Judy Garland (was almost aborted?)! Documentary

  • Thread starter Thread starter CaptFun
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

CaptFun

Guest
youtube.com/watch?v=V0-1r4nfSoI

This documentary was very good on many counts (I’m about 3/4 through it and will see the rest later).

What hooked me (and surprised me) was the two minute segment from about 2:00 to 4:00 on the video that revealed that the Gumm family doctor, when asked to procure an abortion on unborn Judy Garland in 1921 (because her father had been caught in a homosexual affair with a minor, the family’s show business career was suffering … and the father said “I just can’t pay the bill!” for a third child) … told him …
“Don’t be silly. Tell your wife she must have this child …”.
Click to expand...
The Doctors’ name was Mark Radwin.

Ironically, young Judy adored her father. Years later, when that father was seriously ill, Dr. Radwin (who 14 years earlier may have saved her life) told Judy her father would be listening to her live radio broadcast … in which she sang “ZING Went the Strings of My Heart!”. 10:15 - 11:15 on the video. < She lost her father shortly thereafter.

Today Dr. Radwin would probably have been sued or prevented from practicing medicine again for such advice. But maybe because he did, we have memories of Judy.

The piece is a sad one … but illuminating. For all the glitter and glamour, her life as a Hollywood star was often controlled from sun up til midnight … including studio mandated drugs for alertness and sleeping pills which took a personal toll on Judy.

There’s plenty of great music in the piece, though. Enjoy! 🙂

tiki-toki.com/timeline/embed/114169/9305979134/#vars!panel=1075180! < and this one too!

CaptFun
 
Judy Garland was one of my favorite entertainers.
What is the name of the documentary?
I never knew that about her father.
 
CaptFun said:
youtube.com/watch?v=V0-1r4nfSoI

This documentary was very good on many counts (I’m about 3/4 through it and will see the rest later).

What hooked me (and surprised me) was the two minute segment from about 2:00 to 4:00 on the video that revealed that the Gumm family doctor, when asked to procure an abortion on unborn Judy Garland in 1921 (because her father had been caught in a homosexual affair with a minor, the family’s show business career was suffering … and the father said “I just can’t pay the bill!” for a third child) … told him …

The Doctors’ name was Mark Radwin.

Ironically, young Judy adored her father. Years later, when that father was seriously ill, Dr. Radwin (who 14 years earlier may have saved her life) told Judy her father would be listening to her live radio broadcast … in which she sang “ZING Went the Strings of My Heart!”. 10:15 - 11:15 on the video. < She lost her father shortly thereafter.

Today Dr. Radwin would probably have been sued or prevented from practicing medicine again for such advice. But maybe because he did, we have memories of Judy.

The piece is a sad one … but illuminating. For all the glitter and glamour, her life as a Hollywood star was often controlled from sun up til midnight … including studio mandated drugs for alertness and sleeping pills which took a personal toll on Judy.

There’s plenty of great music in the piece, though. Enjoy! 🙂

tiki-toki.com/timeline/embed/114169/9305979134/#vars!panel=1075180! < and this one too!

CaptFun
Click to expand...
Even more sad is that Judy herself was forced by her husband, at the time, her mother and the studio to abort her first child. Couldn’t let a pesky pregnancy get in the way of their cash cow working every day! Judy regretted it every day of her life, and I am not surprised that in the end she overdosed on medication. 😦
 
Just one more good example as to why abortion is such an evil-think of the people that would have been aborted that have so enriched our lives.
And think about the people who HAVE been aborted who may have done great things(cured cancer, or aids-)
 
Catholic1954 said:
Even more sad is that Judy herself was forced by her husband, at the time, her mother and the studio to abort her first child. Couldn’t let a pesky pregnancy get in the way of their cash cow working every day! Judy regretted it every day of her life, and I am not surprised that in the end she overdosed on medication. 😦
Click to expand...
I never knew that. was vincent minelli her husband at the time? she had so much vitality and spark.
 
DaddyGirl said:
Judy Garland, what a talent.

A few corrections:

The man Frank asked for help was Marcus Rabwin. He wasn’t the Gumm family doctor, he was a family friend who was a medical student.
Rawbin was born in 1901 or 1902 so was only approx. 20-years-old at the time.

Also…Judy’s father wasn’t “caught” in the affair during the time of the pregnancy, that happened several years later, before they moved to California in 1926.

And…although the interviewee uses the phrase “young boy”…we don’t know that the boy/s in question was a minor, as you word it.
Frank was known to have liaisons with theater ushers and high school boys, but they may have been of the legal age of consent.
I can’t see anywhere that he was legally charged with having sex with a minor.

The legal age of consent laws in Minnesota were only 10 in 1920…then jumped to 18, then went down to 16.

.
Click to expand...
:eek: 10 years old!? yikes!
 
Vanny said:
Just one more good example as to why abortion is such an evil-think of the people that would have been aborted that have so enriched our lives.
And think about the people who HAVE been aborted who may have done great things(cured cancer, or aids-)
Click to expand...
Indeed… Think of someone you love very much and realize that its possible this day and age that someone like that might not be there for someone else. … because of abortion.

Not that I think you don’t agree, but I just wanted to state also that a person doesn’t have to do some sort of great accomplishment to be valuable to society. Even if that person wasn’t even liked very much… God wanted them here.
 
Catholic1954 said:
Even more sad is that Judy herself was forced by her husband, at the time, her mother and the studio to abort her first child. Couldn’t let a pesky pregnancy get in the way of their cash cow working every day! Judy regretted it every day of her life, and I am not surprised that in the end she overdosed on medication. 😦
Click to expand...
I wonder what talents that aborted baby would have had considering Judy’s two daughters were talented themselves.
 
DaddyGirl said:
Just found a bit more about the moment between the medical student and Judy’s dad–thank goodness he told the father about the danger!

This comes from Biography.com…I’m checking their sources:
In fact, her husband, Frank Gumm, contacted his friend Marcus Rabwin, who was a medical student at the University of Minnesota, to ask for advice about terminating the pregnancy.
Abortion wasn’t permitted at the time, and Rabwin informed Frank that an illegal procedure could put his wife at risk. Rabwin urged the couple to go ahead with the pregnancy, which they ultimately did. *

.
Click to expand...
and we were blessed with the beautiful voice of Judy Garland!
 
To Answer 7 Sorrows’s question:

I believe David Rose was Judy’s first husband who was among those urged the abortion (along with her mother and studio execs).

Apropos of nothing: if am I not mistaken, David Rose later wrote the music for such TV shows as Little House on the Prairie.
 
carmelitenovice said:
To Answer 7 Sorrows’s question:

I believe David Rose was Judy’s first husband who was among those urged the abortion (along with her mother and studio execs).

Apropos of nothing: if am I not mistaken, David Rose later wrote the music for such TV shows as Little House on the Prairie.
Click to expand...
I did not know she was married to him. Very sad if she felt forced to get one or that no one was expressing joy and happiness that she was pregnant and bringing new life into the world.
 
“Very sad if she felt forced to get one or that no one was expressing joy and happiness that she was pregnant and bringing new life into the world”

Indeed. Having read several biographies about her, I marvel that she lasted as long as she did.
 
carmelitenovice said:
“Very sad if she felt forced to get one or that no one was expressing joy and happiness that she was pregnant and bringing new life into the world”

Indeed. Having read several biographies about her, I marvel that she lasted as long as she did.
Click to expand...
She seemmed like a very caring and giving person. I hope I get a chance to read a biography of her life sometime. How many times was she married then?
 
I believe she was married five times.

While I enjoy biographies, Judy Garland’s life was really very sordid: Alleged homosexuality of her father, forced drug abuse in her early career, a domineering stage mother, several suicide attempts, at least one abortion, bankruptcies, alcoholism, one child with developmental challenges thanks to her substance abuse during pregnancy (as stated by her daughter Lorna).

I was really better off not knowing all that and would rather just appreciate her movies and music.
 
carmelitenovice said:
I believe she was married five times.

While I enjoy biographies, Judy Garland’s life was really very sordid: Alleged homosexuality of her father, forced drug abuse in her early career, a domineering stage mother, several suicide attempts, at least one abortion, bankruptcies, alcoholism, one child with developmental challenges thanks to her substance abuse during pregnancy (as stated by her daughter Lorna).

I was really better off not knowing all that and would rather just appreciate her movies and music.
Click to expand...
I know she had many troubles with pills and alcohol. I am sure she had people taking advantage of her all the time.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top