I had been planning to do this article for a while and I FINALLY have found the time to do it. First, a little background on Judy Garland, for those of you who don't know who she is. She was an American singer and actress, best known for playing Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, which had her signature song, Somewhere Over The Rainbow. She would go on to be in other movie roles, such as Meet Me In St. Louis, The Pirate, The Harvery Girls, Easter Parade, and A Star Is Born. I bet many of you must be wondering what an classic actress would have in common with the Evil Queen herself. Well, Judy's life was FAR from glamorous and was actually very tragic, for similar reasons to Regina.

Starting from when her career in show business first began. Her controlling mother, Ethel Gumm, had her three daughters form a singing group called The Gumm Sisters. Back when she was known as Francis Gumm, she was the clear meal ticket for the family because of her exceptional and powerful voice, even at the age of two. She was even called Baby Gumm. However, as she got older, her mother focused mainly on making her a star because of her amazing talent, while forgetting her other daughters. Judy wasn't given a choice and her mother had been pushing her into this world since she was young, just like how Cora was pushing Regina into the world of royalty. Plus how she focused on Regina and didn't even keep Zelena is similar to how Judy's mother ignored her two older daughters. However, Judy's sisters weren't jealous and still loved their sister. The name Francis Gumm wasn't an appealing name and was later changed to Judy Garland.

Her mother didn't have talent and would do anything to push her daughter into show business and cared very little for Judy's emotional problems. When Judy's father died, who she didn't even get to say goodbye to at the hospital because she was forced to stay and sing on the radio, her mother actually went out on a date with a man the next day. Judy begged her not to because it wasn't right, but she just told her daughter not to embarrass her and went on the date anyway. It's similar to how Cora didn't have any trouble with killing Daniel or the effects it would have on Regina emotionally. Regina was angry at her mother for good reason and her mother just told her to shut up and get over it. Plus, her father would try to protect her from her mother and the horrors of Hollywood, but it wasn't any use. She was very close to him. This is just like Regina's relationship with her father.

Judy didn't just have her own Cora, she also had her very own Rumpelstiltskin, in the form of MGM Studios, particularly Louis B. Mayer. The man was absolutely cruel to Judy and controlling. He nicknamed Judy "Little Hunchback", which didn't help with her lack of self-esteem for her looks. She was told she wasn't pretty, that she was fat, and was "The Ugly Duckling". When filming The Wizard of Oz, he put her on a diet to make her lose weight and would actually have spies follow her to make sure she didn't eat a lot. If she had even thought of getting a hamburger, she would've been yelled at, I'm not even exaggerating when I say that. Rumpelstiltskin also kept an eye on Regina, to make sure she never had happiness, so she would be evil and cast the curse. Anytime it looked like things would be up for her, he would be there in secret to ruin it for her, to keep her on the path to darkness.



Judy was forced to take drugs, even at the age of sixteen. They were supposed to help her lose weight, have her work twice as hard, and to help her sleep at night. Her own mother said she would make sure Judy lost weight even if she had to starve her. They had absolutely no idea what those pills would do and just wanted their stars to be able to work twice as hard. One day when she was doing a singing and dancing scene she collapsed on the floor and was told by the doctor she needed eight weeks rest, but the studio and her mother said she had to be back to work in three weeks. She also had just had her heart broken by a man she loved who eloped with famous actress, Lana Turner, after his first date with Judy, so she was also struggling emotionally. But neither her mother or any of the bosses as MGM cared about what she was going through or her health, only that she made them more money because of her amazing talent. It's similar to how Cora saw Regina as a way to better her own status and didn't care about what her daughter wanted or how she felt. Rumpelstiltskin didn't care about Regina's happiness and just wanted her because she was the only one who could cast the curse, for some reason she was the only one who could with this particular curse. He even made sure she stayed unhappy in order for her to want Henry, which would eventually lead to Emma coming to Storybrooke, the curse being broken, and him being able to find his son. Both Judy and Regina were forced into a life that was planned by others who only wanted them for their own selfish reasons without any regard to them.

Judy's amazing voice was a beautiful gift, but she also felt like it was the only people saw her as. She was seen as just a voice and that's why people wanted her and how she got anywhere, despite also being a great actress. It's similar to how Regina was told by Rumple that her rage was all she had, which made her afraid of being happy. Because of the emotional and mental abuse they both went through, they were unable to be confident in themselves in knowing that there was more to them than that.

Judy was never able to find a husband that she would be with until the day she died, except for her last husband that she was married to for a short time until her death at age 47. So you can imagine that both Judy and Regina share in common that their love lives pretty much sucked. However, she was blessed with three children: Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft, and Joey Luft. The three of them were why she kept going on, they were her treasures and what she loved most in the world. Henry was what made Regina feel loved and eventually reform. When Judy gave birth to her son, Joey, it was the night of the Oscars, which she was nominated for Best Actress for her role in A Star Is Born. Everyone was sure she's win, even surprising her by setting it up so she could accept her award from her hospital room. However, the award was given to Grace Kely for Country Girl, which has gone down in history as one of the biggest robberies in Hollywood history. While she was disappointed at first, it didn't take long to get over it, because she said she was going home with a better prize, her son. It's like how Regina doesn't regret any of the horrible things she did because it got her Henry, who she wouldn't trade for anything.

However, because of A Star Is Born costing more money to make than it actually earned back, Judy had a hard time getting any work because no one would hire her afterwards. One reason was also because she was hard to work with because of all of her emotional problems and her drug addiction (THANKS A LOT MGM ASSHOLES). She even had to call someone to beg to be booked for a show when they said they heard she was difficult to work with she said "Yes, it is very difficult to work with Judy Garland. But it's even HARDER to be Judy Garland." She struggled financially because no one would put her in a movie or in a show to sing. She even ended up having to leave her children with their father. Regina also struggled with making a comeback because no matter what good things she did, no one would forget she was the Evil Queen. I mean, she had more than proven she was worthy of redemption and deserving of respect, but she couldn't catch a break and people just kept treating her like crap and pointing fingers at her. She even had Henry leave her to be with the Charmings because she couldn't be trusted until she reformed. Yes, it's difficult to trust the Evil Queen, but it's even harder to get your life together when no one will give you a chance or let you forget about what you did.


Plus, before A Star Is Born, Judy had been fired from MGM because of her mental issues caused by the drugs THEY GAVE HER! She would have hallucinations and have emotional and mental breakdowns. She had made BILLIONS of dollars for that studio and that didn't seem to mean a thing to them. It's like how because of Regina, Rumple was able to get to his son, but if she ever needed his help and he didn't have any gain from it, he wouldn't care or help her. Judy didn't want to get help at first, but when she yelled at her daughter Liza (who was five at the time, I believe) for just wanting her mother to watch a trick she learned, caused her to cry. Judy realized how bad she was and never wanted to hurt her daughter like that again. She tried to get help because she loved her so much, just like how Regina didn't want to change until Henry. However, unlike Regina, Judy would never be able to recover from her addiction because she would die at the age of 47 because of an accidental overdose. Magic and darkness was Regina's addiction that she was able to overcome and later used her amazing gift of magic for good. Judy, unfortunately, was never able to overcome her own demons because of how she wasn't given a chance and had many emotional problems.

She also, while she resented her mother, loved her mother. She didn't want anything to do with her when she was an adult and refused to let her in her house. However, when her mother died, she was truly sad and mourned the death of her mother. Regina also resented Cora and even banished her to Wonderland. She didn't want anything to do with her because of how much pain and abuse she caused her. However, despite all of that, she did still love her mother and mourned her mother's death.

Both of them also had a really smart and sassy sense of humor. You all know about Regina, the Queen of Sass, so there's no need to talk about her sass because it would take too long to explain the awesomeness of her sass. Judy would always make really smart remarks when she was an adult. When she had to be given a shot to help her sleep she said "Better make it a double." One night when she was out with a friend she said to her "What's more pathetic than a woman drinking alone in a bar?.... (Both saying it) Two women drinking alone in a bad!". She even fooled her daughter Lorna when she was a little girl into thinking she was going to doll her all up like a beauty queen when she was really making her look like a clown, on purpose. She had a wonderful sense of humor and was always so smart with it, just like Regina.

Regina made mistakes and was ultimately able to get people to trust her and believe she was truly good. Judy may not have been able to overcome her demons, but her legacy lives on, especially with her signature song, Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Lastly, while a minor thing, both had a child that wrote about them. Henry did write about Regina being the savior, which ultimately caused her to be the one who broke Isaac's spell. Judy's daughter Lorna Luft wrote a book about her mother's life, Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir, which was later adapted into a movie that Lorna produced, renamed Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows. Both women have struggled in their life, but have made a lot of amazing accomplishments that caused people to love them. From their determination to their amazing talent, from their beauty to their humor and personality. Now to end this article, I will have Henry's quote when he rewrites Isaac's story and the last quote Lorna narrated in the movie adaptation of her book.

Henry: "Thanks to the hero Regina's sacrifice, Isaac's villainous work was undone."

A true hero!

Lorna Luft: "I was sixteen-years-old, the same age Mama had been when she played Dorothy Gale, and I would never see her again. I'm proud of my mother! FIERCELY PROUD! But there are some family traditions that I don't want my children to carry on, Mama would be the first to agree with me. When they refer to my family's life as a tragedy they completely miss the point. Mama never saw herself as tragic. She never lost her optimism. That level of joy and carrying on, no matter what the obstacles is what she made every audience feel and believe. It's why people love her. If I've learned anything from her along the way, it's that everyone's show much go on and it's up to us to make it a good one."