tv last night, I thought to myself i've never seen oz in hd,so me and the misses began watching, later we got into a debate about the movies age.

I was absolutely certain the movie was an early 1960's title,
she insisted it was much older, circa 1939.

I debated, how can it be that old most of the movie was in color,

This debate ultimately lead to wikipedia which did reveal the movie to be a 1939 film that was later technacolored.

Ah but the real dark story begins there.

Judy garland, the actor who played dorothy had a very troubled past, It seems that in the early twentieth century many child actors where often abused and exploited.

in judy garlands case, she was often told early on in her carrier that she was to fat and to ugly to compete with high profile child stars of the time "lanna turner, Ava gardener, Elizabeth taylor and shirley temple "exact words used by Mgm Producers at the time to describe her"

Mgms fix for this was a very legal "at the time" mandatory amphetimine regiment.

yeap. uppers to keep her awake, an thin her down.
it's said the only way she was able sleep was by often overdosing sleeping pills.

yes. even five year old shirley temple was given amphetimines to keep her energy up during long rehearsals/shoots..

Back to garland, all those forced medications lead to a life long addiction, several mental problems and self esteem issues. it was noted that groucho marx once said that judy needed to be constantly reassured that she was talented and attractive,not to muse her ego, but to pull her out of disturbingly deep depressions.

a few years after the filming of the wizard of oz, judy finely suffered a compete nervous breakdown and was fired by mgm.

but it doesn't end there.

she was phenomenaly talented and fated to return.
years later s made a complete comeback in the 1950's
with her movie "at star is born"

she enjoyed world wide success and toured england performing even at the royal palace.

but wait, it gets dark again.

In may 1952 judys mother. emma, was interviewed by the new york times, and stated a comment.

"Judy's off entertaining royalty making hundreds of thousands, and yet, i still work at an airport making 62 dollars a week.

*note, you have to understand guys, this was the 1950's, a comment of that magnitude back then was a damaging thing to a stars reputation. judys responce when asked to comment. "My mother is good for nothing but bringing about fear and chaos"

*again, very serious insults, for the time..

eight months later, judys mother was found murdered in the very airport parking lot of earlier reference..

no leads where ever found, it's still a complete mystery.
judy wasn't a suspect because she was in europe at the time. fishy fishy..
after that judys lime light only grew brighter and her addiction more severe.

Judy died in 1965 by accidental overdose.

A sad story, with a sad ending, a grim reminder that
"the happy faces we see on the silver screen are only a mask hiding the true pain of humanity behind them...

*interesting side note, the wizard of oz book series, has 40 volumes published from 1909 till the mid 1970's
every book in the series is considerd canon.