Overview
The third of Judy Garland’s five husbands, Sid Luft was the one man in her life who stuck around. He was chiefly responsible for the final act of Judy’s meteoric career, producing her iconic, Oscar-nominated performance in A Star Is Born and expertly shaping her concert career. Previously unpublished, and only recently found, Sid Luft’s intimate autobiography tells their story. Their romance lasted Judy’s lifetime, despite the separations, the reconciliations, and the divorce. Under Luft’s management, Judy Garland came back, bigger than ever, building a singing career that rivaled Sinatra’s. However, Judy’s drug dependencies and suicidal tendencies put a tremendous strain on their relationship. Despite everything, Sid never stopped loving Judy and never forgave himself for not being able to ultimately save her from the demons that drove her to an early death.
Reviews
"More than the love of his life, Judy Garland was Sid Luft's passion, and their tempestuous relationship was one of the great untold stories of the twentieth century. Garland left him, returned, and left him again, but Luft thought of Garland every day from when they met until the day he died, and it shows in this riveting page-turner of a memoir." —Lawrence Schulman, music producer, critic, and translator
"Sid Luft's long-awaited autobiography is finally here and doesn't disappoint. Judy Garland fans and fans of Hollywood's Golden Age will enjoy Luft's honesty and insight from his very unique vantage point. A definite must-read!" —Scott Brogan, founder and webmaster of TheJudyRoom.com
“Luft writes with neither sensation nor sentiment. Much like himself, his writing is masculine and unflinching. Imagine Hemingway writing about the girl from Oz. It makes for a pretty fascinating book.” —The Bay Area Reporter
“Garland fanatics will gobble up [Luft’s] detailed, insightful backstage accounts of Garland's classic late productions and gossipy tidbits about their social circle.” —Kirkus Reviews
“In prose so brassy that it bruises the sensibilities, Luft, who died in 2005, illuminates the dark side of life in the spotlight and dispels any sentimental illusions about the glories of show business in Hollywood’s classic age.” —The New Yorker
"A rare glimpse into old Hollywood that you don't get to see these days..." —Red Carpet Crash
Author Biography
Sid Luft was an amateur boxer, test pilot, Hollywood producer, and impresario. He was married to Judy Garland from 1952 to 1965. Randy L. Schmidt edited Judy Garland on Judy Garland and wrote Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter. He lives in Denton, TX.