A March 1943 radio broadcast of, Me and My Gal, with Dick Powell, Judy Garland, and Gene Kelly.


 When Judy Garland first saw Pal Joey on the stage in 1940 she was blown away by the talent of its star, the unknown Gene Kelly. It was the role that would get him noticed, but Judy was the first to bring his name to the attention of Hollywood when she recommended him to the studio.


His first movie was with Judy two years later with, For Me and My Gal. A complete novice he was guided through the movie by Judy and he never forgot her kindness and patience. They became close friends and she became a frequent visitor to his home.


They would go on to make two more movies together, The Pirate and Summer Stock. The last, in 1950, saw the health of Judy decline. Her marriage to Vincente Minnelli was breaking down and her need for drugs was impacting her weight, looks and behaviour on set. Gene was notoriously perfectionist but here he protected Judy and swore to look after her. ‘’I don’t care if it takes a year. I will stay here and be here for her,’’ he said. When Judy had to take a day off due to her inability to work Gene feigned an injury forcing production to shut down for the day in order to save Judy any embarrassment. He had taken the role specifically to help Judy as he felt he was too old for the part and did not care for the script. ‘’I have every reason to be grateful for all the help she had given me.”

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