Judy Garland

From her portrayal of Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" to her concert performances, Judy Garland's fans never deserted her. Between the child star and the burnt-out singer lay years of mismanagement, misaliances and misuse. David Shipman has researched his subject, and interviewed dozens of people who have never spoken before, to bring us an account of Garland's life from childhood to death. His account talks about her unhappy childhood, her lovers (of both sexes) and mis-marriages, her abortions and suicide attempts and the deep-seated insecurity which led to her ruthless self-obsession and dependency. He also exposes the enormous lengths to which MGM studios went to preserve the image of their internationally famous star: starvation diets mixed with tranquillizers and amphetamines, a cocktail that inevitably produced erratic behaviour and a reputation for unreliability. The author also wrote "The Great Movie Stars", volumes 1, 2 and 3, "The Story of Cinema", "The Good Film and Video Guide", "Movie Talk: Who Said What About Whom in the Movies" and "Marlon Brando". He has also been Associate Editor of "Film and Filming" and he is the programme consultant to the National Film Theatre and a regular contributor to "The Independent".