born Judith May Hess in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Judy was no stranger to show business. her father played trumpet with the likes of Benny Goodman and Paul Whiteman, and her mother was a former Ziegfeld Follies dancer. she began acting as a teenager, appearing on Howdy Doody at 17, after which she returned to the stage where she was soon 'discovered'. Judy appeared in two films, the last of which was Elvis' third film, Jailhouse Rock (1957).
during the making of the film Elvis became infatuated with Judy, and the two spent a lot of time together on and off the set.
just three days after shooting was completed, Judy and her husband were driving home from Hollywood to New York when he swerved to avoid hitting a truck and collided with another. she died instantly, he the following morning; she just 23 years old, he 19. sadly, Judy never had the opportunity to see her performances in either of her two films. Elvis' friends say that he was so upset by her death that he couldn't bear to watch "Jailhouse Rock", and has never seen the film.
3 comments:
Oh my - another tragic ending for one of Elvis' leading ladies!
btw - my word verification is fecali - gross.
"swerved to avoid hitting a truck and collided with another"... Actually, the New York Times report (July 5, 1957) says Greg swerved to avoid a car and hit another car. There's a tribute to Judy on youtube that shows the scene of the accident with the two cars and Judy's body still there. Her head came through the windshield. No seat belts or airbags at the time, I'm afraid.
my apologies, nemo. when i said truck, i didn't mean transport truck, as the car they swerved to avoid was a larger vehicle, pulling a trailor. i probably should have said 'car'. will change that right away. thanks for your dilligence ;)
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