How old was Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz

Although Judy Garland became an acclaimed actress and singer, she is best known for playing Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz when she was just a teenager. Garland was born Frances Ethel Gumm in 1922 and began singing with her sisters at a young age. Garland was signed to MGM at age 13 after an MGM composer heard her and her sisters perform. After starring in several coming-of-age films, Judy Garland was cast as the main character in The Wizard of Ozwhich made her one of the biggest stars in the United States at the time.

Garland starred in many other popular films, especially musicals, such as Meet Me in St. Louis, The Harvey Girls, Easter Paradeand A star is born. For many audiences, however, Garland remained forever associated with the early stardom she found through The Wizard of Oz. The film was the first time many audiences saw her talent as both a singer and an actress, and songs like “Over the Rainbow” have had a long-standing popularity that extends beyond the film. This legacy was certainly an impressive feat for such a young artist to manage.

Judy Garland was 16 in The Wizard of Oz

Dorothy Gale was supposed to be 12 years old in the film

Judy Garland was just 16 when she played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz alongside many adult co-stars. Given his talent, MGM had discovered several years earlier, she was a good choice to play Dorothy due to her acting and singing skills. However, she got a reputation for being a girl next door and was at an awkward age to play childish roles, which led the studio to make some changes to her appearance for filming.

Although Judy Garland was only 16 at the time of filming, The Wizard of OzDorothy Gale was even younger. Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz the film should have been 12 years oldand although L. Frank Baum does not indicate her age in the original book, later books in the series suggest that she was even younger than 12. Because of this age discrepancy, Garland was forced to wear caps on her teeth, discs to reshape her nose, and the now-famous blue cotton dress to help hide her mature figure, all to maintain the appearance of a young woman (via The Irish Independent).

Why the treatment of Judy Garland during the filming of The Wizard of Oz was so controversial

There were fewer regulations on child stars than there are today

Hollywood isn’t exactly known for its positive treatment of young women, and Judy Garland is no exception. While the discrimination and abuse that actresses often face on film sets is never justified, Judy Garland’s treatment on the set of The Wizard of Oz is particularly difficult to swallow because of its young age.

The production of The Wizard of Oz became notorious over the years for problems that occurred on set and the treatment of teenager Judy Garland. Garland alleged that MGM employees banned her amphetamines to stay awake for long work hours and barbiturates to fall asleep at night, hampering her performance. Additionally, Garland later claimed that she faced inappropriate and unwanted advances from adult peers (via The Washington Post). However The Wizard of Oz is a classic and beloved film, it’s difficult to remember the film knowing that its star was treated so poorly during production.

Source: The Irish Independent, The Washington Post