Core Blog Post #5: Judy Garland Lives On in the Gay Community

Richard Dyer's chapter on Judy Garland in Heavenly Bodies suggests that Garland's on and off screen persona in some ways represents "the situation and experience of being gay in a homophobic society" (149). The parallel between Garland as a real-life tragic figure and her film roles as a "comeback" performer allows audiences to see Garland as one who has been beaten by society, but still musters enough courage to defy it. Her additional brand of ordinariness, androgyny, and camp, also aligns Garland with gay culture and she has become somewhat of a gay icon. In fact, as early as World War II, being a "friend of Dorothy" was a slang term used by gay men to identify their sexual orientation when homosexual acts were illegal in the United States.

I feel that a great example of what Dyer talks about in HB can be seen in Garland's performance of "Get Happy" from Summer Stock (1950):

Garland's iconic costume from Summer Stock highlights the androgyny in her persona. She wears what appears to be a men's suit and fedora crossed with a skirt, stockings, and high heels. Meanwhile, men in traditional masculine costume serve as her background dancers, all of whom she complete power over as she leads the dance number. The visual gives new meaning to the lyrics of "Get Happy". For example, consider the chorus below:

Forget your troubles
Cone on get happy
You better chase all your cares away
Shout Hallelujah
Come on get happy
Get ready for the judgement day

The sun is shining
Come on get happy
The lord is waiting to take your hand
Should Hallelujah
Come on get happy
We're going to the promised land

We're heading across the river
Wash your sins away in the tide
It's so peaceful on the other side

I would argue that the image of an androgyne singing these lyrics (which have a religious connotation) implies gay acceptance in mainstream society. Garland sings of a peaceful land without judgement, and thus fear persecution for those that gender bend like she does.

This is similar to how Dyer discusses ways in which gays relate to Garland's role as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. In the film, Garland leaves an oppressive, black and white Kansas life to travel to a fantastic land of color, singing, and dance where all types of people could reach their true potential (Lion wants courage, Tin Man wants a heart, etc.). Perhaps a the land in which Garland talks about in "Get Happy" could be somewhat like Oz in which gays do not need to be held back by societal norms.

Garland's gender bending in "Get Happy" takes on new forms in modern times. For example, singer Rufus Wainwright recreates Dorothy's performance -- costume and all -- in his critically acclaimed Carnegie Hall Concert in 2007. Just last year, Seth Sikes emerged as a performer selling out shows by putting a modern spin on classic Garland songs.