When American actress Judy Garland visited Hong Kong, and had to be rushed to hospital
Following a largely disastrous tour of Australia in 1964, the actress hoped to unwind in Hong Kong. But her plans to relax and shop were thwarted by a suspected heart attack
“Judy Garland to Visit Hong Kong” reported the South China Morning Post on April 28, 1964, describing the American singer and actress, most famous for starring in 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, as “the highest paid woman entertainer in the world”.
Garland’s visit followed a stormy tour of Australia. In Melbourne, the Post reported on May 23, the audience had “booed and slow-handclapped” the singer when she arrived more than an hour late for a concert.
The 42-year-old star had then apparently been “dragged struggling on to a plane” (high winds were later blamed) departing Melbourne for Sydney before “spending her last 25 hours in Australia accompanied by three bodyguards in her luxury hotel suite”.
Garland arrived in Hong Kong on May 23, breaking her silence on May 28 in a radio interview reported in the following day’s Post. She said: “I will sing anywhere in the world, but Melbourne […] The town, the press in Melbourne were absolutely beastly to me.
“I shall have some rest here. I shall go shopping tomorrow. I am interested in jades, jewellery and some dresses.”
However, things did not turn out as Garland had hoped.