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The Films of Judy Garland

 POSTER

 

 
 

My love for classic films inspired me to design and letter a series of retro title cards for the films starring my favorite actress, Judy Garland, while drawing inspiration from their original titles and the promotional ephemera created for the films.

Being a collector and a huge fan of classic movies, I found that the things I couldn’t collect in a tangible way were the artful titles created for some of the most memorable movies of all-time. I thought a great deal about how special title designs are to fans, and about their increased importance because they literally flash before your eyes. Before home video and the internet, the titles could only exist for fans in the form of their memories and revisiting long out-of-print films could be incredibly difficult.

My goal was to document, collect, and present an inspired, cohesive piece that represents a history of movie titles through one actress’s filmography while adding my own design language and take on each film. I wanted a specific history of typography and lettering to live together on a poster in a meaningful way.

I would watch each film with a sketchbook in hand, decide on my reference, sketch a solid idea, and then jump on the computer and try to finish one title in one sitting. I would try to complete three titles per week so that I wouldn't fuss too much and so that getting 34 titles finished in a few months couldn't turn into a few years! The pieces I created were 4x3 just like the 4:3 aspect ratio of the majority of the films themselves.

I began the project with a series of titles from films that most movie fans would associate with Garland: The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, and A Star is Born. After those films, I started from the very beginning of her film career in 1936 and continued chronologically until her final acting performance in a film she completed in 1963.

The typeface I used for the captions under each card is set in a font called “Meyer Two” (misspelling of Louis B. Mayer’s last name intentional) which was one of five fonts that Linotype cut to Mayer’s personal specifications to be used at M-G-M in their film titles and silent film subtitles. It was drawn in 1926 and digitally revived by David Berlow in 1994.


Check out my Print Magazine feature about the project HERE.


The poster was printed at the original one-sheet poster size (27" x 41") on a beautiful metallic stock with a filmic quality that might remind you of a vintage silver gelatin portrait you might have received after writing to your favorite M-G-M star.

(I've sold out of three editions of the poster but if you're interested in purchasing a copy please do get in touch!)

 
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©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_1_PigskinParade

Pigskin parade

1936  ·  20th Century-Fox  ·  as Sairy Dodd


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_2_BroadwayMelodyOf1938

broadway melody of 1938

1937  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Betty Clayton


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_3_ThoroughbredsDontCry

Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry

1937  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Cricket West


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_4_EverybodySing

Everybody Sing

1938  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Judy Bellaire


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_5_LoveFindsAndyHardy

Love Finds Andy Hardy

1938  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Betsy Booth


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_6_ListenDarling

Listen, darling

1938  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Pinkie Wingate


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THE WIZARD OF OZ

1939  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Dorothy Gale  ·  Academy Award Winner for Best Young Actress


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_8_BabesInArms

Babes in Arms

1939  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Patsy Barton


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_9_AndyHardyMeetsDebutante

Andy Hardy Meets Debutante

1940  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Betsy Booth


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_10_StrikeUpTheBand

Strike Up the Band

1940  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Mary Holden


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_11_LittleNellieKelly

Little Nellie Kelly

1940  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Nellie Kelly and Little Nellie Kelly


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Ziegfeld Girl

1941  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Susan Gallagher


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_13_LifeBeginsForAnyHardy

Life Begins for Andy Hardy

1941  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Betsy Booth


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Babes on Broadway

1941  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Penny Morris


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For Me and My Gal

1942  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Jo Hayden


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Presenting Lily Mars

1943  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Lily Mars


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_17_GirlCrazy

Girl Crazy

1943  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Ginger Gray


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_18_ThousandsCheer

Thousands Cheer

1943  ·  M-G-M  ·  as herself


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_19_MeetMeInStLouis

Meet Me in St. Louis

1944  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Esther Smith


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_20_TheClock

The Clock

1945  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Alice Mayberry


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_21_TheHarveyGirls

The Harvey Girls

1946  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Susan Bradley


©RGeroni_FilmsOfJudyGarland_22_ZiegfeldGirl

Ziegfeld Follies of 1946

1946  ·  M-G-M  ·  as “The Star”


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Till the Clouds Roll By

1946  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Marilyn Miller


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The Pirate

1948  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Manuela Alva


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Easter Parade

1950  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Jane Falbury


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Words and Music

1948  ·  M-G-M  ·  as herself


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In the Good Old Summertime

1949  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Veronica Fisher


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Summer Stock

1950  ·  M-G-M  ·  as Jane Falbury


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A Star is Born

1954  ·  Transcona / Warner Bros.  ·  as Esther Blodgett  ·  Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress


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Pepe

1960  ·  Columbia  ·  as herself (voice)


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Judgment at Nuremberg

1961  ·  United Artists  ·  as Irene Hoffman  ·  Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actress


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Gay Purr-ee

1961  ·  UPA / Warner Bros.  ·  as Mewsette (voice)


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A Child Is Waiting

1963  ·  United Artists  ·  as Jean Hansen


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I Could Go On Singing

1963  ·  Barbican / United Artists  ·  as Jenny Bowman


 

I also created 8" by 10" “lobby card” versions of each title card design that were also available on metallic stock featuring cast information and release dates stamped on the reverse.