Judy Garland

JUDY GARLAND comes in at number 52 in a countdown of exceptional teenagers. Mickey Rooney was far more popular back in the day, but Garland’s role in The Wizard of Oz and her singing have made her the more enduring superstar.

OCTOBER 13: Judy Garland is Dorothy, starts acting in Oz

ON THIS DATE in 1938, sixteen-year-old Judy Garland performed her first scenes for The Wizard of Oz.

It has been estimated that more than one billion people have seen Garland sing “Over the Rainbow,” run afoul of the Wicked Witch of the West, and befriend the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion in the ever-popular 1939 musical based on L. Frank Baum’s children’s book.

Garland received received sparkling reviews for her performance, with Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times calling her “a pert and fresh-faced miss with the wonderlit eyes of a believer in fairy tales.” Writing several decades later, Roger Ebert said the actress “projected vulnerability and a certain sadness in every tone of her voice … When she hoped that troubles would melt like lemon drops, you believed she had troubles.” Garland received a special miniature Oscar in 1940 for “most outstanding performance by a juvenile.”

Garland with Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the West.

The former Frances Gumm appeared in her first extended film role, under the name Judy Garland, at fourteen. Before The Wizard of Oz, she was mostly known as Mickey Rooney’s leading lady, having co-starred with him in Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry (1937), Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938), and Babes In Arms (1939).

Metro-Goldwin-Mayer boss Louie Mayer reportedly tried and failed to borrow Shirley Temple for the Dorothy role. Darryl Zanuck of 20th-Century Fox boss refused to loan out his ten-year-old superstar, who had been Hollywood’s number-one box-office attraction from 1935 to 1937. The Wizard of Oz producer Mervyn Leroy, however, denied any preference for Temple over Garland. “I always wanted Judy Garland,” he said. “On account of her voice. On account of her personality. She looked more like Dorothy than Shirley Temple did.”

Garland’s later roles include 1944’s Meet Me in St. Louis and 1954’s remake of A Star is Born. Her hard-driven Hollywood childhood resulted in a dependency on drugs to provide energy, control her weight, and help her sleep. Judy died in 1969 at age 47.

HAIR THEY ARE

I just wanna be myself and I want you to know / I am my hair

— Lady Gaga, “Hair,” 2001

THE PRECEDING LINE could have been written by King Louis XIV, who started losing his mane at seventeen and responded by donning wigs so large and outlandish that Lady Gaga might be tempted to say, “Hey, tone it down, dude.”

Teens have been obsessed with their hair for centuries, none more than the fictional Marcia Brady, who brushed her luscious locks 100 times a day. A modeling agent in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) ignited her fury by suggesting she could make it in the fashion industry with a little work, like

“… cutting that mousy hair, capping those teeth, and losing about 30 pounds, my little sausage. How do you feel about breast implants?”

Outraged, Marcia slapped him and declared, “Cut my hair?”

Here are more teens, real and fictional, who made a statement with their hair:

Movie Star High School

AS A LIFELONG film buff and a brand-new Coloradoan, I was delighted to discover in 2007 that I lived less than 30 minutes away from a wellspring of movie talent — Denver East High School. Opened in 1875, this school has housed a glut of powerhouse performers, including

Douglas Fairbanks Sr., swashbuckling star of the silent screen.

Harold Lloyd, early comic actor, director, and producer.

Hattie McDaniel, first black winner of an acting Oscar.

Ward Bond, prolific character actor and star of TV’s “Wagon Train.”

Pam Grier, black action-film legend.

Don Cheadle, versatile Oscar-nominated actor.

The first three either dropped out or transferred, but so what? They didn’t need no stinkin’ diplomas! They had talent! And drive! A quality that came in handy seeing as they had to drive or fly or hitchhike more than 1,200 miles west to get to Hollywood (and more than 1,600 miles east to get to Broadway).

By contrast, Hollywood High students could —and can —walk to the major studios. Although a ride in a Mercedes is the preferred mode of transportation. Not that all Hollywood kids are rich and spoiled. Some just happen to go to school in the perfect place for aspiring film stars. In movies and in real estate, location is everything.

Of course, Hollywood High isn’t California’s only movie star high school. There’s also …

University High (Los Angeles): Alumni include Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Sandra Dee, and Jeff Bridges.

Harvard-Westlake (Los Angeles): Myrna Loy, Shirley Temple, Elizabeth Montgomery, Candice Bergen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Beverly Hills High: Jackie Cooper, Betty White, Richard Dreyfuss, Carrie Fisher, Nicolas Cage, David Schwimmer, and Angelina Jolie.

Van Nuys (Los Angeles): Natalie Wood, Jane Russell, Robert Redford, Stacy Keach, and Ed Begley Jr.

Santa Monica High: Glen Ford, Sean Penn, Rob Lowe, Robert Downey Jr., and Charlie Sheen.

While that’s a load of acting talent, Hollywood High has them beat. Here are eight exceptional film and TV stars who attended that school …

John Huston (class of 1923) accrued 15 Academy Award nominations from 1941 to 1986. He won for directing and writing the screenplay for Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948).

Alan Ladd (class of 1934) made his name starring in hard-boiled detective films like This Gun For Hire (1942) but is best known as the gunslinger in Shane (1953).

Lana Turner (class of 1936) starred as the femme fatale in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) and illuminated such big-screen soap operas as Peyton Place (1957) and Imitation of Life (1959).

Mickey Rooney (class of 1938) starred in a number of Andy Hardy films in the late 1930s and was Hollywood’s number one box-office attraction, according to the Quigley poll, from 1939 to 1941.

Jason Robards (class of 1940) starred on stage and screen in Long Day’s Journey into Night (film 1962) and won back-to-back supporting actor Oscars for All the President’s Men (1976) and Julia (1977).

Gloria Grahame (class 1942) won the best supporting actress Oscar for The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) but was more memorable for her roles in In a Lonely Place (1950) and The Big Heat (1953).

James Garner (dropped out 1944) appeared in scores of films but is best remembered as Bret Maverick in “Maverick” (1957-62) and James Rockford in “The Rockford Files” (1974-80).

Carol Burnett (class of 1951) became a comedy legend during her long run with “The Carol Burnett Show” (1967-78).

Here are few more stars from Hollywood High school…

Joel McCrae (class of 1924), known for Sullivan’s Travels (1941) and 1950s Westerns.

Linda Evans (class of 1960), “The Big Valley” (1965-69), “Dynasty” (1981-89).

Stefanie Powers (class of 1960), “Heart to Heart” (1979-84).

Barbara Hershey (class of 1965), Hannah and her Sisters (1986).

Meredith Baxter (class of 1965), “Family Ties” (1982-89).

John Ritter (class of 1966), “Three’s Company” (1976-84).

Valerie Bertinelli (class of 1978), “One Day at a Time” (1975-84).

Laurence Fishburne (class of 1980), The Matrix (1999).

Leighton Meester (class of 2001), “Gossip Girl” (2007-12).

That is one impressive alumni list.