Babes in Arms (1939) paired Judy Garland with Mickey Rooney, as Patsy Barton, in a musical about young performers who put on a show to help their parents.
The film, directed by Busby Berkeley, followed the let’s-put-on-a-show formula that Garland and Rooney made famous. Garland played Patsy with energy and charm, and her duets with Rooney became a highlight of their partnership.
Babes in Arms was a major success and confirmed Garland as a leading musical star. Patsy Barton remains a joyful example of her early screen talent.
Image: Judy Garland singing Over the Rainbow, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 / public domain. Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Judy_Garland_Over_the_Rainbow_2.jpg