How Judy Garland’s hell of being starved on Wizard of Oz set led to her tragic downfall

nypost.com:

Judy Garland to the other side of the rainbow.The claim was made in a new biography about Tinseltown’s most notorious private detective, “The Fixer: Moguls, Mobsters, Movie Stars and Marilyn.” It delves into shocking revelations from his never-before-seen investigative files.For the book, co-author Manfred Westphal was given access to Otash’s archives with the blessing of his daughter, Colleen.

Westphal, who first met Colleen at Otash’s funeral, developed a close friendship with her over the years.Otash, a World War II Marine veteran, died in 1992 at age 70.Westphal alleged to Fox News Digital that Otash helped the “Wizard of Oz” star briefly get sober.“When Judy Garland filed for divorce from her third husband, Sid Luft, she was afraid to be in her home alone,” Westphal explained. “She feared that Sid might kidnap the children.

So her attorney, Jerry Giesler, hired Otash to serve as her bodyguard.”“He turned out to be her fixer,” Westphal added.Life for Garland wasn’t always marked by drama.

In 1935, the performer known as Frances Ethel Gumm caught the eye of MGM co-founder Louis B. Mayer. The 13-year-old signed a long-term contract and earned a Depression-defying salary of $100 a week, or $2,200 today.But 15 years after she was discovered by Hollywood, Garland was spat out by the star factory.