JUDY GARLAND - CONTRACT SIGNED 03/09/1961 CO-SIGNED BY: G. BERNARDI - HFSID 160708

JUDY GARLAND
Judy Garland signs a document to appear at the Music Hall.
Carbon Typed Document Signed: "Judy Garland" in ink, 2p, 8½x11, separate sheets. No place, 1961 March 9. Agreement between G. Bernardi and Garland for a single Garland performance at the Music Hall, Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, May 14, 1961. In part: "Sponsor [Bernardi] agrees to pay Artist [Garland]...the sum of a guarantee of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) against a Sixty-five Percent (65%) share of the gross box office receipts...Sponsor also agrees to furnish and pay for spotlights, sound system, speakers, spotlight operators, and all stagehands and electricians as necessary and required by Artist...Sponsor agrees to furnish and to pay for a 25-piece orchestra per the attached schedule of instrumentations...Sponsor shall assume any and all other costs in connection with the engagement, such as advertising, theatre rental, etc....Artist shall have the exclusive right to sell souvenir books, records and sheet music during this engagement, at 15% concession to Sponsor...." Also signed: "G Bernardi" under "Agreed to and Accepted". Accompanied by instrumentation sheet mentioned in contract. Ink addition (unknown hand) at end of typed listing, which includes instruments (including a spare set of drums), music stands and "Black Tie for Orchestra". In 1961, Garland embarked on a 31-city concert tour that began on January 9 in Miami, Florida and ended on December 9 in Washington, D.C. Among the stops was her April 23 performance at Carnegie Hall. Garland's performance at the Music Hall in Cleveland, Ohio, set to start at 7:30 p.m., was delayed about 15 minutes and there were additional problems during the concert. After the first few songs, Garland had a "frog in her throat" and left the stage for a glass of water that she sipped while she chatted with the audience until she felt ready to go on. Later in the program, she helped the 28-piece orchestra to regroup. Despite the minor "glitches", her performance, which ran until almost 10:00 p.m., was well-received by the audience...and nearly 1,000 of her fans lined Sixth Street outside the concert venue in the hopes of catching a glimpse of their idol. Judy Garland (1922-1969) sang on stage with her sisters in the late 1920s and appeared on records and films from 1936, but her breakthrough to superstardom came with her role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939), singing her signature song, "Over the Rainbow". A competent actress and superbly gifted singer, Garland won an Oscar (with 2 more nominations), three Grammys (plus 6 of her recordings in the Grammy Hall of Fame), a Tony, and at least three Emmy nominations during her legendary career. By the late 1940s, her film career was suffering as a result of personal problems, including struggles with alcohol and the barbiturates that finally killed her, but she made a dazzling comeback in concert tours of the 1960s, especially Judy at Carnegie Hall (1961). Garland is the mother of actress Liza Minnelli and screenwriter/producer Lorna Luft. Both sheets are lightly creased. Slightly soiled. Staple holes at upper left corners, 2 file holes at upper blank margins. Overall, fine condition.