Summary
Susie Boyt picks Judy Garland, the child star who became one of the most famous entertainers of the twentieth century. June 2022 will be the centenary of her birth.
"All people ever said to me was, ‘You have got to toughen up,'" Susie told us. "You cannot go round nursing these wild cascades of feelings, or you’re never going to have a happy life. Then one day my mother took me to see The Wizard of Oz. It was the first film I ever saw at the cinema, and when I heard Dorothy singing Over the Rainbow, I thought, here is someone whose feelings seem to run as high as my own and she’s not hiding it, she’s not embarrassed by it, she’s not ashamed. She was leading with her feelings as though they were the best thing life contains."
Joining Susie Boyt is John Fricke, leading Judy Garland expert who put her ability to thrill her audiences far ahead of the many tabloid accounts of her life.
The presenter is Matthew Parris, the producer in Bristol is Miles Warde
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to introduce myself. |
| 0:03.7 | My name's Stevie Middleton and I'm a BBC Commissioner for a load of sport podcasts. |
| 0:08.4 | I'm lucky to do that at the BBC because I get to work with a leading journalist, experienced |
| 0:12.2 | pundits and the biggest sport stars. |
| 0:14.3 | Together we bring you untold stories and fascinating insights straight from the players' |
| 0:18.5 | mouths. |
| 0:19.5 | But the best thing about doing this at the BBC is our unique access to the sport world. |
| 0:25.0 | What that means is that we can bring you podcasts that create a real connection to |
| 0:28.8 | dedicated sports fans across the UK. |
| 0:31.2 | So if you like this podcast, head over to BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more. |
| 0:40.6 | In June 1922 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, a little girl called Francis Ethel Gum was born. |
| 0:49.0 | Her parents ran the local movie theatre and put on Vordville stage variety that was |
| 0:53.8 | immensely popular before TV. |
| 0:56.3 | Little Francis Gum, or Baby Gum, as she was known, was up on that stage singing from the age of |
| 1:02.5 | two and a half, together with her two-old assisters. Mother accompanied them on the piano, |
| 1:08.2 | by all accounts she was terrible. |
| 1:10.8 | Have you guessed our great life yet? Well, there will be a whole tribe of people in Britain |
| 1:15.9 | who will have screamed yes, the moment I said Francis Ethel Gum. |
| 1:20.0 | Now, joining me in the studio is the novelist Susie Boyte. Tell us whom you've picked. |
| 1:26.0 | Judy Garland. Why? |
| 1:27.8 | Well, I've loved her since I was very, very small and I still love her now. |
| 1:32.1 | I was a very, very sensitive kid, the kind of little girl that if someone leaves some |
... |
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