YOUR FAVORITE LOGO TV SHOWS ARE ON PARAMOUNT+

A New Judy Garland Doc Chronicles Her Darkest Days and Triumphant Comeback

Director Stephen Kijak's "Sid & Judy" explores how the icon's marriage to Sidney Luft reignited her career—and why her concerts were better than any gay bar.

Judy Garland married her third husband, Sidney Luft, in 1952. They met at a pivotal and tumultuous time in the performer's career, when she severed ties with MGM, the studio that had groomed her from child to adult stardom. Garland's 15 years at the studio had provided it with some of its biggest hits, including The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, and Easter Parade. The shoot for what would be her final MGM picture, 1950's Summer Stock, was epically troubled, but Garland managed to get sober by the time it wrapped. Though Summer Stock proved a hit for the then-flailing studio, Garland was fired from her next picture, Royal Wedding, after which MGM officially ended its association with her. At 28, she was already being called a has-been, but in 10 years she would be considered a living legend. And Luft had a lot to do with it.

Ullstein Bild via Getty Images

(Eingeschränkte Rechte für bestimmte redaktionelle Kunden in Deutschland. Limited rights for specific editorial clients in Germany.) Garland, Judy (*1922-1969+) , Sängerin, Schauspielerin; USA, mit Ehemann Sid Luft (Photo by ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Sidney Luft and Judy Garland in 1960.

Garland was perhaps the greatest entertainer of the 20th century, but she was also the archetype of the tragic superstar, one besotted by drug addiction, parasitic hangers-on, notorious breakdowns, triumphant comebacks, and a premature death. The same studio that turned Garland into "America's Sweetheart" also got her hooked on psychoactive pills to keep her weight down and her energy up during grueling daylong shoots. Without someone with her best interest at heart, the machine chewed her up and spit her out.

Garland was married to Vincente Minnelli when she was fired from MGM, and complained that he didn't do anything to protect her. In Luft, who was also married when they met, Garland saw someone she could trust. Though he didn't have much entertainment experience, he soon started managing her. In 1951, the same year she divorced Minnelli, she earned raves for a four-month tour of Europe, including a now legendary series of concerts at London's Palladium, which she credited as her true rebirth. She returned to the States—and more important, to Hollywood—an unqualified success.

SSPL/Getty Images

UNITED STATES - MARCH 08: Garland (1922-1969) with third husband Sidney Luft, son Joseph Luft (born 1955), at 21 months, elder daughter Liza Minnelli (born 1946), and second daughter Lorna Luft (born 1953). Garland started performing as a young child. In 1939, aged 17, she starred in �The Wizard of Oz�. Despite a successful Hollywood career, psychotropic drugs which she had originally been prescribed to control her weight, destroyed her mentally and physically. She died of a drugs overdose in a London hotel. Like their mother, both her daughters are actresses and singers. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)

Garland with Luft; their son Joseph Luft; Garland's elder daughter, Liza Minnelli; and second daughter, Lorna Luft, in 1957.

Garland had wanted to do a remake of the 1937 film A Star Is Born starring (probably queer) actress Janet Gaynor, since she played Gaynor's part in a 1942 radio production. So Luft approached (definitely queer) director George Cukor, Hollywood's preeminent "women's director," to helm the remake; shooting began in October 1953.

The film was a major comeback for Garland, as it has been for every diva who has attempted a remake of it since. She married Luft after both their divorces were final, and through most of their marriage, she experienced some of her biggest triumphs, but she also struggled with addiction. They divorced rather bitterly in 1965.

Now director Stephen Kijak is unveiling their story with his new Showtime documentary, Sid & Judy. Known for his films about The Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Backstreet Boys, he admits he wasn't always a Garland fan. "I really did grow up in a Barbra [Streisand] household," he says. "My mom was Barbra all the way." As a kid of the '80s, his divas were Debbie Harry, Siouxsie Sioux, and Patti Smith. "Judy really seemed like that gay icon of the past," he says.

It wasn't until he saw A Star Is Born that he began to understand what all the fuss was about. "It finally turned the switch on: Oh, right, that's why she's so great," he says. "I'm not much of a Wizard of Oz kind of guy, but her performance in A Star Is Born is just mind-blowing to me."

Kijak decided to make the doc after gaining access to the Luft estate, which included a treasure trove of material, including his recently unearthed notes for an unpublished memoir as well as never-before-heard phone recordings with Garland. What emerges is an intimate portrait of the icon focused through a very specific period of her life. Yes, Garland was a star, a diva, and a hot mess, but she was also achingly human, doing her best with what she was given. Which was a lot. But all that charisma and talent came with an exorbitant price built into it.

Here, Kijak discusses Garland's legacy, her relationship with the gay community, and making Sid & Judy.

Gene Lester/Getty Images

American producer Sidney Luft (1915 - 2005) and actress Judy Garland (1922 - 1969) sit together at the 27th Academy Award nominations event, Burbank, California, February 12, 1955. (Photo by Gene Lester/Getty Images)

Luft and Garland at the 27th Academy Award nominations event in 1955.

How did you approach researching and making Sid & Judy?

A Star Is Born was in the back of my head when I approached this, and thank God we were given this frame in which to tell that part of the story, which I find is such a rich, interesting part of her life. It's the "phoenix rising" cycle. It's the great second act of a career that most people don't get the chance to have. She had how many comebacks in that short amount of time?

This all started with a relationship with the Sid Luft estate, who had his, at the time, unpublished memoir—so it was Judy through Sid's eyes. Then the next step was figuring out how to create a balance within that story so that she emerged bigger and more alive than she had in other documentaries. You could just tell the archetypal story of abuse of talent by an industry or whatever, but that myth has been repeated and repeated. We wanted to make sure we got underneath all that and told something a little more intimate. You may come to the same conclusions, but I think you're going to come to them in a different kind of way.

Donaldson Collection/Getty Images

Actress Judy Garland and James Mason in a scene from the movie "A Star Is Born" (Photo by Donaldson Collection/Getty Images)

Judy Garland and James Mason in a scene from A Star Is Born.

What did you learn about Judy that really stuck with you?

I didn't really know that much about her vaudeville years. This was somebody who's been singing and dancing on a stage since she was about 3 years old. And I think what's fascinating is when you really look back, you get more of a perspective on her whole career. Vaudeville is a great but slightly lost and forgotten American art form that gave birth to [her career in] radio and then movies and then TV shows and then the concerts in between. She did it all. She had this all-encompassing career, and nobody has that. Who has that kind of a career today? There's pretty much nobody left. It's overwhelming how much she was able to achieve in such a short amount of time.

Cornell Capa/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

American actor and singer Judy Garland (1922 - 1969) getting ready backstage at the London Palladium, the famous West End theatre in the City of Westminster where she performs a 35 minute program twice-nightly, London, April 1951. (Photo by Cornell Capa/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images)

Garland getting ready backstage at the London Palladium in 1951.

What firsthand documents from Garland did you have access to?

In the Sid Luft estate we had the Judy Garland audio recordings. She was planning on writing an autobiography. So you had those tapes, which are actually quite infamous. The "Judy Speaks" tapes are out there. It's not like they're actually that rare. They're on YouTube. Howard Stern has made fun of them on his radio show. But it was really important to take that material and find the actual context for them. And Luft recorded phone calls, and no one's ever heard that material before. It's a really rare window into what was happening in her life and career at the time.

Bettmann / Getty Images

(Original Caption) Judy Garland leans over the footlights to greet some of her enthusiastic fans during her concert at Carnegie Hall. Judy thrilled a standing-room-only audience by her performance and drew several ovations during the evening.

Garland and the gays at Carnegie Hall in 1963.

Miss Major provides one of the voiceovers during the Carnegie Hall phase of Garland's career. How did you get her involved?

I went to Miss Major because I knew she was a fan. She's one of our last living Stonewall survivors—a real pioneer. She dismissed the notion [that Garland's death caused the Stonewall riots]. It was just coincidence. Of course all the fags in New York were just heartbroken and upset, but the Stonewall riots were very much something else. It was trans women and minorities fighting back against the oppressive systems that were constantly harassing them. It's a huge history, and to unpack it all at the end of the movie and deal with Judy Garland's funeral and death was just too much to handle, so we left that out. We do have an extended interview with Miss Major that will hopefully be available either as an extra or something we might stream that gets into it a little bit more.

We had Miss Major and Albert Poland, who was the founder of the Judy Garland Fan Club, talk about the experience of that night [in Carnegie Hall], where her gay fan base was present and vibrant. They would congregate at the front, reaching out to her, and she would reach down and touch them. There was a real communion in those audiences with her gay fans. "Just go to a Judy Garland concert and go to the front row. It's better than going to a gay bar." It was the best place to cruise and socialize. But even Albert, who was in the audience that night, said it wasn't until later that the gay fan base really blossomed. It kept growing and growing, but even then it was still a really powerful force, and I hope we did enough to acknowledge it.

CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

American actress and singer Judy Garland (1922 - 1969) performs in an episode of the live performance anthology series 'Ford Star Jubilee,' New York, August 24, 1955. The episode, titled 'The Judy Garland Special,' aired on September 24, 1955. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)

Garland in 1955.

Have you seen Judy with Renée Zellweger?

I haven't had time to see it yet. The crew and I were just trying to find time so we can all go together. I think it's a really interesting moment coming on the heels of the Zellweger film, which in a way, deals with a similar time period. It's like we're all lined up looking at this twilight of Judy Garland's career in which she did burn the brightest in a lot of ways.

Sid & Judy premieres October 18 at 8pm EST on Showtime.

Latest News