Petrelis Files

It was thirty-five years ago today that the world lost Frances Gumm, from an accidental overdose of sleeping pills.

Judy Garland, the entertainer of the century, could do it all.

She sang like nobody else, possessed comedic and dramatic talents, danced with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, and did so while still relatively young.

Her untimely death in London is widely credited as a contributing factor leading up to the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village.

Judy died on June 22, 1969, and the queers acted up at the Christopher Street bar on June 27, which just happens to be the date of this year's GLBT pride parades in New York and San Francisco.

Between today and Sunday, please find a way to honor this incredible woman, the likes of whom the world will never see again.

Get out the Judy CDs, play them at top volume. Put one of her movies on the DVD player. Invite friends and family members over to pay homage to Judy, her talents and her life. (Just avoid the pills and booze, okay?)

And for those of you who either personally knew and loved gay film critic and Judy fan Vito Russo, author of the "Celluloid Closet," or were acquainted with him only through his activism and criticism, also give a cheer for Russo and our memories of him when you listen to or watch Judy this week.

Michael Petrelis
A Friend of Dorothy's