Ethel Marion Milne
Ethel Marion Milne | |
|---|---|
 Milne in 1930 | |
| Born | November 6, 1893 |
| Died | January 5, 1953 (aged 59) |
| Occupation | Vaudevillian |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, including Judy Garland |
Ethel Marion Milne (born November 6, 1893 – January 5, 1953) was an American vaudevillian. She is the mother of Judy Garland and played a role in managing her daughter's early careers in entertainment.
Early life
[edit]Milne was born on November 6, 1893, in Michigamme, Michigan, to Eva Marion Fitzpatrick and Robert Emmett Milne, a carpenter.[1] She grew up in Superior, Wisconsin. Ethel’s early exposure to the performing arts was influenced by the popularity of vaudeville, a form of variety entertainment that flourished in the early 20th century, which later developed her interest in performance.[2][3][4]
Career
[edit]Milne’s marriage to Francis “Frank” Gumm, a theater manager, took place on October 24, 1914, in Wisconsin. The couple moved to Grand Rapids, Minnesota, where they managed the New Grand Theatre, which featured silent films and live performances. Together, they had three daughters: Mary Jane “Suzanne” Gumm, Dorothy Virginia “Jimmie” Gumm, and Frances “Baby” Ethel Gumm, who would later change her name to Judy Garland.
Ethel encouraged her daughters to perform as The Gumm Sisters, a vaudeville trio that sang and danced in local talent shows and on regional vaudeville stages.[5]
Milne served as manager for her daughter Judy Garland during the early stages of her career. Milne negotiated Garland's contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and oversaw her professional development during this period.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Ethel and Frank divorced in 1927, with contemporary sources attributing the separation to Frank's infidelity.[citation needed] Following the divorce, Ethel assumed primary management of her daughters' performing careers, particularly Judy Garland's.[citation needed]
As Garland's career progressed, including her breakthrough role, Dorothy Gale, in The Wizard of Oz (1939), professional tensions emerged between mother and daughter. Biographers have noted Ethel's rigorous management style may have influenced Garland's later psychological and substance abuse challenges, though direct causation remains speculative.[7]
Ethel maintained involvement in her daughters' careers until her death on January 5, 1953, in Los Angeles at age 59.[8][9]
Milne's management approach has been the subject of biographical analysis. Several Garland biographers have examined the potential effects of Milne's career guidance on Garland's personal life. Her methods have been cited in discussions about parent managers in the entertainment industry during the studio era.[10]
Garland's subsequent reflections on their relationship were documented in later interviews.
References
[edit]- ^ "FamilySearch.org". ancestors.familysearch.org. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
- ^ Clarke, Gerald (March 2000). Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland. Random House. pp. 5–6. ISBN 978-0751531602.
{{cite book}}: External link in|title= - ^ Luft, Sidney (2017–2018). Judy and I: My Life with Judy Garland. Chicago Review Press. pp. 12–15. ISBN 978-0912777702.
- ^ "Judy Garland - Spouses, Death & Movie". Biography. 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
- ^ "Turner Classic Movies - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
- ^ Quinn, Ilana (2021-12-08). "Judy Garland's Mother Was The "Real" Wicked Witch". Medium. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
- ^ "Hollywood's other pushy stage mums". Irish Independent. 2017-09-25. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
- ^ "Ethel Marion Milne death pt 1 of 2". The Los Angeles Times. 1953-01-06. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
- ^ "Ethel Marion Milne death pt 2 of 2". The Los Angeles Times. 1953-01-06. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
- ^ "Judy Garland 1922-1969 singer dramatist Frances Ethel Gumm * BP Lama Jyotishavidya". barbarapijan.com. Retrieved 2025-01-10.